University of Wisconsin Launches a Postdoctoral Research Program in Feminist Biology

The University of Wisconsin has announced that it will be the first educational institution in the nation to offer a postdoctoral program in feminist biology.

Judith Houck, an associate professor at the Center for Women’s Health and Women’s Health Research at the University of Wisconsin, stated, “Approaching science with a feminist viewpoint is important because there are certain assumptions about men, women, objectivity and knowledge that influence how science is often done. Looking at science through a feminist lens allows old questions to be observed in new ways.”

Caroline VanSickle, a Ph.D. student studying biological anthropology at the University of Michigan, will be the first postdoctoral fellow in the program, beginning this September. She will study the pelvic shape of female human ancestors to gain insight on childbirth anatomy over the course of human evolution. VanSickle is a graduate of Kansas State University and earned a master’s degree in anthropology at the University of Michigan in 2010.

Dr. Houck added, “For the larger university, what this does is sends a message to the academic community that UW-Madison cares about feminist science, they’re willing to promote feminist science, and we want to be known as a university that supports and nurtures feminist science.”

Dr. Houck is a graduate of St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in the history of science and medicine from the University of Wisconsin.