Capital of Women Scientists

The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, opens the exhibition with some of the portrayed female scientists: Prof. Claudia Langenberg; Prof. Marlis Dürkop-Leptihn; Prof. Gudrun Erzgräber and Prof. Gesche Joost (from left). © BIH / Konstantin Börner

Imagine: You want to become a scientist, but you are not allowed to study. You work in research, achieve groundbreaking results, but don't get paid. You are nominated for the Nobel Prize more than a dozen times, but you don't receive it because you are not a man. This exhibition gives the women who once defied all odds and paved the way for many generations of successful women scientists the recognition they deserve. And it shows examples of the work of some of today’s outstanding women researchers. But don’t just use it for information, use it for inspiration.

Get to know women scientists who have had or continue to have a significant impact on teaching, research and our city. More than a hundred years after the first female student was officially enrolled, Berlin can now present itself as the capital of women scientists with the highest proportion of women professors in Germany and counts a total of more than 15,000 women scientists, from doctoral students to university presidents.

The exhibition is part of the project "Berlin - Capital of Women Scientists", an initiative of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, which was carried out in 2021 by the Berlin Institute of Health with the support of the Berlin Senate Chancellery. The starting point were Wikipedia edit-a-thons with interested amateur researchers, from schoolchildren to senior citizens. Together they edited and wrote more than 50 Wikipedia entries about women scientists in Berlin. Based on these articles, an exhibition was created, which was first opened at the Rotes Rathaus and will subsequently be shown at various locations in the city. The exhibition is now also traveling internationally, for example in cooperation with the Goethe Institutes in Prague, Tokyo, Budapest and London.

More information about the joint project of the Berlin Senate Chancellery and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) [In German]

Please note, that the project was conducted in German and we have only edited the German Wikipedia entries so far. The English Wikipedia articles were not part of the project and need further improvement.

- News
18 March 2026
BIH Exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists” in Warsaw
The exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists” by the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) continues its tour and has been on display in Berlin’s Polish partner city, Warsaw, since March 10. It is being shown simultaneously at the Goethe-Institut Warsaw and at the University of Warsaw,…
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- News
11 February 2026
BIH Exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists” travels to Lyon
The Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) is delighted to announce the next international stop of its successful touring exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists”, now on display at the Goethe-Institut Lyon. From 17 January to 28 March 2026, visitors can explore the stories of 22…
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- News
14 May 2025
BIH exhibition visits Paris and Brussels
In cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Maison Heinrich Heine (MHH) and with the support of the German embassies, the exhibition ‘Berlin - Capital of Women Scientists’ travelled to Paris and Brussels.
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- News
12 June 2024
BIH exhibition goes international
The exhibition “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists” is garnering international attention as it travels to Berlin’s partner cities. The exhibition tour – which has already included stops in Prague, Tokyo and Budapest – is organized in collaboration with Goethe-Institut branches and the German…
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In cooperation with

Where can I view the exhibition?

Goethe-Institut Madrid
Calle Zurbarán, 21
E - 28010 Madrid
13.04.2026 – 30.09.2026

European Picnic
German and French Embassy, Warsaw
16 May 2026

Portraits of the scientists in Japanese, Czech, Hungarian, Dutch, French, Polish and Spanish

Past exhibition venues
- Goethe-Institut Warsaw, ul. Chmielna 13A, Access ul. Chmielna 11, 00-021 Warszawa, Poland, 10.03. – 14.03.2026 and 24.03. – 07.04.2026
- Goethe-Institut Lyon, 18 rue François Dauphin, 69002 Lyon, France, 17.01. – 28.03.2026
- IPSiR, University of Warsaw, ul. Podchorazych 20, Warszawa, 10.03. – 24.03.2026 (No wheelchair access)
- Rahel Hirsch Center for Translational Medicine (RHC), Luisenstr. 65, 10117 Berlin, since January 1, 2025
- Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, Anna von Helmholtz-Bau, Abbestraße 2-12, 10587 Berlin-Charlottenburg, 1.9.2025 – 22.9.2025 (accessible to the public during the building's opening hours)
- Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig, 8.8.2025 – 29.8.2025 (in the foyer of the lecture hall – accessible only to employees and visitors of PTB)
- Press Club Brussels Europe, Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Brussels, 12.05. – 02.06.2025
- Fondation de l’Allemagne - Maison Heinrich Heine, Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, 27 C, Boulevard Jourdan,
  F – 75014 Paris, 09.04.2025 - 04.05.2025
- Wandelhalle im Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin, Niederkirchnerstr. 5, 10117 Berlin, 26.11.2024 - 06.01.2025
- Stadtteilzentrum im Ribbeck-Haus, Senftenberger Ring 54, 13435 Berlin-Märkisches Viertel, 02.09. - 30.10.2024
- Rahel Hirsch Center für Translationale Medizin (RHC), Luisenstraße 65, 10117 Berlin, 17.07. – 28.08.2024Käthe-Kollwitz-Gymnasium, Dunckerstr. 65, 10439 Berlin, 14.06. - 17.07.2024
- Goethe-Institut Budapest, Library, 1065 Budapest, Nagymező utca 54–56, Hungary, 04.06. – 31.07.2024, followed by further stops in Hungary until May 2025
- Univerzita Karlova, Ovocný trh 560/5, 116 36 Praha 1, 13.05. - 11.06.2024
- Goethe-Institut Tokyo, Foyer, 7-5-56 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 107-0052 Tokyo, 07.05. - 17.05.2024
- Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf von Berlin, Rathausgalerie,Otto-Suhr-Allee 100, 10585 Berlin, 08.04 - 30.04.2024
- Humboldtbibliothek Tegel, Karolinenstr. 19, 13507 Berlin, 19.02. - 28.03.2024
- Campus Lichtenberg, Foyer (Mensa), Alt-Friedrichsfelde 60, Haus 1, Erdgeschoss, 10315 Berlin, 15.01. - 18.02.2024
- Campus Schöneberg, Haus B, Foyer, Badensche Straße 50-51, 10825 Berlin, 12.12.2023 -14.1.2024
- IT-Dienstleistungszentrum Berlin, Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts, Berliner Straße 112-115, 10713 Berlin, 01.11. - 30.11.2023 (nur intern zugänglich)
- Bezirkszentralbibliothek Tempelhof Schöneberg, Götzstr. 8/10/12, 12099 Berlin, 28.08. - 13.10.2023
- Technologiepark Adlershof, WISTA Management GmbH, Rudower Chaussee 17, 12489 Berlin, 17.06. - 15.07.2023
- Einstein Center Digital Future, Foyer, Wilhelmstraße 67, 10117 Berlin, 15.05. - 15.06.2023
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Hauptgebäude, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, 13.03. - 14.04.2023
- Freie Universität Berlin, Rostlaube, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, 18.02. - 08.03.2023
- Berliner Hochschule für Technik (BHT), Luxemburger Str. 10, 13353 Berlin - Im Foyer des Hauses Grashof, 8.11.2022-23.01.2023
- Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Jägerstraße 22/23, 10117 Berlin – in der Rotunde, 15.08. - 31.10.2022
- Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, Treskowallee 8, 10318 Berlin, 04.07. - 05.08.2022
- Universitätsbibliothek der TU Berlin, Fasanenstr. 88, 10623 Berlin, 03.06. - 04.07.2022
- Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin, Alice-Salomon-Platz 5, 12627 Berlin, 25.04. - 01.06.2022
- Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB), Reichpietschufer 50, 10785 Berlin bis zum 22.04.2022
- MDC, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, Foyer MDC.C, 13125 Berlin, 07.02. - 09.03.2022 (Aufgrund der Omikron-Welle ist aktuell kein Besuchsbetrieb möglich)
- Rotes Rathaus, Rathausstraße 15, 10178 Berlin, 20.10. - 13.01.2022 Mo-Fr von 9-18 Uhr, Eintritt frei

Prof. Dr. Theda Borde

Migration & Health: these two terms sum up the main areas of study of the former rector of the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.
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Prof. Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier

The French scientist won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Jennifer A. Doudna.
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Prof. Dr. Marlis Dürkop-Lepthin

After 118 male predecessors, she became the very first female president of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in 1992 – a position she held for four years.
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Dr. Gudrun Erzgräber

The Berlin-Buch campus is today a thriving research hub. Gudrun Erzgräber has played a major role in this, receiving the Orders of Merit of Germany and Berlin in 2008 and 2009 for her contributions.
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Prof. Dr. Friederike Fless

Friedrike Fless was the first woman to hold a full professorship in classical archaeology at FU Berlin and later became the first female president of the German Archaeological Institute.
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Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan

She conducts research into migration, integration, perceptions of Islam and Muslims in Germany, identity formation, and equality – all topics of great relevance in the societal discourse of today.
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Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Sabine Gabrysch

As part of an interdisciplinary research project in Bangladesh, she has been investigating how malnutrition in young children can be prevented over the long term.
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Prof. Dr. Karin Hausen

Karin Hausen is considered one of the pioneers of women’s and gender history in the German-speaking world. She has been honored with the German Order of Merit for her historical research.
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Prof. Dr. Gesche Joost

Gesche Joost has served, among other positions, as Germany’s first Internet Ambassador to the European Commission to push forward “digital transformation at the EU level.”
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Prof. Dr. Dorothea Kübler

Dorothea Kübler’s expertise in the field of experimental economic research is much sought after internationally.
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Prof. Dr. Dr. Claudia Langenberg

Claudia Langenberg investigates the molecular mechanisms of metabolic disorders. She and her team use this knowledge to better understand human disease.
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Prof. Dr. Friederike Maier

Friederike Maier is a highly regarded expert on the role of gender in economics. She has served as a specialist advisor to the European Commission and the OECD.
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Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Meising

The computer science professor was the first and only woman in many professional roles. In 1981 she was awarded the German Order of Merit for her contributions to gender equality.
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Prof. Dr. Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner’s research merits the highest recognition – especially considering that women in Prussia were not allowed to study or enter lecture halls and laboratories until 1909.
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Dr. Elsa Neumann

When Elsa Neumann decided to dedicate her future to science, this goal must have appeared nearly impossible to achieve – but she later managed to study at the universities in Berlin and Göttingen.
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Prof. Dr. Lydia Rabinowitsch-Kempner

She worked at the Robert Koch Institute, but soon moved to Charité as a research assistant. In 1912 she became Berlin‘s first woman professor, but was denied university employment.
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Prof. Dr. Bénedicte Savoy

She specializes in the provenance of cultural objects, including looted art. Time magazine counted her among the 100 most influential people of 2021 for her role in the cultural restitution debate.
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Prof. Annerose Schmidt

In March 1990 she took over as rector of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin , the first woman ever to head a German conservatory. In 2003 she was awarded the German Order of Merit.
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Prof. Dr. Juliane Siegeris

For years Juliane Siegeris has been committed to getting more women involved in IT, a field usually dominated by men.
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Dr. Cécile Vogt

The fact that she was nominated 13 times for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine but never actually won it demonstrates the low status accorded to women scientists in the early 20th century.
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Prof. Dr. Margherita von Brentano

The German philosopher was deeply committed to securing equal rights for women. Today the Margherita von Brentano Center for Gender Studies at FU Berlin is named in her honor.
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Dr. Dr. h.c. Agnes von Zahn-Harnack

On October 6, 1908, she became the first woman to enroll in the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität zu Berlin, after the Prussian Ministry of Education admitted women to universities for the first time.
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Capital of Women Scientists

In cooperation with

Where can I view the exhibition?

Portraits of the scientists in Japanese, Czech, Hungarian, Dutch, French, Polish and Spanish

Past exhibition venues

Borde / Charpentier / Dürkop-Lepthin

Erzgräber / Fless / Foroutan

Gabrysch / Hausen / Joost

Kübler / Langenberg / Maier

Meising / Meitner / Neumann

Rabinowitsch-Kempner / Savoy / Schmidt

Siegeris / Vogt / von Brentano

von Zahn-Harnack