8th Celebration of Women in Computing (Summit on Gender Equality in Computing – GEC 2026)
The ACM-W Greek Chapter organized its 8th Celebration of Women in Computing (Summit on Gender Equality in Computing – GEC 2026) over two days (7 and 8th May 2026) in the city of Patras, Greece.
The event was hosted at the “Agora Argyri” municipal arts and culture centre, with enthusiastic support from the City of Patras, local industry partners, and the Computer Engineering and Informatics Department at the University of Patras. The ACM Student Branch at the University of Patras also provided invaluable volunteer and organizational support, with 9 student volunteers (7 women) out of which 7 participated as student volunteers for the first time.
The event featured a rich program over two days, with Day 1 focusing on Computing Education, and Day 2 focusing on careers in Computing. On both days, the AM sessions centered around the two exciting keynotes on the role of AI in our society (Dr. Nelly Bencomo from the University of Durham, UK, and Dr. Dimitrios Grammenos from ICS-FORTH, Crete, Greece) and oral presentations (flash talks) from the 18 demos and posters that were showcased during the event breaks. The flash talks were presented by early career authors from numerous universities and research institutes scattered around the whole of Greece, giving these young researchers an opportunity to take the stage and inspire the audience with their work and optimism for the future.
In the PM sessions, the event centered around four panel discussions with invited speakers from academia and industry, sparking thoughtful questions and lively debate between themselves and the audience. The panels highlighted the important roles of women in computing at all stages in their professional careers, and the challenges that arise, persist and merit resolution through collective action from the entire community. Finally, the event culminated in the presentation of the ACM-W Greek Chapter Distinguished Service Award to prof. Athena Vakali, for her continued contributions to the chapter, and the announcement of next year’s event in Athens, Greece.
With over 140 registered participants including students, researchers, academic and industry professionals, the event was a resounding success, including equal representation from all genders and resulting in enthusiastic support and demand for more events of this type in the city.
As the general chair for GEC 2026, I would like to acknowledge the support and guidance of the ACM-W Greek Chapter steering committee while preparing the event, the Poster Chairs (Christos Makris, Maria Rigou and Evangelia Zacharaki), the Panel Chairs (Eleni Voyiatzaki and Tania Politi), as well as the Student Volunteer Chairs (Damianos Dumi Sigalas, Vicky Nasieli and Elena Michalarogianni) for their unwavering commitment to make the event successful. We could not have done this without the generous financial support of ACM-W Europe (also providing really cool swag for participants to take home!), and our industry partners (Knowledge SA, NetCompany, Code4Thought and Intracom). I would also like to acknowledge our invited speakers for taking the time and effort to travel to Patras and deliver such inspiring insights, and to specifically extend our gratitude to the ACM Distinguished Speaker program that co-funded Dr. Nelly Bencomo’s visit. Finally, sincere thanks to all the presenters, panelists, and student volunteers, whose enthusiasm, time and effort were crucial for the success of the event.
On a personal note, I am immensely grateful to the ACM-W Greek Chapter Steering Committee for entrusting me with the opportunity to organize and host the 8th Summit on Gender Equality in Computing – GEC 2026, and especially the Chair (Maria Roussou), as well as my Department (CEID) for the support in taking on the role. The event has been a landmark in my career-long effort to support equitable participation and access to our profession and I am confident that it has made a strong positive impact at the national and local level, in cultivating a sense of community and empowerment.
The event was livestreamed and is available to watch on YouTube. Additionally, all papers accompanying the showcase submissions can be downloaded from the event website in PDF, for the interested readers.