Upon earning her PhD, Cheryan immediately joined the faculty of Psychology at the University of Washington (UW) with a specific focus on gendered stereotypes and prejudices.
[2][5] She co-founded UW's Debunking Stereotypes Workshop with students Amanda Tose, Marissa Vichayapai, and Lauren Hudson to encourage more women to join Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
[6] Cheryan also led a research project that used statistics from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to prove that negative stereotypes of computer scientists could result in less women joining the field.
[11] The following year, Cheryan was invited to the White House by former President Barack Obama after it was decided to create a "computer science classroom design prize" in her honor.
Upon realizing this, she conducted a second male-focused group study where students would answer a masculinity test with multiple-choice questions about consumer preferences and personal attributes.
[17] Cheryan also received a visiting fellowship position in communications at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University during the academic year.
[18][19] As a result of her research on gender, STEM, and female stereotypes, Cheryan was approached by Mattel in the spring of 2018 to advise on their latest Barbie dolls.