The official biography below was current at the time of the award. See the organization's website for its latest information.

The Sloan Foundation's program, "Increasing Ph.D.s for Underrepresented Minorities," has the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minority students (African American, Hispanic American, and Native American) receiving Ph.D.s in mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering. The program focus is on students who have enrolled in Ph.D. programs, and, to a lesser degree, those who are undergraduate students or master's degree candidates.