Strategic interventions are needed to achieve gender parity in the faculty ranks of science and engineering disciplines. Wooing women faculty in STEM from one university to another is, nationally, a zero-sum game. Instead of recruiting women away from other universities, there is a mostly-untapped pool of Ph.D.-level women scientists and engineers in industry and research laboratories. Many are very accomplished at their research, which is the primary figure of merit for success at Research-Extensive universities. With the proper mix of information, networking, and support, they could become very successful professors. The goal of this project is to increase the pool of women faculty available to all universities by providing professional development to Ph.D.-level women in industry or research laboratories. In particular, we will host a two-day workshop each year over a three-year period to provide practical tools and support to women who are interested in making the transition to academia. We will specifically target women who are a minimum of three-four years past their Ph.D. and/or postdoctoral position. The attendees and speakers will form a community who can support each other during the job application period, the interview process, the startup negotiations, and the first years in academia. In summary, the project will develop "On Ramps into Academia."
Intellectual Merit: It is of great interest to determine the challenges, skills, and resources needed for people to successfully make the transition from industry or national laboratories to academia. The assessment plan, which is strongly directed at outcomes evaluation, will help identify concrete best practices to encourage women into faculty pathways. By providing the necessary skills and advice to help women make successful transitions from industry to academia, UW ADVANCE will help develop a third pathway into academia, in addition to the current practices of hiring new Ph.D.s and postdoctoral fellows and hiring women away from other universities. This third pathway into academia is an original approach to recruitment and a creative way to expand the pool of women faculty in STEM.
Broader Impacts: This project will expand the national pool of women faculty in STEM disciplines. Even a small increase of STEM women faculty can improve the image of the disciplines and encourage more women to pursue them.
