Dr. Zakiya Wilson-Kennedy

Zakiya S. Wilson-Kennedy, Ph.D., is the Ron and Dr. Mary Neal Distinguished Associate Professor of Chemistry Education and the Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion within the College of Science at Louisiana State University (LSU). Her research investigates the persistence of individuals from all backgrounds in STEM higher education and careers, focusing on faculty and student recruitment, retention, and success. Through these efforts, she employs mentoring models that integrate the theories of identity development, empowerment, social cognitive career theory, and community cultural wealth to create and test development structures that cultivate self-efficacy and agency, particularly for groups historically underrepresented in STEM.

Dr. Wilson-Kennedy is a firm believer in collaboration and has led and co-led a number of institutional initiatives designed to broaden the participation of groups underrepresented in STEM. Examples of this work include the freshman seminar course SCI 1001 which is designed to foster a sense of belonging during the critical transition from high school to college for aspiring scientists and mathematicians. Contributing to the leadership of our NSF-funded ADVANCE Catalyst project that seeks to increase gender equity within the faculty ranks. And the Geaux Science Explorations STEM Outreach Initiative featured collaborations between leaders and faculty in the college and has impacted hundreds of students at the k-8 grade levels in Baton Rouge and beyond. All of these efforts were developed through teams of individuals working together to advance diversity.