Kinsey institute names new director

After nine years as the director of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, John Bancroft will pass his title to Julia Heiman, a prominent leader in the evolving field of sex research.\nHeiman currently serves as a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the School of Medicine at the University of Washington. She is also co-director of UW's Reproductive and Sexual Medicine Clinic.\nBancroft will officially retire April 30 and Kinsey Associate Director and Professor of Gender Studies Stephanie Sanders will serve as the interim director until Heiman takes over in June.\nWhen Heiman is appointed as director, she will also be a professor in the Department of Psychology at IU with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at the IU School of Medicine at IUPUI.\nSociology Professor J. Scott Long served as the head of the search committee to appoint a new director at the Kinsey Institute. He said the process began more than two years ago and consisted of identifying the top researchers in the country, narrowing the selection, interviewing, bringing candidates in, selecting and negotiating.\n"We started out with 50 to 100 applicants and gave detailed consideration to about 10," Long said. "Heiman has an outstanding research record, and we realized she would bring tremendous commitment, dedication and ideals to the Institute."\nJennifer Bass, head of information services at the Kinsey Institute, said the search proved to be a very grueling process.\n"To select among the excellent researchers someone who also has a vision for an interdisciplinary approach to the study of sex is quite a challenge," she said. \nBut Bass said Heiman's reputation made her stand out among all other candidates.\n"She is considered the top-notch researcher in the field of sex research, and she is a leader who, without a doubt, will be able to bring people in from around the country to work on projects," Bass said.\nHeiman said she was initially attracted to the position because of the new opportunities for interdisciplinary research and her top priorities will be to "maintain and grow" both the research program and the extensive collections.\nLong said a main factor in selecting Heiman was her approach and plans for the Kinsey Institute "fit very well," as she aims to develop a collection with an endowment in the Institute and eventually wants to put the collection online, making it more accessible to a variety of researchers.\nThe Kinsey Institute, whose mission is to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender and reproduction, was founded by former IU professor Alfred Kinsey in 1947.\nThe Institute carries out its mission through the development of specialized collections of resources for scholars, programs of research and publications, interdisciplinary conferences and seminars, provision of information services to researchers and graduate training. \nOver the years, the Kinsey Institute, its directors and staffs have received numerous grants and awards. \n"Julia is the ideal person to build on what John Bancroft had done as he led the Institute over the last decade," Long said. "She has a real commitment to the ideals and history of Kinsey Institute. We are very fortunate to have her."\n-- Contact general assignments editor Lori Geller at .