UW Research

Diversity in Research

Land Acknowledgement

The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.

President Ana Mari Cauce launched the University-wide Race and Equity Initiative in Spring 2015 with a challenge: that all of us — students, faculty, staff and university leadership — take personal responsibility for addressing our own biases and improving our institution’s culture of diversity. And it began with a commitment: that together we would combat the racism and inequities, both individual and institutional, that persist here and throughout our society. We continue to address her charge to “seize the day.”

Executive Statement

The Office of Research shares President Cauce’s commitment to combat inequities and racism. Diversity in research is integral to the success of our research enterprise and embedded in the culture of who we are as an institution and employer.

We will honor different and unique identities and nurture an accessible, welcoming and respectful environment for all staff, students and faculty in the Office of Research and for all members of the UW research community. We will regularly review our services and systems and adapt them to reflect the evolving environments and work styles of our employees and those we serve.

We are ALL responsible for confronting bias and inequities, both individual and institutional, that persist here and throughout our society. Our call is to remove barriers and promote access, opportunity, and justice for all. We all must commit to this ongoing work.

Recognizing and valuing diversity will make the Office of Research and the University stronger, and enrich the stellar research carried out at the UW.

Guiding Principles

The Office of Research is taking an active stance in this initiative to make effective changes in our own sphere of influence both as an organization and as individuals; we are responsible as members of the university and as individual members of our society for addressing these issues.

The Office of Research shares the President’s commitment to combat racism and promote equity and we are actively advancing this commitment in the following ways:

  • The Office of Research will support a culture that recognizes and values our differences. This will not only make our office stronger and enhance our support for researchers, it will enrich the research carried out at the UW.
  • We will honor diverse experiences and perspectives and nurture an accessible, welcoming and respectful environment for all Office of Research employees and for all researchers at the university.
  • We are all responsible for modeling inclusivity, civility and respect, and we are all responsible for making the UW a supportive environment for all researchers and the work they do.

Areas of Focus for Action

  • Inclusive hiring and promotion practices.
    • We support and are implementing the practices outlined by Human Resources and the Office for Faculty Advancement.
    • Jointly with the Office for Faculty Advancement, we provide resources for recruitment and retention of faculty who exemplify a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion through their instruction, research, service and outreach.
  • Communications and messages (including unit and research webpages)
    • We are committed to applying our guiding principles in all of our communications.
  • Climate and culture
    • Within the Office of Research, the Equity in Research Committee is taking on the task of providing ongoing advice on enhancing our climate and culture.
    • Vice Provost Mari Ostendorf convened a Task Force on Equity in Research comprised of faculty from across the UW which identified areas of emphasis and first steps to support, grow and extend the UW’s approaches towards, and aspirations for, equity in research for excellence. This work is detailed in their Task Force Report.
    • Throughout the coming year, we will work with academic units to support efforts to enhance the research climate and culture for everyone.
  • Identifying funding resources
    • We are collecting and disseminating information on funding for equitable research initiatives available to PIs, postdocs, and graduate students.