August 16, 2021

Title:                           NSF ADVANCE Catalyst Research Assistant
Hours per week:          10 hours per week (with some flexibility)
PI (Supervisor):          Dean Sharon Walker, College of Engineering
Co-PIs:                        Kristy Kelly, Leslie McClure, and Maria SchultheisStart – End Dates:       October 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022

Project Description

This project is centered on Drexel’s commitment to ensuring diversity and equity across the career lifespan of faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the university. Our long-term goal is to create a pipeline of outstanding, diverse women leaders at Drexel; however, this can only be accomplished through the retention and promotion of women faculty at the institution. Drexel has a long history of recruiting talented women faculty at the Assistant Professor level, who are then promoted to Associate Professor. However, a recent internal audit identified a consistent and persistent gap in promotion to Full. The gap is particularly stark for underrepresented minority (URM) women. We propose a mixed-method study designed to 1) understand the policies, procedures, and practices that negatively impact midcareer women’s transition from Associate to Full Professor; 2) identify best-practice strategies developed by other ADVANCE institutions that might be tailored to fit Drexel’s context; and 3) develop a 5-Year STEM Faculty Equity Strategic Plan that is in line with the University’s strategic action plan developing inclusive and diverse leadership. More specifically, with support from this NSF ADVANCE Catalyst award, we will develop evidence-based fair and equitable promotion policies, procedures, and practices for use campus-wide, which center women and underrepresented faculty’s needs and interests, as we work to transform STEM leadership and shift the balance of power at Drexel to be more inclusive.

Job Summary

The Office of Research and Innovation are seeking one full-time or two part-time Graduate Student Research Assistants to work with an interdisciplinary team of faculty on an NSF-ADVANCE Catalyst funded project titled Catalyzing STEM Gender Equity at Drexel: Building a Foundation for Systemic Transformation. Research Assistants will assist faculty members in designing, conducting, and analyzing mixed methods (e.g., focus groups, survey, and policy analysis) research to meet the project goals.  Depending on experience, interest and availability, Graduate Student Researchers may be assigned to support either policy analysis, data collection via focus group interviews, or both.  

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in full-time graduate study (preferably a PhD program in education or other social science field) at Drexel University 
• Qualitative research training in interviewing, with some experience preferred 
• Ability to work onsite at the University City campus  
• Knowledge of, or interest in learning about, intersectionality theory with a focus on gender in STEM and higher education leadership

For consideration, please send resume and short statement to Gwynne Grasberger, grs23@drexel.edu.