Women in STEM: A Research Guide

This guide provides sources and research strategies for critical analysis of women in STEM fields. 

Campus resources that focus on women, but are not STEM-specific:

Commission on the Status of Women
The COSW advises Wayne State University's Office of the President and the larger campus community on issues facing women students, staff, faculty, and alumni including gender equity and equality, social justice, and intersectionality. The Commission advocates for women through programming, university service, outreach, research, and policy recommendations.


Wayne Women LEAD
An affiliated chapter of the Michigan ACE Women's Network. They envision an open and just higher education environment in which women and men share their talents and voices equally in management and policymaking to improve the quality of higher education. 

GEARS: Gender Equity Advances Retention in STEM

The GEARS Project at Wayne State University works to "reduce inequities for diverse women faculty members in STEM disciplines through systemic change." They also provide resources, special events, and networking opportunities. Explore their site.

See their Wayne Women in STEM profiles.

Marsha Richmond, Professor of History

Marsha Richmond is a historian of science and Emerita Professor in the department of history at Wayne State. Her research interests include women and gender in the life sciences. Featured here are some of her recent publications.

"Women as Public Scientists in the Atomic Age: Rachel Carson, Charlotte Auerbach, and Genetics,” Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, 47, 3 (2017), pp. 349–388.

“Women as Mendelians and Geneticists,” Science and Education, 24, 1-2 (2015): 125-150.

Women in Mutation Studies: The Role of Gender in the Methods, Practices, and Results of Early Twentieth-Century Genetics,” in Making Mutations: Objects, Practices, Contexts, ed. Louis Campos and Alexander von Schwerin. Preprint #393, (Berlin: Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, 2010), pp. 11-48.

2022-2023 Enrollment in STEM Disciplines by Self-Reported Gender (Female/Male)

  #Female %Female #Male %Male
Biological Sciences & Neuroscience 893 66% 458 34%
Chemistry 230 51% 216 49%
Computer Science 1 12% 7 88%
Engineering 811 24% 2526 76%
Environmental Science & Geology 60 57% 45 43%
Mathematics 63 44% 80 56%
Medicine 796 54% 684 46%
Nursing 686 82% 147 18%
Nutrition & Food Science 206 77% 62 23%
Pharmacy & Health Sciences 697 73% 251 27%
Physics & Astronomy 57 39% 90 61%
Public Health 601 77% 168 23%

Some of the above disciplines collect data on non-binary gender preferences by offering an option of "other."
Source: Office of Institutional Research and Analysis (OIRA)

Picture of Marianna Sadagurski

Marianna Sadagurski, Professor - Dept. of Biological Sciences

From the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences News (4/7/22): Biological sciences professor awarded NIEHS grant to study pollution.

Image of nurse anesthetist and artist Donna Dzialo creating her project

Donna Dzialo, Nurse Anesthetist & Artist

From Today@Wayne (3/25/22): Nurse anesthesia alum Donna Dzialo ’99 turns tossed-out drug vial caps into ArtPrize entry

Anna Spencer Rankin, M.D.

Women in Medicine at Wayne: History

From Today@Wayne (3/3/22): Women's History Month: Women in Medicine and How They Made History at Wayne

picture of Alexandria Ballard-Sims

Alexandria Ballard-Sims, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

From Today@Wayne (1/26/22): ICU work inspires DNP student to focus on chronic disease prevention

Tayebeh Bahreini

Tayebeh Bahreini, Ph.D.

from WSU College of Engineering News and Announcements (1/12/22) : Computer science alumna earns IEEE dissertation award

Bana Odeh

Bana Odeh, Doctor of Physical Therapy

From Today@Wayne 12/7/21: Physical Therapy Graduate Aims for Inclusivity Alongside Her Degree

Isabela Romano

From Today@Wayne (09/30/20): Student Co-founds First WSU Neuroscience Honors Society
(Isabela Romano, pictured on the left)

Zoha Siddiqua

Zoha Siddiqua, PhD candidate in the dual pharmaceutical sciences and urban sustainability doctoral program

News from the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 7/28/21: PharmSci-Urban Sustainability PhD candidate Zoha Siddiqua Turns to Nature for Answers

Nausheen Shah, Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy

From the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (12/2/20): Professor Nausheen Shah Develops UVC Solution for Inexpensive, Reusable PPE

Miriam Greenberg

Miriam Greenberg, Professor - Dept. of Biological Sciences

Dr. Greenberg leads a team developing new treatments for Barth syndrome. Learn more.

Eva Karger

Eva Karger: Class of '61 - Chemistry

From the CLAS alumni and friends spotlight page: Eva Karger: Master's Degree in Chemistry '61.

Jennifer Stockdill

Jennifer Stockdill, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry

from CLAS News (1/29/16): Wayne State chemistry professor earns NSF CAREER Award to examine unusual chemical structures

Carolyn Harris

Carolyn Harris, Ph.D.,Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

From Exemplar, page 13 (Fall 2018): Identifying Shunt Failure Mechanisms in Neurological Disease Treatments

Mai Lam

Mai Lam, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

from WSU College of Engineering News and Announcements (3/29/18) Wayne State research team using collagen to strengthen engineered blood vessels. Led by Dr. Mai Lam (in photo above) and lab manager Bijal Patel, Ph.D. student.


1947 at Wayne State University: During the College of Nursing's annual capping ceremony, students prepare for a class photo with Dean Katherine Faville. Source