NSF grant will strengthen faculty mentoring in STEM

A project led by researchers at Carolina will receive nearly $1 million in funding over the next three years from the National Science Foundation to promote more effective faculty mentoring for women and underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

The UNC grant proposal, “Targeting Equity in Access to Mentoring (TEAM ADVANCE)” was among the eight grant proposals funded from 47 submitted, said Erin Malloy, the lead principal investigator for the grant. Co-PIs are Robert A. Blouin, executive vice chancellor and provost; Jaye E. Cable, chair of the environment, ecology and energy program; Kia Caldwell, professor in the department of African, African-American and diaspora studies; and Kihyun “Kelly” Ryoo, an associate professor in the School of Education.

“The University has applied for this grant several times in the past, and we are thrilled to have been funded,” Malloy said. “This is a grant that seeks to promote the success of women, and in particular women of color, in STEM fields across the University.”

Malloy is director of the Center for Faculty Excellence, which will administer the grant in collaboration with the Carolina Women’s Center, the College and the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, Library Science and Education.