BARC proudly sponsors WAVE
The WAVE initiative works to inspire and support more women in joining the field of Theoretical Computer Science (TCS). WAVE 2026 will take place on 11 September 2026, and BARC is proud to once again support the workshop.
The idea behind WAVE emerged in spring 2025, when BARC reached an unexpected milestone: for the first time since the centre was founded in 2017, four women were employed at BARC simultaneously. Together, they represented different stages and roles within academia—a professor, a postdoctoral researcher, a PhD student, and a centre administrator.
At the time, only three of BARC's 37 affiliated researchers were women. This sparked conversations about why the proportion of women in Theoretical Computer Science remains so low, particularly at the research level. Although women accounted for 26% of admitted Computer Science students at the University of Copenhagen in 2025, far fewer continued into PhD studies and academic careers in TCS.
Those conversations led to a shared ambition: to create a network that could inspire, support, and connect women interested in Theoretical Computer Science. A network where students could meet role models, where early-career researchers could find guidance, and where researchers across career stages could share experiences and advice.
Driven by Sia Sejer, Hanzhi Wang, Nutan Limaye, and Anne Kristensen, the WAVE initiative (Women in Algorithms, Venture into Exploration) was born.
With generous support from BARC, Mikkel Thorup, the BARC Steering Committee, the BARC community, and volunteers from the University of Copenhagen student body, the first WAVE workshop was held on October 10th, 2025. The event attracted more than 150 participants and featured both national and international speakers, ranging from established leaders in the field to emerging research stars.
Hanzhi Wang, Nutan Limaye, Meena Mahajan, Boel Nelson, Ioana-Oriana Bercea, Mikkel Vind Abrahamsen, Madhu Sudan, Sia Sejer, Anne Primdahl Kristensen.
The workshop concluded with an openhearted and curious panel discussion featuring researchers from leading Danish, European, and American institutions. The audience engagement and overwhelmingly positive feedback made one thing clear: WAVE is filling an important gap in the Danish TCS community by focusing on postgraduate students as well as junior researchers and by highlighting pathways into academic research. This year, the WAVE organising committee has expanded to also include BARC affiliates Lianna Hambardzumyan (UPCH), Manon Blanc (ITU Cph) as well as Susanna de Rezende (University of Lund), all talented researchers who are passionate about bringing more women to the field and sharing their experiences.
At BARC, we remain committed to supporting female researchers, attracting talented women to the field, and fostering greater diversity within Theoretical Computer Science. We are therefore delighted to support WAVE 2026, which will take place on September 11th, 2026 at the University of Copenhagen.
The programme features talks by Johanne Cohen (National Centre for Scientific Research, France), Inge Li Gørtz (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark) and Qi Qi (Renmin University of China, China), alongside a poster session and panel debate, providing excellent opportunities to meet researchers and students from across the TCS community.
Learn more about the workshop at: https://wave-workshop.github.io/
Participants of all genders are warmly encouraged to attend. Attendance is free of charge, but registration is required. Register by 31 August 2026 to secure your place.
