Afiya Fredericks

Dr. Afiya Fredericks is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of the District of Columbia. Her scholarship is predicated on the value of institutions that serve predominantly minoritized populations (e.g., HBCUs) and the potential that these institutions have to transform the lives and trajectories of generations of minoritized people. Her research agenda includes understanding the impact of implicit beliefs (mindsets) on motivation and achievement, and how to cultivate more inclusive learning environments. Also, she is interested in understanding the experiences of Black Women in higher education and how we can increase their representation as tenured full professors and as administrative leaders. She is a recent recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER grant award for $1.6 million, focused on better understanding how research on implicit beliefs can be leveraged to create more equitable learning environments for minoritized students in STEM.

Dr. Fredericks is a UT Austin Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellow (2023-2024), a Stanford University, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) Summer institute on Diversity Fellow (2023), a University of Maryland Quantitative Research Methods for STEM Education (QRM) Fellow (2021-2022) and a Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL) Research Fellow (2020-present). As a life-long learner, Afiya believes that embodying a growth mindset (the belief in the malleability of our intelligence and abilities) is a beautiful journey, one that she works on daily. Dr. Fredericks is a proud US Virgin Islander and enjoys opportunities to escape home to the beautiful island of St. Croix!