Deadline: 30 May, 2026

The conference organized by the Natural History Museum Vienna, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the WOMNH Network aims to explore how women have shaped scientific knowledge through networks that crossed domestic, social and institutional spaces such as natural history museums. Focussing on early modern figures as well as the increasing disciplinary differentiation of women scientists in the 19th century, it highlights diverse formats of knowledge exchange such as salons, scientific associations, museums, etc. Bringing together historical case studies and methodological reflections from the WOMNH network (established in 2024), we aim to foster and develop future women research in a variety of areas. The conference invites case studies on women who contributed to natural sciences and collections. Therefore we encourage experts in the history of science, gender and museum studies to present and share their research, curatorial work or museum practices on women and visibility of women in our conference. We invite papers that address, but are not limited to the following questions:

• family relations and private formats of knowledge networks
• venues and spaces: salons, scientific associations, museums and collections
• images of “women of science” in public and museums
• curatorial and artistic ways of raising the profile of women naturalists and highlighting
women’s contributions to natural science collections
• gender data gap and ways out of the invisibility
Topics will be presented in panels or lightning talks and should help identify structural patterns of female forms of discourse and collecting, highlighting different types of venues and spaces of knowledge exchange.
Please submit your abstract (max. 250 words) and a short biography (ca.100 words) to Stefanie Jovanovic-Kruspel, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. and Sabine von Mering, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo. by 30 May, 2026. There will be no registration fee to participate in this in-person conference but unfortunately we cannot provide
travel and accommodation expenses in Vienna.
You will be notified of the acceptance of your proposal by June 15, 2026.