To mark International Women’s Day 2026, the BIPM is pleased to share a short video celebrating the contributions of women working across the international metrology community.

Measurement science is a deeply collaborative field. Across national metrology institutes, international organizations and regional bodies, women are contributing to advances that support trusted measurements worldwide — from maintaining the international time scale, to developing quantum technologies, strengthening scientific literacy and supporting regional cooperation in metrology.

The reflections shared in the video highlight just a few examples of this work, drawn from keynote addresses and interviews recorded during the BIPM150 celebrations held throughout 2025.

Voices from across the global metrology community

The video brings together insights from colleagues working across a range of disciplines and institutes within the international measurement system.

• Dr Pascale Defraigne, Royal Observatory of Belgium, reflects on the collaborative work required to maintain Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is not the product of a single measurement but the result of continuous contributions from time laboratories around the world.
• Prof. Cornelia Denz, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany, discusses the importance of FAIR digitization (Findable, Accurate, Interoperable and Reusable) within metrology, highlighting the need to ensure that digital data, services and infrastructures supporting the International System of Units (SI) remain accessible, interoperable and trustworthy as digital technologies evolve.
• From the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States, Ms Barbara Goldstein reflects on the role of uncertainty in scientific measurement, emphasizing that understanding and working with uncertainty is fundamental to progress in quantum science and emerging technologies.
• Also from NIST, Ms Elizabeth Benham speaks about the importance of education and scientific literacy, and the role that a strong understanding of the SI plays in enabling future professionals to interpret and communicate measurement results that support informed decision-making.
• Dr Chiara Giangrande, from the Laboratoire national de métrologie et d’essais (LNE) in France, highlights the importance of reliable measurement methods in the field of neurodegenerative disease biomarkers, where improved comparability of clinical measurements can contribute to better diagnostics and research outcomes.
• Finally, Dr Sharonmae Smith-Walker, from the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), reflects on the importance of technical cooperation across regions, describing how collaboration between countries enables the development of shared metrology capabilities and strengthens measurement infrastructure.

With thanks to the women of the international metrology community

The BIPM extends its sincere thanks to all women working across the international metrology community for their dedication to advancing measurement science — and in particular to those who shared their insights in this video and throughout the BIPM150 celebrations last year.

Explore the full playlist

Readers interested in exploring these perspectives further can also visit the BIPM’s “Women Shaping International Metrology” YouTube playlist, released on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which features the full keynote addresses delivered by these and other inspiring women during the BIPM150 events in 2025.