Collaborative Research: Mapping professional support networks of women and gender and sexual minorities in physics

该项目是犹他大学作为牵头机构，西密歇根大学和赖特州立大学作为合作伙伴的合作项目，旨在调查女性和性别和性少数群体（GSM）如何构建和导航他们的专业网络，以支持他们的博士后物理学事业。目标是使用社会网络分析和定性方法来表征女性和GSM物理学家的专业支持网络，以检验中心假设：这些物理学家的专业支持网络将包括大量的场外或层级外元素，并且就业部门可能出现显著差异。具体目标是：(1)确定GSM物理学家所经历的专业支持网络的类型，(2)比较不同GSM身份之间的专业支持网络和职业轨迹，(3)比较物理就业部门之间的专业支持网络特征，以及(4)将结果综合成专业支持网络调查，可以分发给更广泛的科学家受众。该项目将对这些不断变化的角色和结构提供细致入微的理解，目标是扩大代表性不足或边缘化群体对物理学的参与。该项目将采用立场理论来调查与项目目标一致的研究问题。该框架激发了深入数据收集的重要性，这些数据收集以个人的大量经验为中心。它还建议，不应该将来自服务不足群体的个人与来自多数群体的个人进行比较，但调查人员应该从他们的声音和生活中关注知识生产。研究人员将进行半结构化访谈，以解决三个研究问题：(1)物理学中女性和GSM的专业支持网络的特征是什么？(2)物理学领域的女性和GSM对她们的职业轨迹和目前的工作有多满意？什么样的网络模式与更高的满意度和职业认同感相关？(3)就业部门之间存在哪些异同？研究人员将使用定性方法来分析和编码参与者调查和自我网络分析，以重点探索女性和GSM物理学家的专业网络。该项目为大学、专业协会和导师提供指导，以更好地了解女性和GSM科学家的专业网络需求。该项目由EHR核心研究计划资助，该计划支持专注于STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究，扩大STEM领域的参与，以及STEM专业劳动力的发展。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project is a collaboration among the University of Utah as the lead institution and Western Michigan University and Wright State University as partners to investigate how women and gender and sexual minorities (GSM) construct and navigate their professional networks to support their post PhD physics careers. The goal is to use social network analysis with qualitative methods to characterize the professional support networks of women and GSM physicists to test the central hypothesis: professional support networks of these physicists will include substantial out-of-field or out-of-hierarchy elements and that significant differences may appear by employment sector. The specific aims are to (1) identify the types of professional support networks experienced by GSM physicists, (2) compare professional support networks and career trajectories between different GSM identities, (3) compare professional support network characteristics among physics employment sectors, and (4) synthesize results into a professional support network survey that can be distributed to a wider scientist audience. The project will provide a nuanced understanding of these changing roles and structures with the goal of broadening participation in physics for underrepresented or marginalized groups. The project will employ standpoint theory to investigate research questions that are aligned with the project aims. The framework motivates the importance of in-depth data collection that centers an individual with their multitude of experiences. It also suggests that individuals from underserved groups should not be compared to those from majority groups, but investigators should focus knowledge production from their voices and lives. Investigators will conduct semi-structured interviews to address three research questions: (1) How are the professional support networks of women and GSM in physics characterized? (2) How satisfied are women and GSM in physics with their career trajectories and current jobs? What network patterns are associated with higher satisfaction and sense of professional identity? (3) What similarities and differences exist among employment sectors? Investigators will use qualitative methods to analyze and code participant surveys and ego network analysis to focus the exploration of the professional networks of women and GSM physicists. The project contributes guidance for universities, professional societies, and mentors to better understand the professional network needs of women and GSM scientists. The project is funded by the EHR Core Research program that supports fundamental research focused on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM fields, and STEM professional workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.