Schlumberger Foundation

The Schlumberger Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports science and technology education. Recognizing the link between science, technology, and socio-economic development, as well as the key role of education in realizing individual potential, the Schlumberger Foundation’s flagship program is Faculty for the Future.

Faculty for the Future

The program’s long-term goal is to accelerate gender equality in STEM by creating conditions that enable more women to pursue scientific careers. The program is committed to gender parity in science. SLB recognizes that full access to and participation in a STEM curriculum is essential for the empowerment of women and girls. By accelerating gender equality in STEM, the talent and capacities of these women can be developed for the benefit of their local communities, regions, and the world. The program awards fellowships for advanced research in STEM at leading research institutes abroad. Faculty for the Future Fellows are expected to return to their home countries upon completion of their studies to contribute to the economic, social, and technological advancement by strengthening the STEM teaching and research faculties of their home institutions and through their leadership in science-based entrepreneurship. They are also expected to contribute to the public sector where their newly acquired technical and scientific skills can help provide evidence-based support for STEM policy making, including topics of gender representation. This program acts as a catalyst for these women to further tap into their potential. Through heightened motivation, sharpened self-awareness, and a lasting passion for science, they in turn capture the imagination of other women and girls around them to regard scientific pursuits as a necessary means towards advancement and growth.

Since its launch in 2004, 807 women from 86 countries have received Faculty for the Future fellowships for PhD and Post-Doctorate STEM research programs.

Through interactive online tools and in-person meetings, the program provides a platform for these women to take joint action in identifying and unravelling the impediments that are holding back equal opportunities in STEM education and careers in their local communities and home countries.