UA Assistant Professor Named Among Top Scholars Under 40

Tuscaloosa AL

23 January, 2021

9:30 AM

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TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama this week announced that Assistant Professor of Higher Education Krystal L. Williams was chosen by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine as one of the nation's top 15 emerging scholars under the age of 40. Click here to subscribe to our daily email newsletters and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices for free. You can also support local journalism by donating as little as $5 a month to become a supporting member or by downloading our free Patch mobile app. The scholars, who are featured in the magazine's Jan. 21 edition, were selected for making their mark on academia through teaching, research and service. UA says Williams' research interests lie at the intersection of race and public policy. The two primary topics she studies are racial equity issues in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, fields and exploring the contributions of historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, to higher education. Williams, 40, is a native of Fort Worth, Texas, said in a press release that she doesn't do the work for the accolades, but it is nice to be acknowledged. "I focus on equity issues in STEM to better understand how to increase the representation of racially marginalized students in these policy-relevant fields," she said. "That's one part of my work. The other part focuses on HBCUs. What are the best practices at these institutions? How can we use that information to help other institutions and inform public policy?" Follow Patch here for updates or on Facebook and Twitter.