Wednesday, 9 September 2026

Leadership and Career Advancement in Cognitive Science

Location: Salón de Grados, Facultat de Psicologia i Logopèdia, Universitat de València

Last 9 September 2026, WiCS+ Europe organized a pre-conference workshop as part of the joint SEPEX-BAPS 2026 Meeting, bringing together the Spanish and Belgian societies of experimental psychology. Researchers across all career stages, from Master’s and PhD students to full professors and senior faculty, joined the discussion on “Leadership and Career Advancement in Cognitive Science.” The workshop included a panel discussion with three invited speakers, Rosa Baños, Olivier Luminet and Lluís Fuentemilla, followed by a speed mentoring session during a coffee reception.

Rosa Baños (Universitat de València), Chair of the Psychology Area at the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI), shared data on career progression within Psychology. Despite Psychology being a female-dominated discipline at the undergraduate level, the proportion of women decreases across subsequent career stages. Rosa showed that fewer women apply for competitive funding at the early postdoctoral stage, a pattern that remains visible at later stages. She highlighted the importance of applying for funding opportunities, including smaller grants, not only to secure resources but also to gain experience in leadership and project management. She also emphasized the value of maintaining active collaborations and participating in supportive professional networks that help foster confidence, visibility, and leadership within the scientific community.

Olivier Luminet (UCLouvain), Director at the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS) and former President of BAPS, reflected on what leadership means in academia, how it is currently assessed, and how evaluation systems could be improved. Throughout his presentation, he repeatedly stressed the importance of being present, being active, building connections, and being willing to engage with opportunities. Academic careers are often shaped by interactions and collaborations that emerge unexpectedly, and researchers should not underestimate the value of simply participating, connecting and contributing to their communities.

Lluís Fuentemilla (Universitat de Barcelona), collaborator of the Scientific and Technological Management Directorate of the AEI, focused on the development of leadership and independence throughout the academic career. Drawing on his experience in research evaluation, he encouraged junior researchers to start developing leadership skills early rather than waiting until they reach senior positions. He highlighted the paradox that researchers are often expected to demonstrate leadership and independence before they are granted opportunities to lead. His message was clear: seek opportunities, take initiative, and do not wait for formal seniority before assuming responsibility.

Although the three speakers approached the topic from different perspectives, a common theme emerged throughout the discussion: career progression is not only about individual merit. Context matters. The environment in which researchers develop their careers can strongly influence whether leadership is encouraged, recognised, and allowed to grow. Leadership does not have to emerge from competition alone. Research groups, departments, and institutions can actively foster leadership by building confidence, creating opportunities, supporting initiative, and encouraging people to take ownership of research activities. Achieving this is not always easy, but it requires conscious effort from senior researchers and institutions alike.

This naturally led to a broader discussion about mentoring. Mentorship is not only about giving advice. Good mentors help others gain confidence, develop independence, and gradually assume leadership roles of their own. Mentoring also involves learning how to create space for others to grow while maintaining one’s own role and responsibilities. Participants repeatedly emphasized that open, honest, and transparent communication is essential for building these environments.

Many participants commented on how valuable it was to have an open discussion about aspects of academic careers that are highly influential, yet often remain implicit or unspoken. Several attendees mentioned that the topics resonated strongly with their own experiences and appreciated having a space to discuss them openly.

Following the panel, we held the WiCS+E Speed Mentoring Session. During the coffee break, more than 15 mentor-mentee pairs met for informal conversations about career paths, funding opportunities, collaborations, work-life balance, and navigating academia. New connections were established, contact information was exchanged, and several participants even discussed potential future collaborations.

We are grateful to our panelists and to everyone who attended and actively participated. The mission of WiCS+ is to create events that go beyond passive listening. Our goal is to create spaces where people can engage, connect, ask questions, exchange experiences, and leave with something meaningful to take away.

Finally, thank you to SEPEX, the Facultat de Psicologia i Logopèdia, and the organizers of SEPEX-BAPS 2026 for supporting the initiative and sponsoring the coffee reception. Special thanks to Teresa Civera, Mario Romero Palau, and Lalo Salmerón for their enthusiasm and support from the moment we proposed the event.

We look forward to continuing the conversation at future WiCS+ Europe events.

Panelists

WiCS+Europe organizers

María J. Maraver University of Jaén, Spain Teresa Bajo, University of Granada, Spain—