Women of Search Mentorship Program

Women of Search: Building a Stronger, More Inclusive Search Community The Women of Search mentorship program is creating real momentum in the search community - spotlighting the achievements of women, building mentorship bridges, and nurturing the next generation of search engineers. This initiative is fostering a more inclusive future for search professionals. Women of Search was founded by Audrey Sage Lorberfeld in 2021 "out of a desire to form meaningful connections with women in the search and information retrieval field". Now, in partnership with OpenSource Connections, Lorberfeld and David Fisher kicked off the mentorship program at Haystack US 2025 conference. "Women of Search and OpenSource Connections want to help facilitate IRL mentorship within the search community, using Haystack US 2025 as an opportunity for the first meeting. Please sign up to be a mentor, mentee, or both on this form." — Haystack US 2025 It’s already making an impact I myself am a Software Engineer and lifelong learner currently diving deeper into data, search, and AI. I attended Haystack Conf 2025 and joined the program. The Committee took a lot of time and care to match mentors and mentees based on a variety of stated preferences and professional backgrounds, and I was quite appropriately paired with David Fisher. Meet David: A Mentor with Deep Roots in Search David brings a wealth of experience and a passion for education to the Women of Search mentorship program. Before diving into information retrieval, David began his career training restaurant managers at Friendly’s. He decided to pivot, returned to school, earned his undergraduate degree from UMass Amherst and his MS from Cal. He later returned to UMass to join the renowned Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval. There, David wore many hats: managing the Natural Language Processing Lab under Wendy Lehnert, becoming principal engineer for the Lemur Project (a foundational open-source IR toolkit), and collaborating with IR legends like Bruce Croft and James Allen. He also helped shape future generations of engineers by designing curriculum and teaching Java, Software Engineering, Search Engines, and Applied Information Retrieval for the Master’s program. After retiring from UMass, David joined OpenSource Connections to continue making an impact in the IR community. Mentorship Mentorship is not just a nice-to-have, but a catalyst for career transformation. David will help me navigate my own path in the search space with invaluable experience that only decades of curiosity and contribution can bring. If you're interested in the search space, or already in it, don't miss your chance to get involved. Sign up today and be part of the movement to shape a better, more connected search community.

Apr 24, 2025 - 17:16

Women of Search: Building a Stronger, More Inclusive Search Community

The Women of Search mentorship program is creating real momentum in the search community - spotlighting the achievements of women, building mentorship bridges, and nurturing the next generation of search engineers. This initiative is fostering a more inclusive future for search professionals.

Women of Search was founded by Audrey Sage Lorberfeld in 2021 "out of a desire to form meaningful connections with women in the search and information retrieval field". Now, in partnership with OpenSource Connections, Lorberfeld and David Fisher kicked off the mentorship program at Haystack US 2025 conference.

"Women of Search and OpenSource Connections want to help facilitate IRL mentorship within the search community, using Haystack US 2025 as an opportunity for the first meeting. Please sign up to be a mentor, mentee, or both on this form."
— Haystack US 2025

It’s already making an impact

I myself am a Software Engineer and lifelong learner currently diving deeper into data, search, and AI. I attended Haystack Conf 2025 and joined the program. The Committee took a lot of time and care to match mentors and mentees based on a variety of stated preferences and professional backgrounds, and I was quite appropriately paired with David Fisher.

Meet David: A Mentor with Deep Roots in Search

David brings a wealth of experience and a passion for education to the Women of Search mentorship program.

Before diving into information retrieval, David began his career training restaurant managers at Friendly’s. He decided to pivot, returned to school, earned his undergraduate degree from UMass Amherst and his MS from Cal. He later returned to UMass to join the renowned Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval.

There, David wore many hats: managing the Natural Language Processing Lab under Wendy Lehnert, becoming principal engineer for the Lemur Project (a foundational open-source IR toolkit), and collaborating with IR legends like Bruce Croft and James Allen. He also helped shape future generations of engineers by designing curriculum and teaching Java, Software Engineering, Search Engines, and Applied Information Retrieval for the Master’s program.

After retiring from UMass, David joined OpenSource Connections to continue making an impact in the IR community.

Mentorship

Mentorship is not just a nice-to-have, but a catalyst for career transformation. David will help me navigate my own path in the search space with invaluable experience that only decades of curiosity and contribution can bring.

If you're interested in the search space, or already in it, don't miss your chance to get involved. Sign up today and be part of the movement to shape a better, more connected search community.