AAAS STEM Program Director, NSF S-STEM PI
Dr. Iris R. Wagstaff is a chemist, educator, mentor, researcher, DEI consultant and science policy advisor. She currently serves as a STEM Program Director at The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) where she manages a ~$20 million Dollar portfolio of initiatives focused on broadening participation in STEM, research workforce development and inclusive innovation at the undergraduate, graduate, and early career levels. In this role she also serves as PI on several NSF-funded grants that support emerging STEM researchers and innovators from diverse backgrounds. She served as a 2015-2017 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the DOJ National Institute of Justice Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences where she developed and led an agency-wide diversity and inclusion initiative. She is a native of Goldsboro, NC with a BS and MS in Chemistry from UNC-Greensboro and NC A&T State Universities respectively, and a PhD in Science Education Research and Policy from North Carolina State University. She worked as a research chemist at the Dow Chemical Company for 15 years where she led analytical research problem solving teams and company-wide diversity initiatives. She has over 30 years of experience developing and leading informal STEM outreach initiatives, coaching K-12 science and math teachers, and developing strategic partnerships between industry, academia, government, non-profit and community organizations to advance science education and contribute to the U.S. STEM workforce and global economy.
Dr. Wagstaff is also a social science researcher. Her doctoral research focused on examining the factors that predict motivation in STEM (science self-efficacy, science identity, sense of belonging, STEM career intent) for a national sample of high school students. She has also served on several advisory boards in STEM education that include the American Chemical Society (ACS), National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), Department of Defense STEM Education Consortium, Science, Engineering and Math Link, and the HBCU STEM Undergraduate Center of Success. Wagstaff serves on the steering committee for the 2028 NAEP Science Framework Assessment and is the Founder and Executive Director of Wagstaff STEM Solutions – an education and STEM policy consulting firm.