Table_2_Lifting as we climb: Experiences and recommendations from women in neural engineering.docx

Neural engineering is an emerging and multidisciplinary field in which engineering approaches are applied to neuroscience problems. Women are underrepresented in engineering fields, and indeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields generally. Underrepresentation of women is particularly notable at later academic career stages, suggesting that even though women are interested in the field, barriers exist that ultimately cause them to leave. Here, we investigate many of the obstacles to women’s success in the field of neural engineering and provide recommendations and materials to overcome them. We conducted a review of the literature from the past 15 years regarding the experiences of women in academic careers, as well as reports on the number of women in fields closely related to neural engineering from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Additionally, we interviewed six women in neural engineering who are involved in initiatives and outreach concerning the inclusion and experiences of women in engineering. Throughout the literature and interviews, we identified common themes spanning the role of identity and confidence, professional relationships, career-related hurdles, and personal and professional expectations. We explore each of these themes in detail and provide resources to support the growth of women as they climb within the field of neural engineering.

神经工程（Neural engineering）是一门新兴的多学科交叉领域，旨在运用工程方法解决神经科学相关问题。当前，女性在工程领域乃至整体科学、技术、工程与数学（STEM）领域的占比均偏低，且这一不足在学术生涯后期尤为突出，这表明尽管女性对该领域抱有兴趣，但仍存在诸多障碍，最终迫使她们离开该行业。本研究针对女性在神经工程领域取得职业成就所面临的诸多障碍展开调研，并提出针对性的解决建议与配套材料。我们梳理了过去15年间关于女性学术职业经历的相关文献，以及美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation, NSF）与美国工程教育学会（American Society for Engineering Education, ASEE）发布的与神经工程密切相关领域的女性从业人数报告。此外，我们采访了六位活跃于神经工程领域、参与促进女性在工程领域包容性建设与职业体验相关项目及推广活动的女性从业者。通过对文献与访谈内容的系统性梳理，我们提炼出涵盖身份认同与自信心构建、职业人际关系、职业发展障碍，以及个人与职业期许等维度的一系列核心议题。我们针对上述每一项核心议题展开详细探讨，并提供相关资源，以助力女性在神经工程领域的职业成长与晋升。