Elizabeth Stearns

Elizabeth Stearns is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she also serves as Director of the Public Policy Program. Her research examines systemic inequalities in American education with focus on race, gender, and socioeconomic disparities.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Stearns' work centers on stratification mechanisms in educational systems, particularly how racial, ethnic, and gender inequalities persist in higher education. Her current research investigates college major selection patterns in STEM fields among underrepresented populations, bridging sociological theory with public policy applications to address structural barriers in academia.

Her recent publications reveal three critical trends: collaborative multi-institutional approaches to STEM education, identification of systemic barriers preventing STEM diversification, and intersectional analyses of gender/socioeconomic factors in biology major selection. These works collectively emphasize institutional interventions for equity in science education.

Scientific Awards:

• No specific awards or fellowships were mentioned in the provided text.

Grants and Leadership: Stearns directs the NSF-funded Roots of STEM project (https://pages.charlotte.edu/rootsofstem/), investigating factors influencing STEM major persistence, and the SPARC4 scholarship program (https://sites.uncc.edu/sparc/) supporting low-income STEM students. These initiatives demonstrate her commitment to creating equitable educational pathways through empirical research and program development.

Labs and Teams: She leads the Roots of STEM research consortium and SPARC4 scholarship teams, fostering cross-institutional collaborations focused on dismantling barriers to STEM participation through data-driven policy interventions and mentorship frameworks.