Leadership Team

UMASS ADVANCE: Innovative Program Hits the Mark for Faculty Equity

UMass Amherst has put major muscle behind ADVANCE, a collaborative quest begun in 2018 to transform UMass into a place where every faculty member, regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, or sexuality, feels respected and has equal professional opportunities.

Why ADVANCE?

Through the power of collaboration UMass ADVANCE provides knowledge driven research and solutions for faculty equity. ADVANCE cultivates faculty equity, inclusion and success by providing the resources, recognition and relationship building that are critical for equitable and successful collaboration in the 21st century academy.

UMass ADVANCE is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is advancing gender and racial equity for faculty in science and engineering.

UMass Amherst Receives Second Place Award in NSF Taking Action: COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge

For its efforts to support faculty during the pandemic, UMass Amherst has been awarded second place in the STEM Faculty category of the National Science Foundation’s Taking Action: COVID-19 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenge.

Upcoming Events & Deadlines

April
11

Intersectional Approaches to Disrupting Ableism

Amherst Room, 10th Floor of the Campus Center
11:30am to 1:00pm
April
12

Federal Funding Opportunities for Early Career Researchers

Amherst Room, 10th Floor of the Campus Center
11:30am to 1:00pm
April
12

Federal Funding Opportunities for Early Career Researchers

Amherst Room, 10th Floor of the Campus Center
11:30am to 1:00pm
Hougka and Huber

UMass ADVANCE Collaborative Seed Grant Team Receives $612,700 NIH Trailblazer Award

An interdisciplinary team of UMass researchers has been awarded a grant of $612,700 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through its R21 Trailblazer Award program. Dr. Meghan Huber and Dr. Wouter Hoogkamer, assistant professors in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Department of Kinesiology, were also recipients of a UMass ADVANCE Collaborative Research Seed Grant in 2021, which supported the initiation of this collaborative project.

Laurel Smith-Doerr

UMass ADVANCE PI Laurel Smith-Doerr discusses federal support for MA research and innovation during roundtable with Sen. Ed Markey and NSF director

Laurel Smith-Doerr professor of sociology and PI of the UMass ADVANCE program, recently joined a handful of other academics and researchers from Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey and National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan in a roundtable about federal support for research and innovation in the commonwealth.

Inside Higher Ed

Universities Should Look in the Mirror on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Colleges have excellent faculty who are contributing new knowledge on equity and inclusion, but sadly that knowledge is rarely applied to the institutions ... we must establish internally facing research and development units on campuses that allow universities to look in the mirror on equity.

NSF Logo

UMass ADVANCE is funded by a five-year (2018-2023) $3.1 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to advance gender equity for UMass Amherst faculty. The grant is titled Collaboration and Equity: The Resources, Relationships, and Recognition (R3) Model for Advancing Women and Underrepresented Faculty in Science and Engineering. National Science Foundation #1824090 & #2136150. Read more about the UMass NSF ADVANCE grant.

Questions?  Contact us at advanceprogram@umass.edu.