Heather Metcalf, PhD, is the Director of Research for the Women in Engineering ProActive Network (WEPAN). She serves as the principal investigator the ADVANCE Resource and Coordination (ARC) Network, an NSF-funded initiative focused on gender equity in academic STEM through an inclusive, intentional, and intersectional lens. She is also a Co-PI on two other NSF-funded projects: ACCESS+ (Amplifying the Alliance to Catalyze Change for Equity in STEM Success), which works with STEM professional societies to create intersectional gender equity; and the ADVANCE and INCLUDES I-Corps Inclusion Collective, which aims to create more equitable and inclusive I-Corps programs.

Prior to joining WEPAN, Dr. Metcalf did her postdoctoral research at the University of Arizona as part of their NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant and was Chief Research Officer at the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). Dr. Metcalf has undergraduate degrees in applied mathematics and computer science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and gender studies from the University of Arizona, and a doctorate in higher education, science, and technology policy from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Metcalf uses her interdisciplinary background to engage in research, policy, and programmatic efforts related to inclusive organizational cultures, individual and organizational change, and career pathways and experiences in STEM fields across all sectors. She holds a patent on anti-bias training materials for effective search and hiring processes, has published in a variety of peer reviewed journals, created the first accelerator program for women in STEM, and has been the lead investigator on projects funded by the National Science Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Kapor Center for Social Impact, the Small Business Administration, and more.

She has appeared on a range of media channels, including: Public Radio International, The Atlantic, The Guardian, National Public Radio, Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Scientific American, Nature, and Forbes, among others.