This session will explore the connections between research integrity, responsible conduct of research, and efforts to prevent and address sexual harassment in academic and research environments. Inspired in part by the National Academies’ newly updated edition of On Being a Scientist, which expands on topics such as sexual harassment and collaborative research culture, the discussion will consider how these issues intersect in practice. Speakers will examine what Offices of Research are already doing to support respectful and responsible research environments and identify opportunities for stronger collaboration among Offices of Research, Civil Rights and Title IX Offices, and other teams responsible for research integrity, workplace culture, and harassment prevention and response.

This session will examine what meaningful accountability can look like after a finding of responsibility for sexual harassment, with particular attention to education, behavior change, and the reintegration of individuals into academic and research workplaces. While more research is needed to identify effective practices, speakers will consider insights from the existing evidence base, explore emerging approaches, and discuss how institutions can navigate the tension between prioritizing accountability and community safety while creating appropriate pathways for those found responsible to reintegrate into their communities.

This lightning talk-style session will offer a series of brief snapshots highlighting data, research findings, and emerging insights relevant to preventing and addressing sexual harassment in higher education. Designed to surface information that can inform institutional decision making, the session will provide participants with concise, accessible takeaways.

Department chairs and principal investigators often occupy pivotal roles in shaping workplace culture, identifying concerns, supporting affected community members, and navigating institutional response systems. This session will serve as Part II of a two-part workshop series that began at the 2025 Public Summit. Part II will continue discussions of the tools that are currently available and needed to support prevention and response efforts.

Campus climate assessments can provide valuable evidence about the prevalence, nature, and consequences of sexual harassment, but collecting and publishing data alone does not produce institutional change. This session will examine how institutions can translate climate data into action through integrated data ecosystems, logic models and theories of change, action planning, and ongoing evaluation. Speakers will highlight tools and exercises for data-informed actions.

Preventing and responding to sexual harassment requires the involvement of many actors across an institution and, often, beyond it. In this interactive session, participants will use actor network mapping to identify the individuals, offices, policies, and other resources that can influence their institution’s efforts; examine the relationships, resources, incentives, and barriers that connect them; and identify gaps or opportunities for stronger coordination. The exercise is designed to help participants think more strategically about where authority, expertise, information, and capacity reside and how those connections can be leveraged to support institutional change.

Professionals responsible for preventing and responding to sexual harassment often work in demanding environments characterized by high caseloads, secondary trauma, changing legal and institutional expectations, and pressure to provide consistent support through difficult circumstances. This session will examine burnout, imposter syndrome, and the well-being of practitioners as not only workforce concerns, but also factors that impact the quality and continuity of care for those who need their services. The discussion will explore not only how burnout and imposter syndrome can manifest in these contexts, but what practices may sustain the people doing this work.

Research is often conducted in spaces where representatives from multiple universities and countries alongside government personnel, contractors, industry representatives, and other partners collaborate, share resources, and co-exist. These multijurisdictional settings are often exemplified by remote research settings (e.g. Antarctica, ocean-going vessels, and other international field sites) and well as particularly complex research environments (e.g. particle physics labs and gravitational-wave observatories). When sexual harassment occurs in these environments, overlapping policies, employers, legal jurisdictions, and chains of authority can make it difficult to determine where to report, who is responsible for responding, and what protections are available. This session will explore how institutions and research partners can clarify responsibilities, establish accessible reporting and response pathways, coordinate across organizational boundaries, and reduce the risk that individuals fall through gaps between systems. While the session will use remote research environments as an example, the lessons learned may be applied to other multijurisdictional spaces like conferences.

Learn more about the Action Collaborative by reaching out to <SHActionCollab@nas.edu>