Elizabeth Watkins is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and Professor of History at the University of California, Riverside. As chief academic officer, she provides leadership to the entire academic enterprise, manages day-to-day operations of the university, and oversees the allocation of resources. Watkins came to UCR from UCSF where, after eight years as director of graduate studies in the history of health sciences, she was appointed Dean of the Graduate Division in 2012 and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs in 2013.
Watkins earned a BA in Biology and a PhD in History of Science at Harvard University. Her research has focused on the interrelations of medicine, science, commerce and culture in the United States in the 20th-21st centuries. She is the author or co-author of five books and numerous articles on the histories of birth control; prescription drugs; estrogen and female aging; testosterone and male aging; and stress and disease.