Along the I-405 tech corridor — from Lynnwood through Bellevue and to Renton and beyond — there is a mounting demand for a highly skilled workforce able to support rapid growth across all STEM fields.
As more companies settle in this region, gaps are appearing in specialized areas while existing workers struggle to reskill fast enough to keep pace.
Meeting not only current workforce needs but looking ahead to the future is top of mind for Dr. Jennifer McLoud-Mann, dean of the University of Washington Bothell’s School of STEM.
Expanding research opportunities
A tenured faculty member since the school was established in 2013, McLoud-Mann has watched its offerings grow to 15 undergraduate and three graduate degree programs as well as two graduate certificates, thanks to its dedicated faculty and staff.
In addition to in-depth coursework, she credits the many experiences these programs provide students for helping them apply their learning outside the traditional classroom. Such hands-on opportunities include undergraduate research, capstone projects, study abroad, internships and community-based learning courses.
McLoud-Mann has worked to expand the school’s already robust opportunities for undergraduates to participate in faculty research since becoming dean of the school in December 2024. At the annual I Heart UW Bothell Luncheon fundraiser, for example, she invited supporters to contribute funds for scholarships for students enrolling in summer research courses. With their tuition covered and with faculty mentoring their work, these students spent the 2025 summer quarter investigating aerodynamic shells for high-speed drones and autonomous vehicle navigation.
It was the school’s strength in experiential learning that drew McLoud-Mann to UW Bothell in the first place. “I’m recognizing as dean that I need to make sure I’m reinvesting in that continuously,” she said.
Those investments include the School of STEM faculty, who spend countless hours supervising undergraduate research — an endeavor that has historically been considered “above and beyond” their official duties. McLoud-Mann has been collaborating with the STEM Faculty Council and with UW Bothell’s Division of Academic Affairs to change that by setting up an infrastructure to ensure faculty members’ mentoring efforts are recognized in their workloads.
“When I think about serving folks from under-recognized communities, one that has a sweet spot in my heart is first-generation college students.”
Dr. Jennifer McLoud-Mann, dean, School of STEM; first-generation college graduate
Serving first-generation students
McLoud-Mann is a first-generation college graduate and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. With roots in an economically disadvantaged community, she brings a deep commitment to supporting others in her work.
“When I think about serving folks from under-recognized communities,” said McLoud-Mann, “one that has a sweet spot in my heart is first-generation college students.”
She observes that, even without a clear idea of what their futures might look like, this population of students faces more pressure to graduate and succeed. “But,” she said, “that provides the opportunity for UW Bothell to provide ‘path lighting’ for them.”
Her own undergraduate background included participation in cohort programs that helped inform her academic choices. “It inspired me to pay it forward in creating the first National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates site on campus,” she said. “I have a lot of passion around these experiences!”
She was the principal investigator for UW Bothell’s first such REU in mathematics, which began in 2015. Since then, the School of STEM has hosted other NSF-funded undergraduate research sites in electrical engineering and physics.
To further increase support for under-represented students, McLoud-Mann is planning a faculty training series to address inclusive research mentoring. She’s joining forces with colleagues on the Bothell campus and at the UW in Seattle to offer more professional development in this area to STEM faculty in the coming years.
Partnerships power the future
As dean, McLoud-Mann is also building on the School of STEM’s thriving network of partnerships to better serve students. Case in point: Avanade, a Seattle-based global professional services company whose initial contributions to the school consisted of student scholarships.
The collaboration has since expanded to include an array of meaningful student opportunities: professional mentorships; UW Bothell’s participation in Avanade’s annual Fuel conference; and the company’s sponsorship of an annual campus hackathon that recently drew 600 participants from colleges and high schools all across the Puget Sound region.
The Avanade partnership began in the School of STEM, said McLoud-Mann, but has since blossomed to include the School of Business, whose students now benefit from Avanade scholarships and access to the corporate mentorship program.
The value of the relationship has deepened with time, McLoud-Mann noted, with Avanade and other industry partners moving from donating funds to offering advice about the skills they want to see in UW Bothell graduates. “Those initial contributions open the doors for deeper conversations about how we prepare our undergraduates to serve their needs and that of other employers in our region,” she said.
Also on McLoud-Mann’s partnership radar: Boosting alumni engagement and presence on campus. For example, she has expanded the School of STEM Advisory Board membership to include more alumni and invited them to the second annual STEM Soirée.
“It’s the right moment,” she said. “We’ve produced a lot of graduates. They have a lot to share — and it really inspires students when alumni are present.”
A clear pathway for learning
Under McLoud-Mann’s leadership, the School of STEM continues to flourish with new applied-learning opportunities, expanding partnerships and an ongoing commitment to serving under-represented students.
Her goal, she said, is to position UW Bothell as the premiere destination for STEM-interested students in Washington state.
“My vision stays centered on helping students transform their lives — one student at a time — so they can go on to transform their future and that of our region,” McLoud-Mann explained. “We’re doing that through exceptional programs both inside and outside the classroom. As dean, my role is to help clear the pathway for faculty and staff so they can focus on the important things.”
