Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Elizabeth S. Boylan joined the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in July 2011 and directs the Foundation’s programs on STEM Education, including pipeline programs for underrepresented groups and student retention. She also works with other program directors on developing grants for the Foundation’s Civic Initiatives program.

Dr. Boylan comes to the Foundation from Barnard College where she served as Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and Professor of Biological Sciences for 16 years. At Barnard, Boylan oversaw several major initiatives to enhance the facilities and programming of the College’s science departments, led the first systematic review of its general education requirements since the 1980's, and was involved in various faculty development and leadership projects. She is currently a member of the Leadership Network for International Education at ACE and the PKAL Advisory Board at the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Prior to her work at Barnard, Boylan was associate provost for academic planning and programs at Queens College/CUNY. She was a tenured member of the biology faculty at Queens College, and served as Deputy Chair of Graduate Studies for four years; she also was on the biology faculty of the CUNY Graduate Center. She chaired of the Queens College Academic Senate for three years, and was co-chair of University-wide efforts in program reform in science, engineering, technology and mathematics, and in secondary education. From 1999 through 2004 she served as Commissioner on the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

A specialist in developmental biology and hormonal carcinogenesis, Boylan earned a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University and a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Wellesley College. She was a postdoctoral fellow in biochemistry and oncology at the University of Rochester. She holds a U.S. patent and has been a consultant for, among others, the National Cancer Institute, the National Science Foundation and the American Cancer Society.