Alexandra Minna Stern

Alexandra Minna Stern was appointed dean of humanities in November 2022. Previously, she served as associate dean for the humanities in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan, where she was also the Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Collegiate Professor of American Culture and held appointments in history, women’s and gender studies, and obstetrics and gynecology.

Stern is the founder and co-director of the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab, an interdisciplinary research team that explores the histories of eugenic sterilization in the United States and is guided by commitments to reproductive, racial and disability justice. Her research has focused on modern and contemporary histories of science, medicine and society in the U.S. and Latin America, and most recently on cultures and ideologies of the far right and white nationalism.

Stern received her B.A. in Central American studies from San Francisco State University, her M.A. in Latin American studies from UC San Diego and her Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago.