Picture a Scientist

The Fight for Gender Equity in Science

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About the Film

Making science more diverse, equitable, and open to all

Picture a Scientist chronicles the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we encounter scientific luminaries – including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists – who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all.

Picture a Scientist was an official selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film’s virtual theatrical run reached 47 theaters across the USA in June 2020, and raised money for two organizations advancing women of color in STEM.

Feature FilmsNow Playing Science & SocietyScience Identity

Available Now on PBS-NOVA and Kanopy

Watch the Emmy Nominated Documentary via PBS-NOVA

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Picture a Scientist is the documentary we need to continue the call for action, to continue awareness, and to remind those who would abuse a system, we see you.”

Film Inquiry
“The film documents a reckoning both within the field and in our own brains with its fascinating and frightening examination of bias.”
WGBH
Picture a Scientist combines poignant, firsthand recollections of sexist and racist treatment with indisputable current data.”

WBUR, Boston’s NPR

an Uprising Production

in association with the Wonder Collaborative

a film by Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney

Executive Producer Amy Brand

Produced by Manette Pottle, Ian Cheney, Sharon Shattuck

Edited by Natasha Bedu

Co-Producers Oluwaseun Babalola, Irene Yadao

Directed by Ian Cheney & Sharon Shattuck