Gender Institute advances scholarship with new faculty research grants

The Gender Institute has awarded $44,000 in research funding to 10 faculty members across nine departments for the 2024-25 academic year.

The Faculty Research Grants support innovative and high-quality research or curriculum development focused on women, gender and sexuality. Designed to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, the grants provide vital resources for advancing academic inquiry and preparing applications for external awards.

“The Gender Institute is thrilled to fund the innovative research on gender and sexuality being carried out by faculty across the university,” says Victoria Wolcott, professor of history and director of the Gender Institute. “This year’s faculty fellows range from scholars studying Bauhaus and gender dynamics in an Indigenous South Pacific community to the prevalence of intersex traits among infants and data collection on gender in law schools.”

Grants range from $1,000 to $7,000 and cover expenses such as data collection, fieldwork, archival research, research assistance, travel and more. The program is open to full-time tenure-track faculty, teaching faculty and research scientists at UB. The awarded projects reflect diverse approaches to examining gender and sexuality, showcasing both the breadth and depth of scholarship at UB.

“These wide-ranging and impactful projects showcase the significant research of our colleagues and help elevate UB to the top echelon of public universities,” Wolcott says.

The grant awardees and their projects:

Samuel P. Catlin is the Irving M. and Marilyn C. Shuman Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Jewish Thought, who revisits a cornerstone of queer theory in Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s “Desires: Judaism, Jewishness, and the Secular Epistemology of the Closet.” His research explores the interplay of Jewishness and secularity within Sedgwick’s seminal work. Catlin will be examining Sedgwick’s archives at Duke University and aims to uncover new dimensions of queer theory’s intellectual genealogy. This work adds to Catlin’s already impressive scholarship, which includes forthcoming books and articles in esteemed journals.

Kim Chaney, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, investigates the intersection of parental beliefs and educational policies in “Parents’ Beliefs about the Motivations of LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curriculum in K-12 Education.” This qualitative study examines how parents perceive the motivations behind LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula and how these perceptions influence their support for or opposition to such initiatives. Named a 2024 Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, Chaney brings her expertise in prejudice and stigma to this timely and socially impactful project.

Megan Holland Iantosca, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, analyzes institutional practices in “Gender Categorization in American Law Schools.” Focusing on the American Bar Association’s inclusion of a third gender category in enrollment data, Iantosca examines how law schools navigate and implement gender data collection. Through statistical analysis and interviews, her research offers critical insights into how demographic data practices shape equity in higher education.

Kevin Lujan Lee, assistant professor and a Chamoru scholar in the Department of Indigenous Studies, explores gender dynamics in Indigenous movements in “Fanachu Famalao’an: The Gendered Chamoru Politics of Decolonization in Guåhan.” Drawing from survey data and Indigenous feminist theories, Lee investigates Chamoru women’s leadership in decolonization efforts in the Mariånas archipelago. His interdisciplinary work highlights the intersection of gender, sovereignty and settler colonialism in Oceania.

Kelsey Lewis, assistant professor in the Department of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies, addresses the medicalization of intersex traits in “Sex in the Clinic: Intersex Prevalence and Response.” This research examines the prevalence of intersex variations and the medical responses to these traits, critiquing the binary sex paradigm pervasive in medicine. Lewis’ work is part of a broader effort to reform biology and health care to be more inclusive of sex diversity.

Elizabeth Otto is director of the Humanities Institute and a professor of modern and contemporary art history. She is the author of acclaimed works like “Haunted Bauhaus” and “Bauhaus Women: A Global Perspective.” Her scholarship often explores the intersections of art, politics and identity. Otto’s latest book project, “Bauhaus Under Nazism: Creativity, Collaboration, and Resistance in Hitler’s Germany, 1933-1945,” examines how Bauhaus members adapted to or resisted Nazi ideology. She highlights how many members of the iconic art and design movement contributed to the regime’s goals, challenging perceptions of modern art as inherently virtuous. This work offers new insights into the complexities of art under authoritarian regimes.

Kathleen Parks, a senior research scientist in the Department of Psychology, focuses on young adult substance use and its related consequences. Her current work addresses sexual assault prevention strategies tailored to Alaskan Native (AN) college women, a group facing disproportionately high rates of assault. Her exploratory study seeks to establish culturally specific interventions by collaborating with AN communities in Anchorage, Alaska. By conducting focus groups and establishing a community advisory board, her research highlights the importance of inclusivity in intervention design, particularly for marginalized groups often overlooked in broader studies.

Tanya Shilina-Conte, assistant professor of global film studies, explores innovative narratives in global cinema. Her upcoming book, “Anonymous Cinema in the Global Age,” investigates anonymous filmmaking as a protest tool against oppressive regimes in countries like Iran and Syria, with a focus on women directors such as Ana Nyma and the collective Abounaddara. Her work integrates feminist and postcolonial theories, shedding light on the nuanced, often hidden, contributions of non-Western women in cinema. Shilina-Conte also curates the Global Film Series and has received numerous grants supporting her research.

Ogechukwu Williams, associate professor of history, specializes in maternal and reproductive health in Africa. Her research delves into the sociocultural and political contexts surrounding maternal deaths in Nigeria. Her upcoming book, “Dying to Bring Life: A Social History of Maternal Deaths in Nigeria,” traces how colonial legacies, economic challenges and cultural practices have shaped maternal mortality narratives. Williams’ work combines oral histories, archival materials and legal analyses to highlight the ongoing impact of historical inequities on women’s health. She is also the author of “Birth Politics,” forthcoming from Johns Hopkins University Press.

To apply for the next round of grant funding, or to learn more about previous grantees, visit the Gender Institute’s web page.