Corinne Moss-Racusin

Roadblocks and Roadmaps to Gender Equality in STEM

Abstract: Despite efforts to recruit and retain more women, a stark gender disparity remains across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, and gender bias may be a contributing factor. This persistent underrepresentation speaks to the importance of developing innovative and effective diversity interventions aimed at increasing awareness of and ultimately reducing bias. In this talk, I will first present evidence of systematic biases against women in STEM, focusing on the different manifestations and consequences of these biases. I will then discuss a program of ongoing research testing novel evidence-based interventions aimed at ameliorating gender biases in STEM. Throughout, I will highlight implications for professional meritocracy, diversity, and gender parity.

Corinne Moss-Racusin studies the ways in which stereotypes contribute to inequality within different kinds of institutions. She is particularly interested in understanding and ameliorating gender bias throughout STEM fields in order to boost diversity and scientific excellence. After completing her undergraduate work at New York University, Dr. Moss-Racusin received her M.S. and Ph.D. from Rutgers University and served as a postdoctoral associate at Yale University (in both the Psychology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Departments) before beginning a faculty position at Skidmore College in the summer of 2013. Dr. Moss-Racusin’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Psychological Association (APA), the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Moss-Racusin’s work has been published in prominent outlets such as Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. Her work is also regularly covered by the media (e.g, The New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC World News, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, etc.).