Sapna Cheryan
Sapna Cheryan, Ph.D.
scheryan@uw.edu
Advising: Accepting new graduate students in 2023-2024.
Areas: Social and Personality
Interests: Stereotypes, Identity, Culture, Belonging, Group Status
My research investigates how cultural stereotypes cause and perpetuate racial and gender disparities in U.S. society. In one line of work, our lab examines whether current stereotypes of computer scientists preclude women's interest in the field and how to change these stereotypes to promote a diversity of membership. Our second line of work investigates the health consequences of having an important identity go unrecognized by fellow group members. Our third line of work investigates the negative consequences of positive stereotypes. Together, our work demonstrates that stereotypes – even those that are not overtly negative – contribute to current inequalities and tensions between groups and further suggests how to alter these stereotypes to create a society that is more inclusive and equitable.
Stanford University (2007)
January 26, 2023 Sapna Cheryan Quoted in USA TODAY about masculinity and gender roles
January 4, 2023 Sapna Cheryan featured in a University of Washington Magazine article
November 7, 2022 Sapna Cheryan is quoted in Viewpoint Magazine about finding a sense of belonging on a college campus
November 2, 2022 Sapna Cheryan and colleague Hazel Rose Markus publish an article in Harvard Business Review about rooting out masculine defaults in the workplace
September 21, 2022 Sapna Cheryan, Andrew Meltzoff and Allison Master's Research Referenced in State of CS 2022
August 10, 2022 Sapna Cheryan Receives Two REU Supplements
July 29, 2022 Sapna Cheryan, Andrew Meltzoff and Allison Master write opinion piece in Scientific American about the lack of women in computer science and engineering
July 27, 2022 Sapna Cheryan Featured on Faculti Platform
May 11, 2022 Grad student Terrènce Pope is a finalist for the UW Graduate School Medal Award. Pope is mentored by Sapna Cheryan
February 24, 2022 Graduate student Ella Lombard receives SPSP poster award
November 29, 2021 Sapna Cheryan receives the Daniel M. Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize
July 28, 2021 Sapna Cheryan has been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021.
May 21, 2021 Sapna Cheryan is quoted in this Stanford Social Innovation Review article about the "Concrete Ceiling" for women of color in tech
March 23, 2021 Sapna Cheryan is quoted in this KING 5 article about Anti-Asian hate crimes.
March 11, 2021 This article in the Washington Post cites a study by Allison Master, Sapna Cheryan, and Andrew Meltzoff.
October 16, 2020 Congratulations to Adriana Germano, who received the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Heritage Dissertation Award.
October 14, 2020 Sapna Cheryan and Laura Vianna explore the culture of interruption in this Yes! Article.
June 8, 2020 Sapna Cheryan talks with Bill Radke on KOUW's The Record, about COVID related discrimination
June 5, 2020 Sapna Cheryan and Ella Lombard co-authored this opinion piece in Crosscut about responding to Trump's racism
May 20, 2020 Allison Master, Andy Meltzoff, Sapna Cheryan participated in the National Science Foundation's 2020 STEM For All Video Showcase. Their video, "Feeling Connected to Others Can Improve STEM Engagement" won a Presenter's Choice Award
May 6, 2020 Sapna Cheryan co-authored the study cited in this UW News article about "Ethnic Spaces".
April 3, 2020 Congratulations to Ahmed Alattas and Maria Ilac, who just received Mary Gates Research Scholarships. They are both seniors who work in Sapna Cheryan's lab.
March 4, 2020 Chantel Prat and Sapna Cheryan are featured in this UW News article about learning to code.
October 1, 2019 This UW Daily article features Sapna Cheryan: UW researcher Sapna Cheryan breaks down the stereotype of male-dominated tech and how to change it for the better
August 22, 2019 Congratulations to Sapna Cheryan, who has received another award from the National Science Foundation, her second this year.
July 2, 2019 Sapna Cheryan's research is featured in this UW News article about how "American" LGBTQ Asian Americans seem.
May 15, 2019 Sapna Cheryan was interviewed in Crosscut about stereotypes and diversity issues in the tech industry.
April 8, 2019 Sapna Cheryan is quoted in this Men's Health article about the meaning of being called "Boss"
February 5, 2019 Sapna Cheryan is cited in this article in The Conversation on the gender gap in science prizes
July 23, 2018 Sapna Cheryan battles STEM stereotypes as a member of Mattel's Barbie Global Advisory Council
June 28, 2018 Congratulations to Sapna Cheryan, who was just elected as a fellow for the Association for Psychological Science!
June 27, 2018 Sapna Cheryan responds to essay by UW lecturer "Why Women Don't Code" in this Seattle Times article.
May 31, 2018 Sapna Cheryan and Andy Meltzoff's videos are among those featured in this UW News article highlighting the six projects that came from the University of Washington.
March 30, 2018 Sapna Cheryan is quoted in this Mashable article on why there are gender gaps in science.
February 28, 2018 Sapna Cheryan study cited in Indiana Student Daily article about mentors closing the STEM gender gap
January 24, 2018 Sapna Cheryan was quoted in this CityLab article about the effects poor building facilities on the education of students.
December 14, 2017 Sapna Cheryan students Linda Zou and Alya Azman honored with grants and scholarships.
October 29, 2017 Sapna Cheryan, Allison Master, and Andy Meltzoff publish an op-ed in the LA Times on how toys can be used to decrease the gender gap in STEM fields. The piece includes a story about Cheryl Kaiser's daughter!
August 29, 2017 Sapna Cheryan was featured as Source of the Week on NPR.
August 28, 2017 Sapna Cheryan was quoted in a Digital Journal Op-Ed about women's underrepresentation in stem fields.
July 31, 2017 A study conducted by Sapna Cheryan and collaborators finds that heavier Asian Americans are seen as "more American."
June 7, 2017 Sapna Cheryan discusses the potential impact of media and role models on women interested in science, technology, engineering and math in Crosscut article.
May 10, 2017 Andy Meltzoff, Sapna Cheryan and Allison Master's study on early exposure to robot programming as a tool to combat gender stereotypes in tech has been extensively covered in the news lately.
February 1, 2017 Sapna Cheryan is quoted in The Atlantic about gender stereotypes affecting children's perceptions of their intelligence.
September 14, 2016 Sapna Cheryan is spending the 2016-2017 year as a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
September 14, 2016 UW Today recently wrote about a study co-authored by Andy Meltzoff and Sapna Cheryan.
October 13, 2015 Sapna Cheryan's research on gender diversity in technology covered in The New York Times
July 1, 2015 UW Today recently published an interesting article about Sapna Cheryan's research on men overcompensating when their masculinity is threatened.
April 20, 2015 Want to know how to create an environment where students can learn? Ask Sapna Cheryan.
April 6, 2015 Are stereotypes of who goes into computer science and engineering keeping women out of the field?
April 2, 2015 Think you know what an engineer or computer scientist look like? Our stereotypes are limiting the field.
January 21, 2015 There's more to the classroom experience than the curriculum. Sapna Cheryan's work highlights other factors in classroom design and layout that influence how we learn.
November 12, 2014 ABC is not as easy as 123 if the classroom isn't set up correctly. At least that's what Sapna Cheryan and colleagues have found -
November 5, 2014 Turns out computer sciences aren't a friendly environment for women. Sapna Cheryan tells us why -
November 5, 2014 Sapna Cheryan and Andy Meltzoff make the news about classroom design – turns out where you are can impact how you learn -
October 15, 2014 Sapna Cheryan and two of her students – Lauren Hudson and Amanda Tose – present at Microsoft about women's underrepresentation in Computer Science. (from December of 2010, but recently posted) -
September 16, 2014 Sapna Cheryan's work is cited in this article:
July 16, 2014 Sapna Cheryan is in the news:
June 4, 2014 Marcie Sillman speaks with University of Washington professor Sapna Cheryan about how the nerd stereotype is keeping women away from the field of computer science.
August 28, 2013 Sapna Cheryan's research on stereotypes was featured in Columns, UW's Alumni Magazine and UW Today.
June 19, 2013 Congratulations to Amanda Kay Montoya as the other co-winner of the 2013 Guthrie Prize in Psychology.
April 3, 2013 Caitlin Handron, who graduated from UW last year and is currently Sapna Cheryan's lab manager, received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
September 12, 2012 Sapna Cheryan was awarded a Visiting Scholar position at the Russell Sage Foundation in New York City.
May 14, 2012 Wenwen Ni, Oliver Siy, and Sapna Cheryan authored an op-ed in Psychology Today on Jeremy Lin and the dark side of positive stereotypes.
May 14, 2012 Caitlin Handron received a Psi Chi Regional Research Award for her poster at the Western Psychological Association Convention last month.
May 9, 2011 Sapna Cheryan's research on members of U.S. immigrant groups choosing typical American dishes as a way to show that they belong and to prove their American-ness has received considerable media coverage.
May 18, 2010 Sapna Cheryan is one of six faculty and postdoctoral mentors who will be honored this year with an Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.
April 7, 2010 Sapna Cheryan was a guest on King 5's show, New Day Northwest, to discuss the benefits of sports for girls. "A new study proves that girls who play sports are more successful,"
January 19, 2010 Sapna Cheryan's work on the differential between male and female students majoring in computer science was featured on the front page of January 12th issue of The Daily. "I don't feel geeky,"
April 27, 2009 Sapna Cheryan received a NSF CAREER award, the National Science Foundation's most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
STEM Ed PRF: Social Psychological Intervention to Increase Gender Diversity in Tech Companies
A cultural growth-mindset approach to interest: Implications for gender gaps in computer science participation
"Boys have it; girls have to work for it": The development and consequences of gender stereotypes about natural ability vs. effort in mathematics
Two Axes of Subordination: Disaggregating Racial Groups to Understand the Contexts that Shape Discrimination
Zou, L. X., & Cheryan, S. (2017). Two axes of subordination: A new model of racial position. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 112, 696-717.
Siy, J. O., & Cheryan, S. (2013). When compliments fail to flatter: American individualism and responses to positive stereotypes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 87-102.
Guendelman, M., Cheryan, S., & Monin, B. (2011). Fitting in but getting fat: Identity threat as an explanation for dietary decline among U.S. immigrant groups. Psychological Science, 22, 959-967.
Cheryan, S., Plaut, V.C., Davies, P., & Steele, C.M. (2009). Ambient belonging: How stereotypical environments impact gender participation in computer science. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 1045-1060.