Inclusive Graduate Education Network

Equity in Graduate Education | Research Team | Publications | Projects | Events | News

Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN) is an NSF INCLUDES Alliance that brings together disciplinary societies, universities, PhD programs, and other organizations to develop, adopt, and share inclusive practices for recruiting, admitting, and retaining women and underrepresented minorities.

Background and Goals

With the support of an Alliance award from the National Science Foundation’s Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) program, IGEN is committed to the audacious goal of closing gaps between STEM PhD and BS attainment for black and Latinx students, and women of all backgrounds. IGEN brings together disciplinary societies, scholars of graduate education, universities, affinity groups, and national labs to promote institutional change in the physical sciences.

The IGEN Research Hub, under the direction of Julie Posselt, advances knowledge and practice about equity in graduate education and the disciplines, especially those in STEM. The Research Hub coordinates multidisciplinary experts to a) advance knowledge about equity and inclusion in graduate and postdoctoral training, b) inform disciplinary societies about effective practices and change strategies they can promote, and c) coordinate with the Inclusive Practices Hub in developing evidence-based professional development materials for faculty and other leaders. The Research Hub seeks to effectively disseminate emerging evidence from graduate education researchers to disciplinary faculty as well as the social sciences communities who could benefit from the findings.

In addition to these coordinating activities, Posselt and her research team are carrying out two research projects. The first project seeks to understand qualifying exams as a gatekeeping milestone and developmental process in graduate education. The second project explores the potential role of disciplinary societies and their leaders as change agents within their fields.

Resources – NEW

Additional documents and links developed by IGEN to support racial and gender equity in doctoral education...

• Resources for Well-being – A PDF with numerous links to resources for addressing and supporting the well-being of grad students, originally developed for general use but particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Equity in Graduate National Consortium Resource Center – A website with information on workshops, research, and article summaries.
• FAQ about IGEN – A PDF with numerous links to resources for addressing and supporting the well-being of grad students, originally developed for general use but particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• FAQ About Doctoral Education – Brief overview of published research and demonstrated community successes
• “Metrics First, Diversity Later? Making the Short List and Getting Admitted To Physics PhD Programs” – Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering (paywall)

Funder

This project is funded by an Alliance award from the National Science Foundation’s Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES) program under grant No. HRD-1834528. The official title of the grant is “Inclusive Graduate Education Network.” Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Pullias Research Team

Julie Posselt
Associate Professor of Education

Steve Desir
Director of Professional Development and Learning

Román Liera
Assistant Professor, Montclair State University

Lauren Irwin
Research Assistant