Laurel Smith-Doerr
Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Laurel Smith-Doerr is a professor of sociology at UMass Amherst. She studies the organization of science and technology, such as how collaboration can be more effective, include broader participation by women and underrepresented minorities, and have innovative outcomes including economic growth. A current project with colleagues examines the impact of women’s leadership in federal science agencies (Women in Science Policy—WiSP). Prof. Smith-Doerr has worked with natural scientists and engineers, with science policymakers, and spoken with journalists. For example, she worked with policymakers, attorneys, and other scientists at the National Science Foundation on implementing the ethics education, data management, and postdoc mentoring requirements in the Congressional 2007 America COMPETES Act. She won the NSF Director’s Award for Collaborative Integration in 2009 for this work.