MSE Seminar Series presents:

Becoming a Scholar: Inequalities in Experiences and Outcomes in Doctoral Education

Josipa Roksa
University of Virginia

Abstract
Faculty advisors are central to graduate students’ learning and development. In sociological vernacular, they are important sources of social capital, which includes key forms of resources and supports that are embedded in
relationships. In this presentation, I will combine findings from different studies emerging from an NSF-funded project including longitudinal surveys and interviews with students enrolled in PhD programs in biological sciences
across 53 institutions in the US. In particular, I will describe distinct forms of student-advisor relationships observed in the data, and how those relationships vary at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender. Moreover, I will present data on disparities in service obligations as well as journal publications. Collectively, these studies illuminate distinct disadvantages experienced by women and students from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, with important implications for mentoring and strategies for creating more equitable outcomes.

Bio
Josipa Roksa is Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Sociology and Education. The associate provost for undergraduate education collaborates with academic and student affairs units to ensure that all undergraduates, regardless of their backgrounds or prior experiences, have opportunities to thrive at UVA. Roksa is currently leading initiatives related to academic advising and student success in STEM, as well as collaborating on efforts to leverage data to support students and evaluate progress on new initiatives. Roksa also serves as a liaison to student affairs and has responsibility for academic support and undergraduate research and fellowships. Roksa is a sociologist who studies inequality in higher education. Much of her current research centers on understanding how students’ experiences vary at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender in STEM. She also examines experiences and outcomes of first-generation and low-income students, and more broadly the role of socioeconomic status in shaping students’ trajectories in higher education. Roksa earned her Ph.D. in sociology from New York University (NYU) and B.A. in psychology from Mount Holyoke College.