The Fourth International Conference Women in Mathematics in South-Eastern Europe, held from December 18th to 20th, 2023, in Sofia, Bulgaria, marked a significant event in the academic calendar of the year. Organized jointly by the International Center for Mathematical Sciences – Sofia (ICMS-Sofia) and the Institute of the Mathematical Sciences of the Americas at the University of Miami (IMSA), the conference focused on celebrating women’s contributions in Mathematics, disseminating new results, and fostering long-term collaborations among scientists in South-Eastern Europe.

The initiative Women in Mathematics of South-Eastern Europe started in Dec 2020, inspired by the ideas and the great enthusiasm of Prof. Mina Teicher, who is the Chair of the Scientific Committee, including also Phillip Griffiths, Professor Emeritus of the Institute for Advanced Study, USA, Ludmil Katzarkov, Scientific Director of ICMS-Sofia, and Velichka Milousheva, Deputy Director of ICMS-Sofia. Prof. Mina Teicher is leading also the multi-year Programme “Advancing Women in Mathematics across the Americas” at the University of Miami, and she greeted the participants via zoom with warm words highlighting the importance of such initiatives for the advancement of women in Mathematics and its applications and inspiring young women to develop research careers in this field.

The event saw an impressive participation of over 30 attendees along with 14 invited speakers from Bulgaria, Greece, France, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Tukey, and USA who were eminent scientists in the field of Mathematics. These speakers presented their latest results, offering insights and inspiring discussions among the attendees. More about their talks can be found at: https://icms.bg/fourth-international-conference-women-in-mathematics-in-south-eastern-europe/#participants.

The main goal of the conference was to highlight and celebrate the achievements of women in the mathematical sciences and to promote equal opportunity and equal treatment of women in Mathematics, a field where gender disparity has been a historical challenge. By bringing together women mathematicians from South-Eastern European countries, the event aimed to create a platform for sharing knowledge, discussing new results, and establishing networks for future collaborations.

An integral part of the conference was its social events, which included visits to the Museum of Christian Art and the National Gallery in Sofia. These events provided an opportunity for the participants to engage with Bulgarian culture and history, adding a unique experience to the conference atmosphere.

The Fourth International Conference Women in Mathematics in South-Eastern Europe was a resounding success, achieving its objective of celebrating women in Mathematics, facilitating informal discussions and networking among the participants, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.

The conference was financially supported by the Simons Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria through the Scientific Programme PIKOM.