Janine Kwapis awarded with Karin E. Foley Women’s Leadership Award

Janine Kwapis, Paul Berg Early Career Professor in the Biological Sciences, was recently awarded with the 2026 Karin E. Foley Women’s Leadership Award. The award was created by the Penn State Eberly College of Science in 2025 to honor Karin E. Foley who served as associate dean for research and administration from 2000 to 2013.

Kwapis received this award for her role in strengthening mentoring structures and fostering peer support within Penn State and beyond. Currently, she serves on the Department of Biology’s Research and Faculty Success Committee where she has developed a peer-mentoring workshop and created a more personalized experience in the pre-tenure mentoring process. She is also mentoring the next cohort of early career faculty as part of the Biology Research Mentoring Committee.

Outside of her department, Kwapis has also co-established and leads “PSU Science Ladies,” a peer-mentoring community for junior women faculty in the sciences.

“Dr. Kwapis’s leadership exemplifies the spirit of the Karin E. Foley Leadership Award,” said Beth McGraw, professor and head of the Department of Biology. “She not only excels as a scholar but also actively cultivates a culture of belonging and opportunity for women in science.”

Her leadership has also extended to national and international scientific communities. In 2011, Kwapis helped established Women in Leadership, which is associated with the Pavlovian Society, and served on the executive committee until 2018. She also served as the chair of the Ethics and Diversity Committee for the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, leading a luncheon on imposter syndrome and co-organizing events designed to address structural challenges faced by women and underrepresented scientists.

About the Karin E. Foley Women’s Leadership Award

The Karin E. Foley Women’s Leadership Award celebrates women in the Eberly College of Science for their leadership. During Foley’s time as associate dean for research and administration, she was an advocate for supporting staff and faculty, as well as dedicated to propelling the college forward through strategic planning. She led the research enterprise, oversaw renovation plans, and was active in the creation of the marketing office in the college, now known as the Office of Communications.