Elizabeth Watkins Will Be the Next Provost at the University of California, Riverside

Elizabeth Watkins was named the next provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Riverside. She will begin her new duties on May 1, 2021.

“I am excited about the opportunity to champion the education of first generation to college and historically underrepresented students,” said Dr. Watkins. “I am also keen to help develop and implement innovative programs to build on the UCR faculty’s existing foundation of nationally and internationally recognized scholarship to grow into a research powerhouse and to encourage and support external funding for scholars in all disciplines.”

Dr. Watkins currently serves as vice chancellor at the University of California, San Francisco, where she oversees all student affairs functions, enrollment and financial aid, institutional research, education technology services, and the international students and scholars office. Dr. Watkins is also dean of the Graduate Division, which includes 19 Ph.D. programs, eight master’s degree programs, and supports 1,100 postdoctoral scholars. She is a professor in the department of anthropology, history, and social medicine.

Dr. Watkins’ research focuses on the interrelations of medicine, science, gender, commerce, and culture in the United States in the 20th-21st centuries. She is the author or co-editor of five books including The Estrogen Elixir: A History of Hormone Replacement Therapy in America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007).

Professor Watkins earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a Ph.D. in the history of science both from Harvard University.