Denise J Sekaquaptewa

Denise J Sekaquaptewa serves as University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor and Professor of Psychology in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan, with additional appointments as Faculty Associate at the Research Center for Group Dynamics (Institute for Social Research) and Director of the ADVANCE Academic Program.

Her research program investigates stereotyping, prejudice, and stereotype threat, revealing how stereotype reliance predicts negative social interactions with stereotyped groups regardless of personal attitudes. A core focus examines solo status effects—where being the only member of one's social category in a group diminishes academic performance under negative stereotypes (e.g., women in science settings). Her work demonstrates that performance remains unaffected when solo status lacks stereotypic associations.

Recent publications (2014-2025) showcase her intervention-focused approach across STEM education, finance, and graduate mentorship. Key trends include developing brief video modeling to reduce gender participation gaps in technical teams, testing egalitarian social norm messages to improve diversity attitudes, and analyzing long-term career retention of women in technical fields. Her research increasingly addresses intersectional experiences, including race-based empathy in mentorship and assumptions of inferiority in engineering group work.

Through the ADVANCE program and Research Center for Group Dynamics, Dr. Sekaquaptewa leads institutional efforts to transform academic culture via evidence-based faculty recruitment workshops and departmental hiring practice reforms.