  The US higher education system concentrates the production of science and
scientists within a few institutions. This has implications for minoritized
scholars and the topics with which they are disproportionately associated. This
paper examines topical alignment between institutions and authors of varying
intersectional identities, and the relationship with prestige and scientific
impact. We observe a Howard-Harvard effect, in which the topical profile of
minoritized scholars are amplified in mission-driven institutions and decreased
in prestigious institutions. Results demonstrate a consistent pattern of
inequality in topics and research impact. Specifically, we observe
statistically significant differences between minoritized scholars and White
men in citations and journal impact. The aggregate research profile of
prestigious US universities is highly correlated with the research profile of
White men, and highly negatively correlated with the research profile of
minoritized women. Furthermore, authors affiliated with more prestigious
institutions are associated with increasing inequalities in both citations and
journal impact. Academic institutions and funders are called to create policies
to mitigate the systemic barriers that prevent the United States from achieving
a fully robust scientific ecosystem.
