The Advance Women in STEM awards are supported by an anonymous gift to UNM to support research by, and professorships for, women faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Income from investment of this gift is used to support UNM assistant and associate STEM professors with establishing new research areas and developing research collaborations.
For this award, STEM faculty are defined as those with research interests that align with research priorities identified by NSF, NIH (non-clinical), or DOE. This definition includes the social sciences. Three types of awards are available: 1) travel awards to foster collaborations, 2) seed awards to stimulate research projects that will lead to additional external funding and 3) workshop awards designed to generate innovative research ideas and collaborations.
All tenure-track, tenured and research faculty members at UNM who hold the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor and are pursuing research in areas supported by NSF, NIH (non-clinical), or DOE are eligible to apply.
2023 Awards
14 UNM faculty members chosen for the 2024 Women in STEM Awards
The 11 funded projects include a study of carbon storage in soils along the middle Rio Grande floodplain, an investigation into rural New Mexico healthcare workforce challenges and opportunities, and the development of new software for large scale 3-D printing with adobe
Fourteen faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2024 Women in STEM Awards.
Selected award recipients will consider water treatment processes for atmospheric water harvesting, look for ways to improve local food system cohesion, and study the role of social interaction in stress and depression, among other things.
Now in their ninth year, the awards have allocated $585,660 to 80 women at UNM.
Several of the 11 projects selected this year are collaborative or interdisciplinary efforts.
The 2024 winners are:
Leah Buechley, an associate professor in Computer Science and Maryam Hojati, an assistant professor in Civil Engineering; Kate Cartwright, an associate professor in Public Administration; Chanee Choi, an assistant professor in Film and Digital Arts; Deena Gould, an assistant professor in Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy; Natasha Howard, an assistant professor in Geography and Environmental Sciences; Elspeth Iralu, an assistant professor in Community and Regional Planning; Allyson McGaughey and Anjali Mulchandani, assistant professors in Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering; Elif Tunc-Ozcan, an assistant professor in Neurosciences; Marisa Repasch, an assistant professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences and Alex Webster, an assistant professor in Biology; Eva Stricker, a research assistant professor in Biology; and Kamilla Venner, an associate professor in Psychology.
The awards are hosted by Advance at UNM in collaboration with the UNM Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Advance is an NSF-initiated program at UNM to promote women faculty, particularly faculty of color in STEM, and to create a supportive campus climate for everyone.
2023 Awards
Nine UNM faculty members chosen for the 2023 Women in STEM awards
The funded projects will look at using drones in rural areas to expand healthcare access, how to better understand water scarcity along the Rio Grande and the rise of citizen journalists, among other things.
Nine women faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2023 Women in STEM awards.
Award recipients will explore how to reduce the number of Native American students with dyslexia, why some amphibians are more susceptible to diseases than others, and how to position UNM to be a leader in seismic imaging and environmental monitoring, along with other topics.
Now in their eighth year, the awards have allocated $500,000 to 69 women at UNM.
The 2023 winners are:
Lisa Barrow, an assistant professor in Biology; Jessica Feezell, an associate professor in Political Science; Adriana Molina Garzon, an assistant professor in Public Administration; Kathy Kambic, an associate professor in Landscape Architecture; Sunaina Shenoy, an assistant professor in Special Education; Erin Wilkinson, an associate professor in Linguistics; Lindsay Worthington, an associate professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences; Rosa Vallejos Yopán, an associate professor in Linguistics and Heng Zuo, an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering.
The awards are hosted by Advance at UNM in collaboration with the UNM Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Advance is an NSF-initiated program at UNM to promote women faculty, particularly faculty of color in STEM, and to create a supportive campus climate for everyone.
2023 awardees
Dr. Lisa Barrow
Dr. Jessica Feezell
Dr. Adriana Molina Garzón
Dr. Kathy Kambic
Dr. Sunaina Shenoy
Dr. Erin Wilkinson
Dr. Lindsay Worthington
Dr. Rosa Vallejos Yopán
Dr. Heng Zuo
2022 awards
Twelve UNM faculty named as 2022 Women in STEM Award recipients
Eleven winning projects will look at capturing and recycling carbon dioxide, genomics of piñon pine trees in the intermountain west and planet formation among other things
Twelve women faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2022 Women in STEM awards.
Award recipients will look at patterns of cancer disparities in New Mexico, consider an interdisciplinary lens for algorithmic justice, examine the importance of plant-rich diets and explore the possible role of plastic and fiber particles in chronic respiratory inflammation, among other topics.
The 2022 recipients are Dr. Diana Dragomir, assistant professor, Physics and Astronomy; Dr. Eliane El Hayek, research assistant professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Maricarmen Hernández, assistant professor, Sociology; Dr. Yan Lin, assistant professor, Geography and Environmental Studies; Dr. Hannah Marx, assistant professor, Biology; Dr. Jami Nelson-Nuñez, assistant professor, Political Science; Dr. Kathy Powers, associate professor, Political Science and Dr. Sonia Gipson Rankin, associate professor, School of Law; Dr. Vanessa Svihla, associate professor, Organization, Information and Learning Sciences and Chemical and Biological Engineering; Dr. Shuya Wei, assistant professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering; Dr. Janet Vassilev, associate professor, Mathematics and Statistics and Dr. Marygold Walsh-Dilley, associate professor, Geography and Environmental Studies.
The Women in STEM awards are hosted by Advance at UNM in collaboration with the UNM Office of Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for Research. Advance is a five-year National Science Foundation program to recruit, retain and promote women and minority STEM faculty. The WIS awards, now in their seventh year, have totaled more than $425,000 to date.
2022 Awardee Profiles
Dr. Eliane El Hayek
Dr. Maricarmen Hernández
Dr. Yan Lin
Dr. Hannah Marx
Dr. Jami Nelson-Nuñez
Dr. Kathy Powers
Dr. Sonia Gipson Rankin
Dr. Vanessa Svihla
Dr. Shuya Wei
Dr. Janet Vassilev
Dr. Marygold Walsh-Dilley
2021 Awardee Profiles
Dr. Miriam Gay-Antaki
Dr. TyAnna Lovato
Dr. Amalia Parra
Dr. Xiaoxue Li
Dr. Sarah Stith
Dr. Anjali Mulchandani
Dr. Suzanne Oakdale
Dr. Caroline Scruggs
Dr. Melinda Morgan
Dr. Jingjing Wang
Dr. Alex Webster
Dr. Lydia Tapia
2021 awards
12 UNM faculty selected for the 2021 UNM Women in STEM awards
Seven winning projects will look at better ways to manage water, how healthy brains age, and methods for transferring knowledge between robots
Twelve faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2021 Women in STEM awards. Winning projects this year will look at new ways to reduce the environmental impacts of human waste; social identities of people diagnosed with Celiac Disease; paths to better helping communities affected by climate change and the effects of acute sugar intake including possible links to asthma.
2020 Awardee Profiles
Dr. Rebecca Bixby
Dr. Tara Drake
Dr. Heather Edgar
Dr. Tamar Ginossar
Dr. Maryam Hojati
Dr. Mousumi Roy
Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie
Dr. Jin Zhang
2020 awards
Eight UNM faculty selected for the 2020 UNM Women in STEM awards
Winning projects will develop sustainable concrete for 3-D printing, analyze social media discourse about the novel coronavirus and study groundwater resources on the Navajo Nation
Eight UNM faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2020 Women in STEM awards. Their work includes research on the impact of global warming on alpine stream biology, the creation of a better way to identify missing and murdered Native Americans and analysis of high pressure-temperature studies on Martian rocks.
The recipients this year are Dr. Rebecca Bixby, a research assistant professor in biology; Dr. Tara Drake, an assistant professor in physics and astronomy; Dr. Heather Edgar, an associate professor in anthropology; Dr. Tamar Ginossar, an associate professor in communication and journalism; Dr. Maryam Hojati, an assistant professor in civil, construction and environmental engineering; Dr. Mousumi Roy, an associate professor in physics and astronomy, Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie, an assistant professor in community and regional planning, and Dr. Jin Zhang, an assistant professor in earth and planetary sciences.
The Women in STEM awards are hosted by Advance at UNM in collaboration with the UNM Office of Academic Affairs. Advance is a five-year National Science Foundation program to recruit, retain and promote women and minority STEM faculty. The WIS awards, now in their fifth year, have totaled more than $266,000 to date.
Julia Fulghum, director of Advance at UNM, said the selected proposals are an exciting representation of the work of women in STEM around campus.
2019 Awardee Profiles
2018 Awardee Profiles
Dr. Heather Canavan
Drs. Judy Cannon and Melanie Moses
Dr. Cindy Gevarter
Dr. Amy Neel
Dr. Svetlana Poroseva
Dr. Jessica Richardson
Dr. Irene Salinas
Dr. Eirini Eleni Tsiropoulou
Dr. Kira Villa
2017 Awardee Profiles
Dr. Eva Chi
Dr. Michelle Facette
Dr. Kendra Koivu
Drs. Christine Mermier & Kristina Trujillo
Drs. Naomi Shin, Barbara Shaffer and Jill Morford
Dr. Jami Nelson Nuñez
Dr. Ylva Philström
2016 - 2021 award winner announcements
Women in STEM Award Winner profile: Dr. Kathy Kambic
Landscape architecture professor studies contemporary issues of Rio Grande Key info: The project by UNM Associate Professor Kathy Kambic explores the connection between geophysical properties of the land, settlement patterns and contemporary issues facing the Rio Grande region. Quote: “Understanding living systems in the Rio Grande Valley or anywhere on the planet can help […] Read More
12 UNM faculty receive 2021 Women in STEM Awards
Seven winning projects will look at better ways to manage water, how healthy brains age, and methods for transferring knowledge between robots Twelve faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2021 Women in STEM awards. Winning projects this year will look at new ways to reduce the environmental impacts of […] Read More
Eight UNM faculty selected for the 2020 UNM Women in STEM awards
Winning projects will develop sustainable concrete for 3-D printing, analyze social media discourse about the novel coronavirus and study groundwater resources on the Navajo Nation. Eight UNM faculty members at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2020 Women in STEM awards. Their work includes research on the impact of global warming on […] Read More
Four UNM scientists selected for the 2019 Women In STEM awards
https://youtu.be/IwDClGEAjt0Winning projects will examine artificial photosynthesis, the New Mexico pottery trade, physics retention rates and local rental market conditionsFour scientists at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2019 Women in STEM awards. Their work includes research on an artificial leaf that can generate solar energy, efforts to improve the retention rates […] Read More
10 researchers named 2018 Women in STEM awardees
Ten women scientists at the University of New Mexico have been selected for the 2018 Women in STEM awards. Their work on eight separate projects includes research on smart grass that could generate energy, head injuries in professional fighters and better ways to take medicine. Other winners of the research awards will consider how to […] Read More
10 UNM scientists selected for 2017 Women in STEM awards
A group of UNM professors has received the 2017 Women in STEM awards to honor their research in diverse areas of inquiry, including bioengineering, exercise science, biology, linguistics, political science and astronomy and physics. Among other topics, the winners are studying minority language development, cell division, non-government agencies in Peru and Bolivia, insulin signaling, qualitative […] Read More
Seven UNM professors win Women in STEM awards for research
A group of UNM professors has received the 2016 Women in STEM awards honoring their research in diverse areas of inquiry including brain stimulation and substance abuse, sustainable food and energy, gender and kinship systems, engineering bones and ligaments, modeling planetary fault lines, and the media’s effects on public views.The winners are the first in a […] Read More
2016 Awardee Profiles
Dr. Jessica Feezel
Dr. Siobhan Mattison
Dr. Christina Salas
Dr. Jingjing Wang
Dr. Katie Witkiewitz
Deena L Gould
December 18, 2023 @ 8:49 pm
Will there be a Women in STEM award program for 2024?
advance
January 18, 2024 @ 1:08 pm
Yes! Stay tuned to our website for details during the spring semester.