Joanne M. Cohoon

Joanne Louise McGrath Cohoon (c. 1954 – February 14, 2016) was an American sociologist noted for her research on gender imbalance in computing.

Cohoon received a B.A. in Philosophy from Ramapo College in 1976. She received a M.A. in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education from Columbia University Teachers College in 1979 and a Ph.D in Sociology from the University of Virginia in 2000.

She was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia from 2000 to 2003. From 2004 to 2016 she was a Senior Research Scientist with the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT). Since 2005 she was also an Adjunct Research Professor in the Departement of Sociology at the University of Virginia, and in 2010 she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Science, Technology and Society, also at the University of Virginia, later promoted to Professor.

She died on February 14, 2016 at the age of 61.

Cohoon researched the gender imbalance in computing, and focused on putting this knowledge into practice. She wrote a paper showing evidence that culture and social structures contribute to fewer women in the field of computing technology. At NCWIT she was involved with a nationwide program called Pacesetters of organizations committed to increasing the number of women in computing.

In 2015 she won the A. Richard Newton Educator ABIE Award for her work in developing practices that increase women in computing.