Home

AdvanceRIT’s mission is to enable all RIT faculty, particularly women, to contribute their full potential, increase their representation and retention, and advance their careers. 

Advance RIT is open to all faculty, regardless of gender.

AdvanceRIT started as an ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 1209115) and the office was institutionalized in 2019. 

AdvanceRIT plays an instrumental role in:

  • Connecting and engaging women faculty in the RIT community.
  • Providing opportunities for professional and leadership development for women faculty.
  • Supporting efforts for recruiting a diverse faculty critical for achieving excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service.
  • Partnering with affiliated groups, departments, and colleges to support their efforts and bring positive change to RIT.
  • Improving the quality of women faculty’s work life.
  • Ensuring RIT is a place where all faculty are supported, valued, and respected.

Learn more

AdvanceRIT Podcast: Faculty Spotlight-Trailblazing Faculty at RIT

Welcome to the AdvanceRIT podcast series: Faculty Spotlight-Trailblazing Faculty at RIT, the podcast that takes you inside the remarkable journeys of some of the most accomplished Faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology. Here at the forefront of research, innovation, and education, these trailblazers are shaping the future with their expertise, resilience, and dedication.

Each episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at their inspiring careers, groundbreaking contributions, and the impact they’ve made in their fields and communities. Join us as we explore their stories, celebrate their achievements, and uncover what it truly means to be a leader in academia."

  • .

    Advanced RIT Podcast Series: Trailblazing Women at RIT. Episode: 7

    Podcast Featuring Associate Professor Hye-Jin Na View More about Advanced RIT Podcast Series: Trailblazing Women at RIT. Episode: 7
  • .

    Season 1: Episode 6

    Check our latest podcast in the AdvanceRIT’s Trailblazing Faculty podcast series, where we spotlight the inspiring journeys and groundbreaking contributions of RIT faculty shaping academia and beyond. View More about Season 1: Episode 6
  • .

    Season 1: Episode 5

    Welcome to the AdvanceRIT podcast series: Faculty Spotlight-Trailblazing Faculty at RIT. This podcast takes you inside the remarkable journeys of some of the most accomplished Faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology. Here at the forefront of research, innovation, and education, these trailblazers are shaping the future with their expertise, resilience, and dedication. View More about Season 1: Episode 5
  • Shanti Thakur's image

    Season 1: Episode 4

    Professor Shanti Thakur is the Director of RIT School of Film and Animation and is an award-winning filmmaker recognized for visually lush fiction and documentary films that span a landscape of subjects from science fiction to restorative justice. Professor Thakur's films have been screened at more than 200 film festivals and museums, including the Khan Film Festival, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Montreal World film festival, garnering 36 awards. Her films have been broadcast in 23 countries. View More about Season 1: Episode 4
  • , Professor, School of Interactive Games and Media, Golisano College of Computing and Information Services.

    Season 1: Episode 3

    Dr. Navarro is an internationally recognized leader in hybrid dynamical and cyber-physical systems, with expertise in computational neuroscience, neuro-inspired computing, data science, and collective intelligence. She brings a unique perspective as a "scientist-artist," blending philosophy, arts, and music into her scientific endeavors. View More about Season 1: Episode 3
  • Short discription of an image used by screen readers

    Season 1: Episode 2

    Dr. Margaret Bailey is a distinguished engineering faculty known for her pioneering work on gender equity on campus. View More about Season 1: Episode 2
Previous Next

$425.3K

in Connect Grants. Connect grants support faculty networking, research, professional development and community building efforts.

900+

More than 900 faculty, staff and students have participated in professional development workshops and events led by AdvanceRIT.

66.7%

of RIT’s deans are women (6 out of 9).

14

Number of years since RIT first received an NSF ADVANCE grant. In 2008, RIT received an NSF Advance Catalyst award. An Institutional Transformation award was received in 2012.

RIT women faculty in the news

  • July 23, 2026

    A photo image shows a hand holding a large, rough-hewn pencil over a laptop keyboard, with a mobile phone next to it.

    There’s a business case for companies to embrace sustainability – if it’s pitched the right way

    The Conversation publishes a piece by Israa Ameen Thiab, pollution prevention engineer in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, and Clyde Eiríkur Hull, professor in the Department of Management, showing that entrepreneurs are more likely to adopt sustainable business practices when they strengthen competitiveness and profitability rather than being framed as environmental obligations.

  • July 17, 2026

    a photograph of a doorway in a haze

    RIT professor explores ‘gendered aging’ in museum debut

    Rochester Beacon highlights “Time to Kill,” the first museum exhibition for Ahndraya Parlato, assistant professor in the College of Art and Design. The exhibit showcases an exploration of aging, identity, and societal expectations.

  • July 16, 2026

    Students sit and stands in a white room with a maroon bottom border. Next to a student on the left is a white robot sitting on a table.

    Undergrads from colleges across the U.S. come to RIT for summer research

    RIT is hosting four Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program sites this summer, which are designed for students to develop a passion for research and receive guidance for pursuing graduate careers. The university has a longstanding history hosting REU sites, which are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation.

More Stories

Creativity begins with people from all walks of life. The credit for the RIT difference belongs to its people. We will attract and support an extraordinary mix of increasingly creative multi-talented students, faculty, and staff; and continue to diversify all segments of our community.
David C. Munson Jr,
President
Diversity and inclusion are fundamental aspects of RIT’s identity as an institution and are intrinsically tied to its historic strength as one of America’s most innovative and forward-looking universities.
Keith Jenkins,
Vice President and Associate Provost for Access, Engagement, and Success