Grant recognized as STEM Exemplar

Dr. Christine Grant, associate dean of faculty development and special initiatives and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University, was recognized by the North Carolina A&T State University Urban Education Institute as a STEM Exemplar. Grant was honored at an awards and recognition banquet in Greensboro, NC, on March 8.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Exemplar awardees include researchers, administrators and faculty members from universities, government agencies and advocacy organizations around the country who have made significant contributions to STEM fields, as well as their communities.

In her work as associate dean, Grant develops programs and new initiatives to empower faculty at all ranks, which includes conducting on-campus professional development seminars and leading faculty visits to funding agencies to foster faculty success and boost collaboration. She is widely recognized as a leader in mentoring and has received numerous top honors, including an NSF Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring and the Council for Chemical Research Diversity Award. She is one of five African-American women on chemical engineering faculties nationwide holding the title of full professor.

Grant also organizes workshops on mentoring and academic career development for National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE programs and hosts ADVANCE principal investigator meetings, which aim to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. Her workshops on mentoring and academic career development for NSF ADVANCE programs at Cornell University, Texas A&M, Purdue University, the University of Toledo, the University of Virginia, Prairie View A&M, the University of New Hampshire and ADVANCE Annual PI meetings promote STEM faculty development while providing diverse role models for students and faculty.

Grant is also the founder and director of the Promoting Underrepresented Presence On Science and Engineering Faculties (PURPOSE) Institute at NC State, an organization dedicated to increasing the number and success of engineering faculty members from underrepresented groups.

She received her BS in chemical engineering from Brown University in 1984 and her MS and PhD in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986 and 1989, respectively. She joined the NC State faculty in 1989.