Biography for Donna Ginther

Donna K. Ginther is the Roy A. Roberts & Regents Distinguished Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for Policy & Social Research (IPSR) at the University of Kansas, where she has served on the faculty for 23 years. An internationally renowned labor economist, she advances research excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, faculty development and evidence based policymaking.

As IPSR director, Ginther oversees a campuswide institute with over 150 faculty affiliates and a $22.7 million budget. IPSR has increased research expenditures by 270% since 2020, supported over 100 graduate scholars through the IPSR Doctoral Fellows Program, and produced research that contributed to legislation that eliminated the Kansas food sales tax.

She has also enhanced student and faculty success by co-developing the undergraduate data science major, and leading University-wide initiatives focused on faculty salaries and shared governance.

Ginther’s interdisciplinary scholarship spans economics, demography, and science policy. Her research identifying racial disparities in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, now known as the “Ginther Gap,” prompted federal policy changes and continues to shape ongoing discussions about research funding and early-career scientists. She has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Congress and the Kansas Legislature and has served in influential roles with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the NIH.

Her national leadership and scholarship have been recognized through her election as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2023) and as a Member in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2025).  Ginther brings to the role of provost deep institutional knowledge, a collaborative leadership style, and a proven commitment to KU’s mission and the state of Kansas.