Heather Metcalf, PhD, is the Director of Research for the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). She serves as an investigator on several NSF-funded initiatives including the ADVANCE Resource and Coordination (ARC) Network, which focuses on gender equity in academic STEM through an inclusive, intentional, and intersectional lens; Amplifying the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS+), which cultivates gender equity across all of the activities of STEM professional societies; the ADVANCE and INCLUDES I-Corps Inclusion Collective, which aims to create more equitable and inclusive I-Corps programs; and the New Jersey Equity in Commercialization Collective, which works with technology transfer offices and investors across the state of New Jersey to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive commercialization ecosystem. She is also PI for the WEPAN Accelerator, an entrepreneurship accelerator program for women in engineering funded by the Small Business Administration.
Prior to joining WEPAN, Dr. Metcalf did her postdoctoral research at the University of Arizona as part of their NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant and was Chief Research Officer at the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). Dr. Metcalf has undergraduate degrees in applied mathematics and computer science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and gender studies from the University of Arizona, and a doctorate in higher education, science, and technology policy from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Metcalf uses her interdisciplinary background to engage in research, policy, and programmatic efforts related to inclusive organizational cultures, individual and organizational change, and career pathways and experiences in STEM fields across all sectors. She holds a patent on anti-bias training materials for effective search and hiring processes, created the first accelerator program for women in STEM, has published in a variety of peer reviewed journals, and has been the lead investigator on projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Kapor Center for Social Impact, the Small Business Administration, and more.
She has appeared on a range of media channels, including Public Radio International, The Atlantic, The Guardian, National Public Radio, Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Scientific American, Nature, and Forbes, among others.
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Campbell-Montalvo, R., Lucy-Putwen, A., Hill, L., Metcalf, H.E., Sims, E.L., Peters, J., Zimmerman, A.N., Gillian-Daniel, D.L., Liebnitz, G.M., & Segarra, V. (2022) Scientific Societies Integrating Gender and Ethnoracial Diversity Efforts: A First Meeting Report from Amplifying the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success (ACCESS+)
Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education [2022] -
Leibnitz, G. Gillian-Daniel, D.L., Greenler, R.M., Campbell-Montalvo, R. Metcalf, H., Segarra, V.A., Peters, J.W., Patton, S., Lucy-Putwen, A., & Sims, E.L. (2022). Inclusive professional framework for societies: Changing mental models to promote diverse, equitable, and inclusive STEM systems change.
Frontiers in Sociology [2022] -
Leibnitz, G. Gillian-Daniel, D.L., Greenler, R.M., Campbell-Montalvo, R. Metcalf, H., Segarra, V.A., Peters, J.W., Patton, S., Lucy-Putwen, A., & Sims, E.L. (2021). Inclusive professional framework for societies: Changing mental models to promote diverse, equitable, and inclusive STEM systems change. Working Paper No. 2021-8.
Wisconsin Center for Education Research. [2021] -
Metcalf, H. & Kelley, E. (2021). 7 lessons on building an inclusive accelerator via Science Center’s Launch Lane.
Technical.ly. [June 23, 2021] -
Kelley, E., & Metcalf, H. (2021). Lessons learned from the Launch Lane accelerator
Science Center [2021] -
Entrepreneurs need more than capital
Arizona Daily Star [2020] -
Transforming STEM leadership culture
AWIS Grand Challenges Report, 2 [2019] -
Creating a stronger STEM community by addressing our bias
Nature Human Behaviour [2018] -
A contemporary look at gender and mathematics: The necessity of systemic change
A Different Point of View: Women & Mathematics, 29 [2018] -
Revolutionizing the STEM entrepreneurship ecosystem
AWIS Grand Challenges Report Series [2018] -
Broadening the science of broadening participation in STEM through critical mixed-methodologies and intersectionality framework
American Behavioral Scientist [2018] -
Diversity across a decade: A case study on undergraduate computing culture at the University of Illinois
Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education [2018] -
Nothing about reporting sexual harassment is easy
Huffington Post [2018] -
Spurred by sexual misconduct, grad student ‘zine’ documents efforts to improve department culture
Science [November 12, 2018] -
Startups founded by women don’t get enough support
Seattle Business [November 7, 2018] -
Congressional bill aims to combat sexual harassment in the STEM fields
The Daily Tar Heel [October 3, 2018] -
Cancer funding in the UK fits global pattern of gender bias
Nature Index [May 15, 2018] -
In tackling gender inequality in STEM, considerations of culture
Undark [April 26, 2018] -
Overcoming challenges for women entrepreneurs in STEM start-ups with STEM to Market
Empowered Patient Radio [April 11, 2018] -
How the gender pay gap permeates science and engineering
New Scientist [March 3, 2018] -
Will fury over Harvey Weinstein allegations change academe’s handling of harassment?
The Chronicle of Higher Education [October 14, 2017] -
All too familiar bias
Inside Higher Ed [August 8, 2017] -
I almost died because of medical bias – And I’m not alone
Ms. Magazine [2017] -
Science Women
Feminist Magazine [June 6, 2017] -
Inspiring Girls To Take Up STEM Is Becoming A Passion For A Lot Of Women
Huffington Post [May 30, 2017] -
AWIS tackles inclusion challenges with prestigious $420,000 Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Inclusion Challenge grant
AWIS Magazine, 49(1): 12-13 [Summer 2017] -
Science must clean up its act
Scientific American [May 22, 2017] -
Ten Years Toward Equity: Preliminary Results from a Follow-Up Case Study of Academic Computing Culture
Frontiers in Psychology, 8 [May 19, 2017] -
Oscar-Nominated "Hidden Figures" and the Ongoing Legacy of Overlooked Contributions in STEM
Truthout [February 23, 2017] -
Are women scientists overlooked by journals as peer reviewers?
Christian Science Monitor [January 26, 2017] -
Intersectionality: Beyond a "buzzword" and what it means for research on STEM participation (Pg. 46-47)
AWIS Magazine [Winter 2016] -
An intersectional spotlight on workforce patterns for people with disabilities (Pg. 24-25)
AWIS Magazine [Winter 2016] -
Broadening the Research, Policy, and Practice of Broadening Participation in STEM
AWIS Magazine [2016] -
One Year Out
Diversity in Action [August 31, 2016] -
An Open Secret with Women in STEM Fields
College Magazine [August 29, 2016] -
Loaded Questions
ASBMB Today [August 8, 2016] -
Race - Not Gender - Influences Whether Top Medical Researchers Get Funding, Study Says
Buzzfeed News [July 27, 2016] -
Strategies for Retaining Female Engineers
IEEE Spectrum [June 21, 2016] -
Broadening the Study of Participation in the Life Sciences: How Critical Theoretical and Mixed-Methodological Approaches Can Enhance Efforts to Broaden Participation
CBE – Life Sciences Education, 15(3) [May 25, 2016] -
Why Women Earn Less: Just Two Factors Explain Post-PhD Pay Gap
Nature [May 20, 2016] -
Building On Dreams: Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson's Path of Firsts
The National Science and Technology Medals Foundation [March 21, 2016] -
White Plains Robotics Team Takes On All Challenges
The Anniston Star [March 15, 2016] -
SISTEM one-on-one from Alexandria, Virginia with Dr. Heather Metcalf, Director of Research and Analysis of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS): The largest multi-disciplinary organization for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the US.
ISTG [March 14, 2016] -
Getting to Gender Equality: From the Oscars to Science Competitions
The Christian Science Monitor [February 29, 2016] -
Sexual Misconduct Not An Obstacle for US-Funded Researchers
The Daily Caller News Foundation [February 11. 2016] -
When a Faculty Candidate Has Been Investigated for Harassment, What's a Hiring Committee to Do?
The Chronicle of Higher Education [February 4, 2016] -
Why Are So Many Scientists Harassing Their Students?
Motherboard [February 4, 2016] -
Women's participation in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship: New directions for research
AWIS Magazine [2015] -
Improving recognition through awards: How to mitigate bias in awards
INSIGHT into Diversity [2015] -
"Trouble With Girls": The Enduring Sexism in Science
The Atlantic [June 11, 2015] -
Congress Probes Possible Bias against Women in U.S. Science Funding
Scientific American [April 23, 2015] -
Gender bias in US research funding investigated
Chemistry World [April 21, 2015] -
Disrupting the pipeline: Critical analyses of student pathways through postsecondary STEM Education
New Directions for Institutional Research [2013] -
Formation and representation: Critical analyses of identity, supply and demand in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
[2011] -
Stuck in the pipeline: A critical review of STEM workforce literature
Interactions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies [2010]