Historically, differences in aptitude rather than discrimination have been attributed to women’s failure to advance in scientific careers. The persistent underrepresentation of women in academic science has been attributed to their reduced productivity and gender discrimination among other factors. In part, gender discrimination may reduce women’s academic visibility (e.g., by overlooking their contributions to science or exclusion from speaking opportunities). One way in which women’s academic visibility may be promoted is through invitations to participate in influential research efforts. First, we ask whether a prominent ecological institution, NCEAS, promotes the participation of women as working group (WG) participants and leaders (PIs). Second, we explore the consequences increased gender diversity in academia for the quality of science produced by these WGs.

Results/Conclusions:

Although women were historically underrepresented as principal investigators of working groups, their frequency as PIs at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis is recenty comparable to the national frequency of female faculty in biology. Coincident with their increased frequency, female PI’s impact on ecological literature (h-factor), once half that of male PI’s, has increased to become equivalent. Nevertheless, women in non-leadership positions are under-represented in working groups and have lower authorship ranking, which may have negative consequences for the success and promotion of early-career female ecologists. Proactive institutional practices produced equitable participation of equally qualified leaders, but only additional efforts will close the gender gap.