UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Psychology researchers part of $2.5 million SSHRC Partnership Grant

Monday, November 20, 2017

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) just announced a $2.5 million Partnership Grant for a 7-year research initiative in support of gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

The Engendering Success in STEM research consortium is a unique partnership bringing together academic experts – including from UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s Department of Psychology – on gender bias and diversity with elementary schools, camps, museums, universities, and industry leaders who share a commitment to increasing opportunities for girls and women in STEM.

Head shot of Hilary Bergsieker
Professor Hilary Bergsieker of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ’s Department of Psychology co-directs Project RISE, working closely with industry partners to identify and test science-based solutions for creating a gender-inclusive culture, enabling employees to work together effectively and to reach their fullest potential. She is leading initiatives to map the micro-networks of teams within these organizations to build a culture of inclusion from the ground up.

In partnership with the Engineering Science Quest program at UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Dr. Bergsieker recently launched a 7-year intervention to encourage adolescent girls to recognize how STEM fields connect to their personal values and goals, and to enable boys to better recognize girls’ talent.

Other À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Arts faculty members contributing to the SSHRC Partnership project include grant collaborators Dr. Winny Shen, a professor in the Department of Psychology with expertise in industrial/organizational relations, and Dr. Christine Logel, a psychology professor at Renison University College. Along with Dr. Bergsieker, Dr. Carla Fehr from the Department of Philosophy is a co-principal investigator. Dr. Mary Wells, formerly of UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Engineering, now dean of engineering at the University of Guelph, is also a co-PI.

Other members of the Department of Psychology whose research has received new SSHRC funding are:

  • Ramona Bobocel: Expanding the Scope of Organization Justice Research: The Role of Construal (Insight Grant $229,250)
  • Allison Kelly: From Competition to Caregiving: A Novel Strategy to Reduce Appearance Comparisons and Body Dissatisfaction (Insight Grant $133,302)
  • Uzma Rehman: Examining Sexual Communication Through the Process Model of Emotion Regulation (Insight Grant $134,500)
  • Abigail Scholer: Metamotivation: Antecedents and Consequences of Flexibly Regulating Motivation (Insight Grant $182,376)

Read more about Engendering Success in STEM partnership on the .

Read the UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Office of Research announcement of new SSHRC funding for research in social sciences and humanities.