Hanson Center Visiting Scholar 2025-2026: Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta
The Hanson Center for Inclusive STEM Education is delighted to announce that Dr. Nilanjana (Buju) Dasgupta will serve as the 2025–26 Hanson Center Visiting Scholar! Dr. Dasgupta is the Provost Professor of Psychology and the founding Director of the Institute of Diversity Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A pioneering scholar and nationally recognized leader in inclusive STEM education, Dr. Dasgupta brings extensive expertise, critical perspective, and scholarly insight to our campus community.
Dr. Dasgupta will visit Lafayette College on the following dates:
- October 16–17, 2025
- March 5–6, 2026
About Dr. Dasgupta
Dr. Dasgupta’s research centers on implicit bias and the ways in which social environments shape people’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors—often in ways they do not consciously recognize. Her research is translational, bridging controlled laboratory experiments and real-world field studies. Dr. Dasgupta investigates the plasticity of implicit bias—how changes in social context can reshape deeply held attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. She applies these insights to tackle pressing social challenges, including disparities in student achievement and the underrepresentation of women, working-class students, and racially and ethnically marginalized groups in STEM and leadership roles. Her research identifies academic and professional contexts that can protect individuals’ sense of self and aspiration against negative stereotypes, and has shaped national conversations about equity in STEM fields.
Dr. Dasgupta’s research program has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the American Psychological Foundation, and she has shared her work widely with K-12 educators, college communities, corporate leaders, policymakers on Capitol Hill, and at the White House during the Obama administration. Known not only for her rigorous scholarship but also for her warmth and engaging presentation style, Dr. Dasgupta has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, Scientific American Mind, and more.
Learn more about Dr. Dasgupta and her work:
UMass Amherst – Psychological & Brain Sciences
Institute of Diversity Sciences
Change the Wallpaper
Impact and Inspiration
Lafayette was fortunate to welcome Dr. Dasgupta to our campus in 2018 and her visit had a tangible impact on Lafayette’s own inclusive STEM efforts. For example, her previous visit to campus helped inspire the creation of the Kovalevsky Society, a mentoring initiative for women majoring in the mathematical sciences. In addition, the Hanson Center’s peer mentoring programs—in biology, chemistry, engineering, and psychology—are grounded in the findings from Dr. Dasgupta’s influential research on peer mentoring (e.g., Dennehy & Dasgupta, 2017).
Welcoming Dr. Dasgupta back offers a unique opportunity to share what we’ve built in response to her insights and to envision what’s possible next. Dr. Dasgupta’s engagement as our Visiting Scholar promises to energize students, faculty, and staff—and is likely to foster new collaborations, inspire more inclusive educational practices, and deepen campus conversations about equity and belonging.
Fall Semester Inclusive STEM Reading Group: Change the Wallpaper
In connection with Dr. Dasgupta’s fall visit, the Inclusive STEM Reading Group will read her newly published book, Change the Wallpaper: Transforming Cultural Patterns to Build More Just Communities (Yale University Press). In this timely and accessible work, Dr. Dasgupta presents a clear, research-based framework for understanding how everyday environments influence inclusion and how meaningful, structural change can be achieved—particularly in STEM.
If you are interested in participating in the Inclusive STEM Reading Group during the fall 2025 semester please complete this form by Tuesday, September 2, 5:00 pm.
What others are saying about Change the Wallpaper:
“This compelling and content-rich book reveals how unrecognized or unseen norms, structures, and dynamics (the wallpaper) create obstacles and explains why traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have often failed.” Professor Rachel Godsil (Rutgers)
“Focusing on some of today’s most difficult problems of diversity and inclusion, Change the Wallpaper is a readable, evidence-based analysis of how we can change structures (the wallpaper) to promote equality and fairness.” Professor Jerry Kang (UCLA)
“Educators, counselors, employers, and policy advocates need to read this book.” Professor Katherine Newman (UC, Berkeley)
“An indispensable guide for anyone ready for the challenge of fixing our unfair world.” Professor Laurie Santos (Yale)
2025-2026 Schedule
Thursday, October 16 – Friday, October 17, 2025
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16
Afternoon: small meetings
- 4:15-5:30 PM: “Change the Wallpaper: Interventions to Reduce Bias and Increase Inclusion”
104 Kirby Hall
Campus Presentation by Dr. Dasgupta - 5:45-7:00 Dinner and Informal Discussion
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17
- Morning: Small meetings with faculty, staff, and students
Thursday, March 5 – Friday, March 6, 2025
Schedule to come