phd research grants 2023

We have 550 2023 PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

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2023 PhD Projects, Programmes & Scholarships

Planning for the extremes: wildfire resilience of power system infrastructure, phd research project.

PhD Research Projects are advertised opportunities to examine a pre-defined topic or answer a stated research question. Some projects may also provide scope for you to propose your own ideas and approaches.

Funded PhD Project (UK Students Only)

This research project has funding attached. It is only available to UK citizens or those who have been resident in the UK for a period of 3 years or more. Some projects, which are funded by charities or by the universities themselves may have more stringent restrictions.

Mitigating Technostress among Community-Dwelling Seniors: Examining the Role of Proactive and Reactive Coping Behaviours in the Context of XR-Powered Telehealth

Self-funded phd students only.

This project does not have funding attached. You will need to have your own means of paying fees and living costs and / or seek separate funding from student finance, charities or trusts.

Financial Literacy as a Barrier to Entrepreneurial Ambitions? Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

The chinese university of hong kong (cuhk) 2025 - 26, funded phd programme (students worldwide).

Some or all of the PhD opportunities in this programme have funding attached. Applications for this programme are welcome from suitably qualified candidates worldwide. Funding may only be available to a limited set of nationalities and you should read the full programme details for further information.

Hong Kong PhD Programme

A Hong Kong PhD usually takes 3-4 years; the exact length may depend on whether or not a student holds a Masters degree. Longer programmes begin with a probation period involving taught classes and assessments. Eventually all students produce an original thesis and submit it for examination in an oral ‘viva voce’ format. Most programmes are delivered in English, but some universities also teach in Mandarin Chinese.

Examining the social dimension of Circular Economy in emerging markets

Exploring the impact of leaderful practice on the implementation of sdgs, the impact of extended waiting times for treatment and investigation in people long-term conditions, bridging the gap: investigating the professional landscape of applied performance analysts in sports performance analysis, exploring the public perception towards artificial intelligence: generation z’s ‘narrative’, stereoselective synthesis of mechanically chiral molecules for sensing and catalysis, phd in chemistry - amorphous aggregates and non-classical crystal nucleation, funded phd project (european/uk students only).

This project has funding attached for UK and EU students, though the amount may depend on your nationality. Non-EU students may still be able to apply for the project provided they can find separate funding. You should check the project and department details for more information.

Singapore Management University (SMU) Academic Research PhD Programmes

Singapore phd programme.

A Singaporean PhD usually takes 3 years. Programmes are highly structured with taught courses and qualifying examinations in the first year, before students are confirmed as PhD candidates and allowed to produce a thesis. This is presented in a public seminar and then defended in a private oral examination. Programmes are often delivered in English.

Economics PhD at the University of Bristol

Business research programme.

Business Research Programmes present a range of research opportunities, shaped by a university’s particular expertise, facilities and resources. You will usually identify a suitable topic for your PhD and propose your own project. Additional training and development opportunities may also be offered as part of your programme.

PhD role 2023/2024: Electrosynthesis

A visual history of sir charles lyell’s notebooks: documenting landscape evolution and climate change, funded phd project (students worldwide).

This project has funding attached, subject to eligibility criteria. Applications for the project are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates, but its funding may be restricted to a limited set of nationalities. You should check the project and department details for more information.

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Google PhD fellowship program

Google PhD Fellowships directly support graduate students as they pursue their PhD, as well as connect them to a Google Research Mentor.

Nurturing and maintaining strong relations with the academic community is a top priority at Google. The Google PhD Fellowship Program was created to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. Fellowships support promising PhD candidates of all backgrounds who seek to influence the future of technology. Google’s mission is to foster inclusive research communities and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to apply. We currently offer fellowships in Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and the United States.

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Program details

Application status, how to apply, research areas of focus, review criteria, award recipients.

Applications are currently closed.

Update on 2024 Announcement : Decisions for the 2024 application cycle, originally planned for July 2024, will now be announced via email in August 2024. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience as we work to finalize decisions.

• Launch March 27, 2024
• Deadline May 8, 2024
• Awardees Notified By Aug. 31, 2024

The details of each Fellowship vary by region. Please see our FAQ for eligibility requirements and application instructions.

PhD students must be nominated by their university. Applications should be submitted by an official representative of the university during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Australia and New Zealand

Canada and the United States

PhD students in Japan, Korea and Taiwan must be nominated by their university. After the university's nomination is completed, either an official representative of the university or the nominated students can submit applications during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

India and Southeast Asia

PhD students apply directly during the application window. Please see the FAQ for more information.

Latin America

The 2024 application cycle is postponed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future application cycles.

Google PhD Fellowship students are a select group recognized by Google researchers and their institutions as some of the most promising young academics in the world. The Fellowships are awarded to students who represent the future of research in the fields listed below. Note that region-specific research areas will be listed in application forms during the application window.

Algorithms and Theory

Distributed Systems and Parallel Computing

Health and Bioscience

Human-Computer Interaction and Visualization

Machine Intelligence

Machine Perception

Natural Language Processing

Quantum Computing

Security, Privacy and Abuse Prevention

Software Engineering

Software Systems

Speech Processing

Applications are evaluated on the strength of the research proposal, research impact, student academic achievements, and leadership potential. Research proposals are evaluated for innovative concepts that are relevant to Google’s research areas, as well as aspects of robustness and potential impact to the field. Proposals should include the direction and any plans of where your work is going in addition to a comprehensive description of the research you are pursuing.

In Canada and the United States, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

What does the Google PhD Fellowship include?

Students receive named Fellowships which include a monetary award. The funds are given directly to the university to be distributed to cover the student’s expenses and stipend as appropriate. In addition, the student will be matched with a Google Research Mentor. There is no employee relationship between the student and Google as a result of receiving the fellowship. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If students wish to apply for a job at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

• Up to 3 year Fellowship
• US $12K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Google Research Mentor
• 1 year Fellowship
• AUD $15K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Up to 2 year Fellowship (effective from 2024 for new recipients)
• Full tuition and fees (enrollment fees, health insurance, books) plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment
• US $10K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• Yearly bursary towards stipend / salary, health care, social benefits, tuition and fees, conference travel and personal computing equipment. The bursary varies by country.

Early-stage PhD students

• Up to 4 year Fellowship
• US $50K to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Late-stage PhD students

• US $10K to recognise research contributions, cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel
• US $15K per year to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Southeast Asia

• US $10K per year for up to 3 years (or up to graduation, whichever is earlier) to cover stipend and other research related activities, travel expenses including overseas travel

Is my university eligible for the PhD Fellowship Program?

Africa, Australia/New Zealand , Canada, East Asia, Europe and the United States : universities must be an accredited research institution that awards research degrees to PhD students in computer science (or an adjacent field).

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open to universities/institutes in India, Latin America (excluding Cuba), and in eligible Southeast Asian countries/regions (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

Restrictions : All award payments and recipients will be reviewed for compliance with relevant US and international laws, regulations and policies. Google reserves the right to withhold funding that may violate laws, regulations or our policies.

What are the eligibility requirements for students?

All regions

• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.
• Past awardees from the PhD Fellowship program are not eligible to apply again.
• Grant of the Fellowship does not mean admission to a PhD program. The awardee must separately apply and be accepted to a PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) at an eligible institution.
• Grant of the Fellowship will be subject to the rules and guidelines applicable in the institution where the awardee registers for the PhD program.

Nominated students in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the United States, East Asia and Europe.

Universities should only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Africa: Incoming PhD students are eligible to apply, but the Fellowship award shall be contingent on the awardee registering for a full-time PhD program in computer science (or an adjacent field) within the academic award year of the Fellowship award, or the award shall be forfeited.
• Australia and New Zealand : early-stage students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).
• Canada and the United States : students who have completed graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• East Asia: students who have completed most of graduate coursework in their PhD by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins. Students should have sufficient time for research projects after receiving a fellowship.
• Europe: Students enrolled at any stage of their PhD are eligible to apply.

Direct applicant students in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia

• Latin America : incoming or early stage-students enrolled in the first or second year of their PhD (no requirement for completion of graduate coursework by the academic award year).

What should be included in an application? What language should the application be in?

All application materials should be submitted in English.

For each student nomination, the university will be asked to submit the following material in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file:

• Student CV with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (1-page) resume/CV of the student's primary PhD program advisor
• Available transcripts (mark sheets) starting from first year/semester of Bachelor's degree to date
• Research proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee''s work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: What impact would receiving this Fellowship have on your education? Describe any circumstances affecting your need for a Fellowship and what educational goals this Fellowship will enable you to accomplish.
• Transcripts of current and previous academic records
• 1-2 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)

Canada, East Asia, the United States

• Cover sheet signed by the Department Chair confirming the student passes eligibility requirements. (See FAQ "What are the eligibility requirements for students?")
• Short (1-page) CV of the student's primary advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the nominee's work (at least one from the thesis advisor)
• Research / dissertation proposal (maximum 3 pages, excluding references)
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Student essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes or contributed to group efforts over time. (A leadership role can mean more than just a title. It can mean being a mentor to others, acting as the person in charge of a specific task, or taking the lead role in organizing an event or project. Think about what you accomplished and what you learned from the experience. What were your responsibilities? Did you lead a team? How did your experience change your perspective on leading others? Did you help to resolve an important dispute at your school, church, in your community or an organization? And your leadership role doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to school activities. For example, do you help out or take care of your family?)

Students will need the following documents in a single, flat (not portfolio) PDF file in order to complete an application (in English only):

• Student applicant’s resume with links to website and publications (if available)
• Short (one-page) resume/CV of the student applicant's primary PhD program advisor
• 2-3 letters of recommendation from those familiar with the applicant's work (at least one from the thesis advisor for current PhD students)
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: Describe the desired impact your research will make on the field and society, and why this is important to you. Include any personal, educational and/or professional experiences that have motivated your research interests.
• Applicant's essay response (350-word limit) to: What are your long-term goals for your pathway in computing research, and how would receiving the Google PhD Fellowship help you progress toward those goals in the short-term?

How do I apply for the PhD Fellowship Program? Who should submit the applications? Can students apply directly for a Fellowship?

Check the eligibility and application requirements in your region before applying. Submission forms are available on this page when the application period begins.

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia: students may apply directly during the application period.

Africa, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States : students cannot apply directly to the program; they must be nominated by an eligible university during the application period.

How many students may each university nominate?

India, Latin America and Southeast Asia : applications are open directly to students with no limit to the number of students that can apply from a university.

Australia and New Zealand : universities may nominate up to two eligible students.

Canada and the United States : Universities may nominate up to four eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage additional nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Africa, East Asia and Europe : Universities may nominate up to three eligible students. We encourage nominating students with diverse backgrounds especially those from historically marginalized groups in the field of computing. If more than two students are nominated then we strongly encourage the additional nominee who self-identifies as a woman.

*Applications are evaluated on merit. Please see FAQ for details on how applications are evaluated.

How are applications evaluated?

In Canada and the United State, East Asia and Latin America, essay responses are evaluated in addition to application materials to determine an overall recommendation.

A nominee's status as a member of a historically marginalized group is not considered in the selection of award recipients.

Research should align with Google AI Principles .

Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

How are Google PhD Fellowships given?

Any monetary awards will be paid directly to the Fellow's university for distribution. No overhead should be assessed against them.

What are the intellectual property implications of a Google PhD Fellowship?

Fellowship recipients are not subject to intellectual property restrictions unless they complete an internship at Google. If that is the case, they are subject to the same intellectual property restrictions as any other Google intern.

Will the Fellowship recipients become employees of Google?

No, Fellowship recipients do not become employees of Google due to receiving the award. The award does not preclude future eligibility for internships or employment opportunities at Google, nor does it increase the chances of obtaining them. If they are interested in working at Google, they are welcome to apply for jobs and go through the same hiring process as any other person.

Can Fellowship recipients also be considered for other Google scholarships?

Yes, Fellowship recipients are eligible for these scholarships .

After award notification, when do the Google PhD Fellowships begin?

After Google PhD Fellowship recipients are notified, the Fellowship is effective starting the following school year.

What is the program application time period?

Applications for the 2024 program will open in March 2024 and close in May 2024 for all regions. Refer to the main Google PhD Fellowship Program page for each region’s application details.

A global awards announcement will be made in September on the Google Research Blog publicly announcing all award recipients.

How can I ask additional questions?

Due to the volume of emails we receive, we may not be able to respond to questions where the answer is available on the website. If your question has not been answered by a FAQ, email:

Africa: [email protected]

Australia and New Zealand: [email protected]

Canada and the United States: [email protected]

East Asia: [email protected]

Europe: [email protected]

India: [email protected]

Latin America: [email protected]

Southeast Asia: [email protected]

See past PhD Fellowship recipients.

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Open Calls for Applications: 2024 Fellowships, Grants, and Fully Funded Graduate Programs

This article is continuously updated with the latest fellowship open calls for applications from ProFellow’s esteemed partners! Be sure to bookmark this page to check it frequently for new opportunities. 

The following list of open calls for applications includes professional fellowships, research grants for individuals, and graduate school funding opportunities, funding awards, and fully funded graduate programs that are now accepting applications.

For opportunities from additional fellowship programs, check out our upcoming fellowship deadlines articles and ProFellow’s funding database of more than 2,400 fellowships, funding awards, fully funded master’s, and fully funded PhD programs.

The opportunities are listed in order of application deadlines. Click the links to learn more!

Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship

The Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship is a national fellowship program that provides recent college and graduate school alumni with the opportunity to gain a Washington perspective on key issues of peace and security. Twice yearly, the Fellowship’s Board of Directors selects a group of outstanding individuals to spend 6-9 months in Washington. Supported by a salary, the fellows serve as full-time junior staff members at the participating nonprofit, public-interest organizations of their choice.

Eligibility: 

• Completed a baccalaureate degree.
• An excellent academic record and a strong interest in issues of peace and security.
• Prior experience with public-interest activism or advocacy is highly desirable.

Deadlines: October 7, 2024 & January 6, 2025

Activate Fellowship for STEM Entrepreneurs

Activate empowers scientists to reinvent the world by bringing their research to market. The two-year Activate Fellowship is the most immersive, supportive, and comprehensive program for early-stage hard-tech science entrepreneurs to access the funding, education, community, and time they need at the outset of their entrepreneurial journeys. Fellows receive a yearly living stipend of $100K, health and travel benefits, and $100,000 in research funding. Activate does not charge any fees or equity to participate.

• Holding a bachelor’s degree and 4+ years post-baccalaureate scientific research, engineering, or technology development experience;
• Leading the commercial development of a hardware-based technology innovation for the first time.

Deadline: October 23, 2024

LeadNext: Ambassadors for a Global Future

LeadNext builds a vibrant network of future leaders aged 18-25 from across Asia and the United States and supports their growth, impact, and capacity to address today’s greatest challenges, such as climate change, inequality, injustice, and poverty. LeadNext is a fully funded, part-time, primarily virtual 6-month fellowship to train and support emerging leaders. Program components include mentorship, a Leadership Training Intensive, monthly virtual Masterclasses, and an in-person Global Leaders Summit.

• Aged 18-25 years old when the program starts.
• Fully conversant in English.
• Able to commit to attending ALL sessions.

Deadline: October 27, 2024

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships honor immigrant tradition in the U.S. by providing up to $90,000 over 2 years to 30 new Americans who will be pursuing a full-time graduate degree program in any field at an American institution in the United States. To be eligible, you must be 30 or younger, and either have been born in the U.S. to two immigrant parents or have been born outside the U.S. (as a non-citizen) and, as of November 1 of the year you apply, be a DACA recipient, naturalized citizen or in possession of a green card (i.e., be a resident alien). They will also be opening the requirements to all immigrants who graduated from high school and college in the US.

• Must be immigrants and children of immigrants in the United States.
• Be a DACA recipient.
• You will have a bachelor’s degree and pursuing full-time graduate degrees at United States institutions.

Deadline: October 31, 2024

CFR International Affairs Programs for Mid-Career Professionals

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is seeking applicants for International Affairs Fellowship programs. These transformational programs enable U.S. citizens who are mid-career professionals with a demonstrated interest in foreign policy to gain experience in a new environment in the United States, Canada, India, Europe, Indonesia, and Japan, or at an international organization. Selected fellows broaden their perspectives on foreign affairs by working in a policymaking setting or conducting academic research. Stipends vary by program.

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Applicants must be mid-career professionals.

Deadline: November 1, 2024

Princeton in Asia Program for Young Leaders

Princeton in Asia (PiA) fosters mutual appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the United States and Asia through immersive work fellowships in host organizations and communities. PiA offers around 60 immersive, paid work fellowships in the following countries and regions: Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. PiA fellowships span a variety of focus areas: arts and culture; economic development; education; environmental sustainability; peace, justice, and access to information; public health; sports; and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). PiA fellowships are one or two years long and open to graduates or graduating seniors of any university.

• All PiA Fellows must have a bachelor’s degree before their fellowship begins.
• All candidates must present a compelling rationale for how they will contribute to PiA’s mission of the United States-Asia exchange.
• All positions require professional proficiency in English.

USAID Science for Development Fellowships

The USAID has established the Science for Development Fellowship program as a two-year immersive professional development opportunity for American scientists and engineers to apply their technical knowledge and research skills to inform and enhance the U.S. government’s international development activities. Fellows work on critical international development issues in areas such as global health, food security, humanitarian assistance, economic growth, water and sanitation, climate change, environment, and energy. It welcomes postdoctoral (or master’s in engineering) applicants across a broad range of STEMM disciplines including social sciences. The fellows receive a competitive salary and a supportive benefits package.

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Hold a qualifying STEMM doctoral degree or a master’s in engineering by December 31, 2024.

Deadline: November 4, 2024

Duke University’s MPP and mid-career MIDP programs and Fellowships

Duke University offers a Master of Public Policy (MPP) and a mid-career Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) degree. Merit-based scholarships and fellowships, both full and partial, are available to highly qualified students – see the post for details!

Eligibility:

• Meet the eligibility requirements for enrollment in the Duke University Sanford School graduate programs.

Deadline: January 5, 2025

Foreign Affairs Information Technology Fellowship

The Foreign Affairs Information Technology (FAIT) Fellowship is an opportunity for students to pursue an IT-related degree and launch a career in the U.S. Foreign Service as an Information Management Specialist. Fellows receive up to $43,500 annually for their junior and senior years in an IT-related undergrad program, or for a two-year master’s program. These funds are applied toward tuition, room and board, books, mandatory fees, and some travel expenses. Plus, you’ll receive stipends, housing, and travel allowances for the two summer internship experiences.

• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.
• Enrolled in an undergraduate program relevant to Information Technology and entering the junior year OR seeking admission in an IT-related master’s degree program, at a U.S.-based accredited institution.

Deadline: Early review: January 7, 2025 Final deadline: Jan 21, 2025

Fully Funded Graduate Programs in Latin American Studies at Tulane University

Tulane University, based in New Orleans, LA offers fully funded Master’s and PhD in Latin American Studies. The design of both the MA and PhD curriculum in Latin American Studies is dependent upon the student’s particular research interests. All admitted students are awarded fellowships that include a Full tuition scholarship, a Modest living stipend (approximately $20,000 for MA students and $25,000 for PhD students), and health insurance benefits. Students must either serve as a Teaching Assistant or as a Research and Project Associate.

• Meet the eligibility requirements for enrollment in the graduate programs at the Tulane University Stone Center for Latin American Studies.

Deadline: January 10, 2025

Boren Awards for International Language Study

Boren Scholars and Fellows study a wide range of critical languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, and Swahili while immersing themselves in underrepresented cultures in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren Awards are available to students of all proficiency levels. Boren Awards alumni commit to public service in roles vital to U.S. national security across various federal agencies, including State and Defense.

• U.S. citizens at the time of the national application deadline.
• Matriculated for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program in an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
• Planning to study in an overseas location of which they are not a citizen.

Deadlines: Boren Fellowships: January 22, 2025 Boren Scholarships: January 29, 2025

Humboldt Research Fellowships for Postdocs and Experienced Researchers

The Humboldt Research Fellowship Program offers postdoctoral and experienced researchers the chance to conduct long-term projects in Germany. Postdoctoral candidates (PhD < 4 years ago) and experienced researchers (PhD < 12 years ago) can apply for fellowships ranging from 6 to 24 months. Stipends are €2,670 and €3,170 per month, respectively, covering mobility and insurance contributions. Applicants develop their research plans with German academic hosts before applying.

• Confirmation that research facilities are available in addition to a mentoring agreement and a detailed expert’s statement by an academic host at a research institution in Germany.
• Language skills: humanities or social sciences and medicine: good knowledge of German if necessary to carry out the research successfully.

Deadline: Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis.

Looking for more opportunities? We list thousands! Sign up for ProFellow.com to view and search our free database of more than 2,800 fellowships, funding awards, and fully funded PhD and master’s programs.

Related posts:.

• Big Announcement: New Categories of Fully Funded Graduate Programs Now in the ProFellow Database!
• Fully Funded Master's Programs in Public Health and Global Health
• Fully Funded PhD Programs in Architecture
• Fully Funded Master's Programs in Chemistry
• Fully Funded PhD Programs in Geography

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50 Best Scholarships for Ph.D. Students

Reviewed by David Krug David Krug is a seasoned expert with 20 years in educational technology (EdTech). His career spans the pivotal years of technology integration in education, where he has played a key role in advancing student-centric learning solutions. David's expertise lies in marrying technological innovation with pedagogical effectiveness, making him a valuable asset in transforming educational experiences. As an advisor for enrollment startups, David provides strategic guidance, helping these companies navigate the complexities of the education sector. His insights are crucial in developing impactful and sustainable enrollment strategies.

Updated: May 30, 2024 , Reading time: 27 minutes

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In this article, we will be covering...

Data Points:

• Roughly 47% of first-generation doctoral students hold undergraduate student loans * , compared to only 31% of continuing-generation students.
• About 65% of scholarships ** to help pay for higher education are offered by the college or university. Other sources of scholarships are states (37%) and non-profits or companies (35%).
• 86% believe *** that earning a scholarship “is something to be proud of.”

“First, you get your bachelor’s degree, and you think you know everything. Then, you get your master’s degree, and you realize you don’t know anything. Then you get your doctorate, and you find out that nobody knows anything.”

While we can’t find information on who said these words, we can’t help but laugh! You, a student pursuing your doctoral degree, may even laugh at it because there’s a grain of truth to it. Your doctoral dissertation, after all, will likely be about creating new knowledge or building on old knowledge because “nobody knows anything” in a manner of speaking. 

But why are you pursuing a doctoral degree when your master’s degree will suffice for most jobs? There are even people who believe that it’s a waste of time and money for many reasons. Some people push for it because of the numerous benefits that it brings.

So, which one’s a better perspective? A doctoral degree is about contributing to the existing body of knowledge through original research. It is considered an introduction to independent research in your chosen field, with your doctoral dissertation as the first of many intellectual masterpieces .

Let’s first take a look at the unfavorable view because there’s also some merit to it. For one thing, there’s the cost of doctoral education that, in U.S. universities, the average is $133,340 . In Ivy League universities, the cost can be higher – at Harvard University, for example, the full tuition needed for the first two years of study is $54,032, exclusive of health insurance, housing, books and supplies, and food expenses.

Yes, indeed, it isn’t cheap to get a doctoral degree in the United States , not even in one of the lesser-known universities!

In addition, there’s a sense of dissatisfaction among doctoral students. You may feel, at one point, that you’re doing slave labor, no thanks to the 10-hour workdays and low pay during your research.

Your employment prospects may also seem uncertain, considering the competition due to the oversupply of Ph.D. holders. The number of Ph.D. holders exceeds the number of employment opportunities for them, too! Such a disconnection partly stems from the high degree of specialization required to get a doctoral degree, not to mention that Ph.D. holders have high employment expectations.

Still, the number of doctoral degree holders in the U.S. has more than doubled between 2000 and 2018! In 2000, there were 2 million Ph.D. holders, and by 2018, there were already 4.5 million. Why do people pursue doctoral degrees despite the myriad of challenges that come with them?

Here’s why.

• You have a clear edge in getting higher positions and, thus, higher pay. Studies have shown that a Ph.D. is a contributing factor toward earning over 20% more than people with master’s degrees. In a PayScale comparison, Ph.D. holders earned $107,000 per year, on average, while master’s degree holders earned $84,000 .
• Your specialized knowledge and skills are highly marketable. You will likely enjoy a flexible career path, whether you choose a career in public service or the private sector. Your career will also be characterized by the highest lifetime earning potential and the lowest unemployment rate! Your Ph.D. training will also strengthen your critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills, which are highly sought after by employers.
• You will be a recognized knowledge creator, a rare skill sought after by society and employers, too. You have gained both the discipline and ability to search for, introduce, and defend new knowledge, even under the most stringent scrutiny. Your competencies will lead to a leadership position as you gain respect and prestige.

Are you still worried about the financial expenses of getting a Ph.D. in your field? We completely understand that $ 50,000 plus per year plus the difficulties of juggling work, studies, and family responsibilities will break a person. But you can achieve your doctoral degree through scholarships and grants!

This isn’t a new concept either, as millions of Ph.D. holders have also achieved such a lofty goal. Many of them have been scholars and fellows for most, if not all, of their studies – and it’s a path you can take, too, with plenty of planning and networking.

You have dozens, if not hundreds, of scholarship and fellowship opportunities in your field of study, not to mention the ones offered without restrictions as to the field of study. The trick here is to diligently look for these opportunities, applying to as many as you are qualified for, and complying with the requirements.

You may have to apply every semester or academic year for a new scholarship or fellowship, but it’s worth the time and effort. You could be lucky and be one whose studies were financed through scholarships and grants from year one, although luck has little to do with it because you spent time looking and qualifying for the scholarships you deserve!

Here, we present you with 50 of the Best Scholarships and Fellowships for Doctoral Students that we think are worthy of your consideration.

April 2024 Deadline

IBRO Travel Grants

• Type of Scholarship: Annual
• Amount: $2,500 
• Deadline of Application: April 30, 2024

IBRO Travel Grants support PhD students and early-career post-doctoral neuroscientists by covering travel and local expenses for conferences. Preference is given to under-resourced, less well-funded countries. Nevertheless, students studying and residing in the United States can still apply for the grant. 

ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship

• Amount: Up to $50,000 (shared)
• Deadline of Application: April 29, 2024 

The ScholarshipOwl No Essay Scholarship is available to all types of students, including PhDs. Applicants can win multiple awards with a $50,000 scholarship, with four monthly winners earning $1,000 each and two additional winners in December 2024. Applicants must be residents of any 50 United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. Territories, except for Rhode Island and Michigan.

May 2024 Deadline

Separations Division Graduate Student Research Award

• Amount: $200 + plaque
• Deadline of Application: May 1, 2024 

AIChE is the leading global organization for chemical engineering professionals. It boasts over 60,000 members from 110 countries and administers over 60 awards, including monetary prizes, certificates, and medals. The $200 award may seem small, but the benefits extend far beyond its monetary value.

This award honors outstanding graduate scholars in separations, recognizing their contributions to fundamentals and applications and awarding a plaque. Recipients gain recognition within the field, enhancing their professional credibility and giving them access to new opportunities. 

“Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship

• Type of Scholarship: Annual (Non-renewable)
• Amount: $25,055
• Deadline of Application: May 1, 2024

Bold.org offers a $25,000 “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship to students with the boldest profiles. The scholarship is based on the characteristics of being earnest, determined, and moving. It is similar to many easy scholarships available on Bold.org and will be awarded to students who apply earlier. The scholarship is open to students at any education level, state, field of study, and GPA.

Valuing Diversity PhD Scholarship

• Amount: Varies
• Deadline of Application: May 27, 2024, 1:00 PM

The Valuing Diversity PhD scholarship program was made to encourage underrepresented populations to attend marketing doctoral programs. The amount given to applicants depends on the program’s funding and the number of recipients. If you’ve applied for this scholarship opportunity before, you can still reapply. 

Applicants should be enrolled in and have completed at least one year of an on-campus AACSB-accredited marketing or advertising doctoral program. Two signed letters of recommendation are required.

Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant

• Type of Scholarship: Annual (Non-renewable) 
• Amount: $25,000 
• Deadline of Application: May 1, 2024 (for January 1 and June 30, 2025 projects) November 1, 2024 (for July 1 to December 31, 2025 projects)

Applicants must be on-campus enrollees of an AACSB-accredited marketing or advertising doctorate and have completed at least one year. Two signed letters of recommendation are required.

Independent Research Awards (pediatric cardiology)

• Type of Scholarship: Annual (Renewable)
• Amount: $150,000 up to 2 years
• Deadline of Application: May 22, 2024 (letters of intent); and September 11, 2024 (full application)

The Children’s Heart Foundation funds research affecting patients with congenital heart disease. This award is given to doctoral students in clinical cardiology, translational research, and population science. It gives priority to researchers focusing on advancing the diagnosing, treating, and preventing congenital heart defects.

ASH Graduate Student Scholarships

• Amount: $5,000 
• Deadline of Application: May 22, 2024

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation offers Graduate Student Scholarships for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in communication sciences and disorders. These scholarships include International Student Scholarships, Minority Student Scholarships, and NSSLHA Scholarships for racial or ethnic minority students.

Applicants must be accepted in U.S. graduate communication sciences and disorders programs accredited by the Council on Academic Accreditation. They must be full-time students for the entire academic year.

Graduate Fellowship in the History of Science

• Deadline of Application: May 24, 2024 

The American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellowship in the History of Science supports students completing dissertations on atmospheric, oceanic, or hydrologic sciences. This fellowship aims to foster close working relations and provide a $20,000 stipend for one year. Applicants must submit a cover letter, transcripts, a detailed dissertation topic description, and three letters of recommendation.

Sheep Heritage Foundation Memorial Scholarship

• Amount: $3,000
• Deadline of Application: May 31, 2024

Although less known, the sheep industry is a big contributor to the country’s economy. The Sheep Heritage Foundation Memorial Scholarship, administered by the American Sheep Industry Association, is a large program for students pursuing sheep-related studies. This Fund is given out yearly to those dedicated to helping advance the U.S. sheep industry, wool, and lamb.

Applicants must have U.S. citizenship, involvement in sheep and wool research, and be enrolled full-time in an accredited U.S. institution.

June 2024 Deadline

John Santos Distinguished Program Development in Clinical Gerontology Award

• Amount: $1,500
• Deadline of Application: June 1, 2024

John Santos, a retired Retirement Research Fund board member, established an award in 2009 to honor the contributions of psychologists and students working with older adults. Candidates must be nominated and endorsed by a division member, providing a letter of nomination, CV, evidence of impact, and two additional letters of support.

Kay F. Fullwood Northeast Florida Geriatric Nursing Scholarship Fund

The scholarship is open to nursing students in Northeast Florida enrolled in an accredited graduate program focusing on geriatrics and practicing geriatric N.P.s in an accredited DNP program. 

Henry and Sylvia Richardson Research Grant

• Type of Scholarship: Annual 

The grant, established by Henry and Sylvia Richardson, offers research funds to post-doctoral ESA members with at least one year of experience in insect control. The recipient must be an ESA member and a highly skilled scholar working with insect control methods like attractants, repellents, biological controls, thermocontrols, or chemical controls.

F.J. McGuigan Dissertation Award

• Amount: $2,000
• Deadline of Application: June 5, 2024

The F. J. McGuigan Dissertation Award supports research on mental function and understanding the mind from behavioral and neural perspectives. The award is open to any area of behavioral or brain science. Applicants must meet specific criteria: quality, viability, originality, competence, and resource allocation. Candidates must have finished their PhD candidacy and received committee approval for their dissertation.

Aylesworth Scholarship 

• Deadline of Application: June 12, 2024

The Aylesworth Scholarship offers support to students enrolled in universities across Florida. Eligible applicants can pursue research in any academic field that pertains to marine sciences, provided their institution participates in the Florida Sea Grant program. 

To qualify, candidates must be U.S. residents, actively seeking a doctoral degree, and studying disciplines such as ocean science, biology, engineering, economics, marine science, or food science. Additionally, applicants must be full-time students attending a Florida-based institution and demonstrate financial need to be considered for this scholarship.

Niche $25,000 “No Essay” Scholarship  

• Deadline of Application: June 15, 2024

This is one of the most inclusive scholarships, open to U.S. students with U.S. citizenship or a valid Visa/U.S. passport. However, because recipients are picked through a random draw, those affiliating with Niche cannot apply. This includes employees, officers, directors, and their children, grandchildren, or those affiliated with Niche’s other partnering organizations. 

This scholarship is also only applicable to students planning to study in one of Niche’s listed colleges .

Wayne F. Placek Grants

• Amount: Up to $15,000

The Wayne F. Placek Grant, which has been awarded over $1 million since 1995, aims to enhance public understanding of homosexuality and sexual orientation. It helps fund research and initiatives for doctoral students that focus on alleviating stress experienced by the LGBTQ community. This includes addressing prejudice, discrimination, and underrepresentation in scientific research.

APF welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds, including doctoral-level researchers and graduate students, and encourages early career researchers and graduate students.

CVS Health / AACP Community Pharmacy Health Equity Award for Student Pharmacists

• Amount: $20,000 
• Deadline of Application: June 16, 2024

This award is given to 21 students annually who demonstrate high academic performance and those who overcome financial barriers. Underrepresented minority, disabled, and military service students are encouraged to apply. The award recognizes leadership, academic success, and commitment to patient care in underserved communities.

The Springfield Research Fund Dissertation Fellowship

• Amount: Up to $10,000

Springfield Research Fund Dissertation Fellowship offers graduate students the opportunity to research contemporary LGBTQIA+ issues, aiming to dispel stereotypes and negative information contributing to prejudice and discrimination. Intersectional stigmas will be prioritized in 2024. It offers a $10,000 fund for each recipient, with a $1,000 bonus upon publication. 

Applicants must have begun their doctoral studies in a regionally accredited university. They must submit a dissertation abstract, statement of need, and CV.

ONS Foundation Josh Gottheil Memorial Stem Cell Transplant Development Award

Josh’s Fund, established in 1994, awards educational grants to oncology nurses to support their professional development. It also establishes endowments for emotional and mental support. 

Among ONF’s several awards is the Josh Gottheil Memorial Stem Cell Transplant Development. It aims to offer financial assistance to non-advanced practice-level registered nurses in stem cell transplantation and bone marrow. Applicants must have one or more years in practice.

Dr. James T. Mellonig Regeneration Research Award

• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline of Application: June 2024

The Dr. James T. Mellonig Regeneration Research Award is given annually to periodontology residents who are advancing clinical therapies in periodontal regeneration. U.S. students in their second and third years of periodontal residency are eligible for this award. Applicants must also have completed original research and published a manuscript advancing periodontal regeneration clinical therapies.

The Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarships

• Amount: $30,000 up to 400,000 (international coursework or research of up to 4 years)
• Deadline of Application: June 30, 2024

The Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarships program is open to full-time Ph.D. students involved in peace and conflict prevention or resolution, disease prevention and treatment, and water and sanitation. Applications can be made via a local Rotary Club chapter, and the chapter must sponsor non-Rotarians applying for the scholarship. The chapter creates the applicants’ initial application, and the latter then completes the online scholar profile.

The amount can be used for various costs, including passport/visa, travel expenses, tuition and other fees, vaccinations, school supplies, room and board, and household supplies. Application is year-round. However, scholarship applications for August, September, or October studies must be submitted by 30 June.  

July 2024 Deadline

Marketing Research Grant

• Deadline of Application: July 15, 2024

Offered by the Harold & Muriel Berkman Charitable Foundation, Inc., this Marketing Research Grant is applicable to students enrolled in an AACSB-accredited program. It gives priority to applicants who are focused on scientific research and knowledge production in business administration. 

Marian R. Stuart Grant

• Amount: Up to $20,000
• Deadline of Application: July 10, 2024

The APF Marian R. Stuart Grant offers up to 20,000 USD to early-career researchers researching mental and physical health. While APF welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds, preference is given to psychologists in medical schools.

MNF Ph.D. Research Grants

• Deadline of Application: July 12, 2024

The Mississippi Nurses Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises, accepts, and distributes charitable donations to enhance Mississippi’s professional nursing and overall health. Among its scholarships is the MNF Ph.D. Research Grants, which aim to help nursing professionals complete their original research. Applicants must be in good standing in a PhD Nursing program in Mississippi, a Mississippi resident, and a Mississippi Nurses Association member.

August 2024 Deadline

Brigadier General Albin F. Irzyk Veteran Scholarship

• Deadline of Application: Opens May 1, 2024, ends August 31, 2024 

The Harold and Muriel Berkman Charitable Foundation has established a scholarship in honor of Brigadier General Albin F. Irzyk, renowned for his World War II and Vietnam War achievements. This scholarship program accepts applicants from online and on-campus AACSB-accredited degree programs. It is awarded to an exceptional veteran applicant, chosen by the review committee from the finalists.

Carole Bailey Scholarship

• Amount: $5,000
• Deadline of Application: September 18, 2024

The Carole Bailey Scholarship is offered by the AccessLex Institute, an organization focused on promoting quality legal education for purpose-driven students. This scholarship program, awarded annually to ABA-accredited law students, provides up to $5,000 for those committed to public service in a legal career.

September 2024 Deadline

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Fellowships 

• Deadline of Application: Opens September 2024

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is a leading institution preserving and studying East European Jewry’s history and culture. The institute offers several fellowship programs to encourage more students to pursue research in the field and contribute to YIVO’s archives and library collections.

$5,000 awards: 

• YIVO – Joseph Kremen Memorial Fellowship: Available for postgraduate researchers studying Eastern European Jewish arts, theater, and music. 
• YIVO- Dora and Meyer Tendler Fellowship: Available for student researchers of American Jewish history and the Jewish labor movement. 
• YIVO- Abraham and Rachela Melezin Memorial Fellowship: The scholarship supports original doctoral research in Baltic Jewish studies for 2-3 months.
• YIVO-  Workmen’s Circle/Dr. Emanuel Patt Visiting Professorship: Offered to postgraduate Eastern European Jewish Studies students. This can be combined with other YIVO fellowships. 

$3,000 awards: 

• YIVO Vladimir and Pearl Heifetz Memorial Fellowship: Available for East European Jewish Literature researchers.
• YIVO Dina Abramowicz Emerging Scholar Fellowship: Intended for post-doctoral research focus on Eastern European Jewish Studies.
• YIVO Aleksander and Alicja Hertz Memorial Fellowship: The Fund supports research on Polish-Jewish history, including modern relations, the Holocaust, and Jewish contributions to Polish literature and culture.

Every fellow is also required to deliver a public lecture regarding their research. The research period should be between 2 and 3 months only. Interested applicants should submit a written summary of their respective research on acceptable topics.

YIVO – Fellowship in East European Jewish Studies

• Amount: $18,000 stipend 
• Deadline of Application: Opens in September 2024

The combined Professor Bernard Choseed Memorial Fellowship and the Natalie and Mendel Racolin Memorial Fellowship come with many benefits. Aside from the financial stipend, three months of free access to the YIVO Library and Archives are also offered for research. They, on the other hand, will be required to deliver at least two public lectures on Jewish studies.

October 2024 Deadline

Nurses Educational Funds, Inc. (NEF)

• Amount: Varies 
• Deadline of Application: Opens October 1, 2024

NEF offers several scholarship opportunities for doctoral students in the field of nursing, many of which are the result of endowments by notable nursing practitioners who want to support the continued education of professional nurses. 

• The NEF/Johnson and Johnson Health Equity Scholarship program promotes the research, advocacy and clinical practice of nursing professionals interested in underrepresented groups and addressing the health inequalities and disparities in these populations. 
• The AJN/Thelma Schorr Scholarship program has a preference for nurses with nursing leadership potential. 
• The Cynthia Davis Sculco Scholarship permanent program awarded scholarships to nurses studying nursing education at the doctoral level. 
• The M. Elizabeth Carnegie African American Scholarship program is for black nurses in doctoral degree programs. 

American Cancer Society Post-doctoral Fellowships

• Amount: Up to $66,000
• Deadline of Application: Oct. 15, 2024

ACS, the nation’s largest private, not-for-profit organization funding scientists and doctorates studying cancer, offers grants and fellowships managed by the Extramural Discovery Science (EDS) team. The Post-doctoral Fellowships are designed to help new investigators in research training programs, preparing them for independent careers in cancer research. Program funding includes

• progressive stipends of up to $70k for up to 3 years,
• an annual fellowship allowance of $4k, and
• a $1,500 travel fund. 

The application is open to U.S. citizens or non-citizens with an appropriate visa and within four years of obtaining a doctoral degree.

November 2024 Deadline

NCTM & AMTE Early Career Research Grant

• Amount: $10,000 each, maximum 
• Deadline of Application: November 1, 2024 

Granted in partnership with Eugene P. & Clara M. Smith Mathematics Education Research Fund, the Early Career Research Grant accepts applications from doctoral candidates pursuing math education degrees. The grant must be used in supporting their doctoral research project, preferably projects that bridge research and practice. 

Note that early career math educators or those who have completed either an EdD or PhD in math education or other related fields within the past five years are eligible to apply. Doctoral students will only be considered if they have advanced to candidacy status in accredited programs. 

Newberry Consortium in American Indian Studies Faculty Fellowship

• Amount: $5,000/month (Long-term fellowship for 4-9 months); $5,000/month (Short-term fellowship for a month only)
• Deadline of Application: November 1, 2024 (Long-term fellowship); December 15, 2024 (Short-term fellowship)

The American Indian Studies Faculty Fellowship is intended for scholars in the early stages of their careers who are involved in American Indian studies, specifically research in the Newberry Consortium collections. Doctoral students are welcome to apply. The monthly stipend can be used for a wide range of education-related expenses, too.

Fellows receive the NCAIS research carrel and other fellowship privileges, as well as perform responsibilities related to their research. These include research presentations, seminar participation, and consultation with other NCAIS Graduate Student Fellows.

AIA Fellowship for Study in the U.S.

• Deadline of Application: November 1, 2024

The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) offers post-doctoral research fellowships for archaeologists working at Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI) or its project collaborators. The fellowships are for either fall 2024 or spring 2025 in selected universities, including the University of Cincinnati, the Joukowsky Institute at Brown University, or the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

Fellows are provided with financial support for travel expenses, a stipend for living expenses, and residency at a university housing or rental housing, as well as library privileges. The residency lasts for 2-3 months only, during which time the Fellows are expected to give a minimum of one lecture at their respective host university. 

Applications should include a duly filled-up online application form, a curriculum vitae, and two references, among others.

National Gem Consortium Ph.D. Engineering Fellowship

• Amount: $16,000 living stipend for the first academic year plus a paid summer internship
• Deadline of Application: November 8, 2024

The National GEM Consortium in Engineering Fellowship is open to Ph.D. students belonging to the minority, and who have been accepted into a doctoral program straight from a bachelor’s degree program or who have earned a master’s in Engineering. Fellows can be enrolled in any of the participating GEM member universities. 

The above-mentioned stipend applies to the first academic year of fellowship for a Ph.D. Engineering/Science Fellow. After that, the fellow will enjoy a continued living stipend up to the fifth year of Ph.D. studies through a combination of alternative funding sources. The fellow will also have his tuition and fees paid for by the GEM university member.

American Association of University Women American Fellowship Summer/Short-Term Research Publication Grants

• Amount: $8,000–$50,000
• Deadline of Application: November 30, 2024

The Summer/Short-Term Research Publication Grant is the oldest female-specific scholarship program for graduate students. Of course, only female graduate students are considered, and they must either be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Applicants should also be available for eight consecutive weeks during the summer.

The American Association of University Women’s selection committee applies strict criteria in choosing the annual crop of scholars. The criteria include academic excellence, project originality, project design quality, project scholarly significance to the discipline, and project feasibility. The applicant’s qualifications are also considered.

History of Art Institutional Fellowships

• Amount: $30,000
• Deadline of Application: November 30, 2024 at 5 PM EST

Devoted to studying European art, architecture, and archaeology heritage, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation chooses six applicants each year to receive up to $30,000 worth of research grants. Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program focused on antiquity to the early 19th century. They should also be completing all higher degree work except dissertation.  

Patty and Paul Levi Research Award

The Patty and Paul Levi Research Award, offered by the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, grants a predoctoral student or students annually. They should be doing research related to preventative periodontology under faculty supervision. The applicant can apply post-graduation, provided their research was conducted during predoctoral studies, and must submit their current C.V.s. 

December 2024 Deadline

SMART Scholarship Program

• Amount: Up to $46,000
• Deadline of Application: December 1, 2024

SMART, a Department of Defense-funded scholarship program, provides full tuition, stipends, and guaranteed employment for STEM students pursuing degrees in 24 disciplines. It aims to increase underrepresented students’ participation in the DoD STEM workforce, particularly for high school seniors in Historically Black colleges and universities.

Norman S. Baldwin Fishery Science Scholarship

Norman S. Baldwin, the inaugural executive secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, guided the organization for 15 years until his untimely passing in 1971. The Norman S. Baldwin Fishery Science Scholarship seeks to inspire talented graduate students to pursue advanced research in fishery biology and Great Lakes science, prioritizing scientific excellence and innovative inquiry.

The chosen candidates will be awarded $3,000 scholarships each, with the Awards Committee distributing them as needed. Applicants must be master’s or Ph.D. students with relevant research topics who have not been previously awarded. 

David M. Dolan Scholarship

• Amount: $1,000 
• Deadline of Application: December 1, 2024 

David M. Dolan’s scholarship, which started in 2014, honors students conducting graduate research in statistics, mathematical modeling, data analysis, or quantitative decision support to advance the understanding and management of Great Lakes ecosystems. The scholarship is open to exceptional students whose graduate research aligns with Dr. Dolan’s work on Great Lakes ecosystems but not relatives of IAGLR officers or directors.

Applicants must submit an extended abstract and a brief title for their proposed research. It should highlight how the study of the Great Lakes relates to the use of applied environmental statistics and modeling. In addition to the $3,000, recipients will receive a one-year membership in the IAGLR.

Lawren H. Daltroy Preceptorship in Health Communication

• Amount: Up to $15,000 per year 
• Deadline of Application: December 2, 2024 by 5 PM EST

The Lawren H. Daltroy Preceptorship in Health Communication from the Rheumatology Research Foundation supports student, researcher, and clinician training in rheumatology. They are among the top supporters of those who dedicate their studies to enhancing patient-clinician interactions and communications. 

Eligible candidates include trainees, junior researchers, and health professionals without funding. Projects must address patient-clinician interactions and communications, including small-scale research, curriculum creation, participation in education, patient-facing materials, health literacy/numeracy studies, and shared decision-making in healthcare settings.

AWWA Abel Wolman Scholarship

• Amount: $30,000 for one year (If necessary, a fellow can apply and be approved for the second year of financial support)
• Deadline of Application: December 2024

Students who are pursuing advanced training and research, including doctoral studies in water supply and treatment and its related fields, can apply for the Abel Wolman Fellowship. The doctoral fellowship provides financial support for up to two years to an outstanding student. Applications can be sent to the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and more information can be seen on its site.

AWWA Larson Aquatic Research Support Scholarships

• Amount: $7,000/student

Made in honor of Dr. Larson, the Larson Aquatic Research Support (LARS) scholarship is available for outstanding doctoral students engaged in the fields of science and engineering. The selection committee chooses one doctoral student every year for the scholarship, with an emphasis on excellent academics and leadership potential.

Applications must include a resume, official transcripts, three recommendation letters, and GRE scores as well as a course of study. Be sure to submit your research plans, too, with your application.

Martin Frank Diversity Travel Awards

• Amount: Up to $1,500 in travel support 
• Deadline of Application: December 8, 2024

The Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award program aims to increase participation in physiological sciences among trainees and early career faculty from historically underrepresented backgrounds. It provides travel awards to students and professionals interested in attending the American Physiology Summit. Recipients receive travel reimbursement, mentoring, and networking opportunities. The program is open to specific underrepresented populations defined by the NIH .

National Gem Consortium Ph.D. Science Scholarship

• Amount: $16,000 living stipend plus a paid summer internship

The National Gem Consortium’s PhD Science Scholarship is exclusive for students belonging to the minority in their first year of doctoral studies. Applicants should be pursuing a natural science discipline, such as earth science, chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics, and computer science. The scholarship applies to an accredited GEM member university.

Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship or legal residency. Applicants must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and get promising GRE scores.

Frances C. Allen Fellowship

• Amount: $3,000 per month (1-2 month’s duration)
• Deadline of Application: December 15, 2024

The Frances C. Allen Fellowship is exclusive to women of American Indian heritage. Applicants must be engaged in studies related to the Newberry Research Library’s collections, and the fellow must use the resources at the Chicago, Illinois, library. Applicants should also write to the library for more details, although application forms are available on the official website.

Gil Kushner Memorial Travel Award

• Amount: $750 in travel support 
• Deadline of Application: December 20, 2024

Gilbert Kushner was key in establishing applied anthropology as a graduate discipline. Gil has made USF’s Department of Anthropology among the most thriving applied research centers. The $750 travel expense award is given annually to a select few who want to attend the SfAA annual meeting.

Sallie Mae Scholarship

• Deadline of Application: December 31, 2024

Sallie Mae has launched a scholarship program for employees’ children pursuing college education. The program offers renewable scholarships for full-time study at an accredited institution, with eligibility determined by the sponsor. The scholarship is open to legal residents of the United States.

Year-round Scholarships

Lou Hochberg Thesis and Dissertation Awards 

• Type of Scholarship: Continuous
• Amount: $1,000
• Deadline of Application: Continuous

While the Lou Hochberg scholarship’s $1,000 grant isn’t much, its eligibility requirements are relatively easy to comply with. The essays submitted should focus on the social, biophysical, and experimental aspects of Wilhelm Reich’s discoveries. These are then judged based on their clarity, merit, and accuracy, and there’s no deadline for submissions.

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Download the most recent file here:, graduate student funding opportunities, (xlsx file; updated september 4, 2024).

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NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO)

This solicitation, first released in September of 2019, replaces the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships solicitation. NSTGRO20 marks the tenth consecutive year that NASA’s Space Technology Mission directorate seeks to sponsor U.S. citizen and permanent resident graduate students who show significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation’s science, exploration and economic future. NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers will perform innovative, space technology research at their respective campuses and at NASA Centers. Awards are made in the form of grants to accredited U.S. universities on behalf of individuals pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees, with the faculty advisor serving as the principal investigator.

In addition to his/her faculty advisor, each student will be matched with a technically relevant and community-engaged NASA Subject Matter Expert, who will serve as the student’s research collaborator. The research collaborator will serve as the conduit into the larger technical community corresponding to the student’s space technology research area.

The visiting technologist experience is an integral part of an NSTGRO award, during which the NASA Space Technology Graduate Researchers perform their research at NASA Centers. Through this experience, NSTGRO graduate researchers will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with leading engineers and scientists in their chosen area of research; they will be able to take advantage of broader and/or deeper space technology research opportunities directly related to their academic and career objectives, acquire a more detailed understanding of the potential end applications of their space technology efforts, and directly disseminate their research results within the NASA technical community.

Annual NSTGRO solicitations are planned; NSTGRO will be released via  NSPIRES . For an example of the NSTGRO proposal submission process, we recommend you look at the documentation associated with the past solicitation https://tinyurl.com/NSTGRO21. Please note the solicitation includes a table of eligibility profiles, one of which a proposer must meet in order to be eligible to submit a proposal. 

Note: NSTGRO replaced the NASA Space Technology Research Fellowships (NSTRF) in 2020. 

Please direct questions about the NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities opportunity to:  [email protected]

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Space Technology Mission Directorate

STMD Solicitations and Opportunities

Space Technology Research Grants

• PhD candidates
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• Open to applicants from any country

Research Grants

FOR RESEARCH RELATED TO HUMAN ORIGINS

Funding exploration and discovery

The Leakey Foundation is the leading nonprofit funder of research dedicated to understanding human origins. Each year, we award approximately $1,000,000 in grants and scholarships, advancing our mission to explore and explain the human story.

Leakey Foundation Research Grants support both PhD dissertation research and post-PhD research across multiple disciplines related to human origins, evolution, and behavior. We prioritize funding for the exploratory phases of promising new research projects. We particularly value innovative, multidisciplinary approaches that expand the boundaries of our current understanding. 

We welcome proposals from researchers at all stages of their careers, especially PhD candidates. If your research aligns with our mission and you have an innovative or multidisciplinary project, we encourage you to apply.

Information for Applicants | How to Apply Download Application Packet | Start Application | F.A.Q.

Information for Applicants

This program exclusively funds multidisciplinary research related to human origins, including dissertation research and exploratory studies.

The disciplines supported include archaeology, biological anthropology, paleoanthropology, primate behavioral ecology, genetics, geology, anatomy, morphology, paleobotany, and paleoclimatology.

Our current funding focus areas include:

• Paleoanthropology of the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene
• Primates: Evolution, behavior, morphology, ecology, endocrinology, genetics, isotope studies
• Modern hunter-gatherer groups

When to apply

• January 10 for spring cycle
• July 15 for fall cycle
• Up to $20,000 for PhD candidates
• Up to $30,000 for post-PhD researchers

Who can apply

• Your research must be relevant to human origins and evolution.
• Applications are open to advanced doctoral students or post-PhD researchers.
• PhD students must be advanced to candidacy (all but dissertation).
• There are no citizenship requirements. Applications are open to candidates from anywhere in the world. 
• Applicants must be affiliated with an institution such as a university or museum. We do not give directly to individuals.
• Resubmittals are welcome and encouraged.
• If you have received a Leakey Foundation grant in the past, you must complete all reporting requirements before receiving a new one.

Eligible expenses

• The grant can only be used for expenses directly related to your research and essential to the project such as travel, living expenses during fieldwork, supplies, and research expenses.
• Aid is not offered for salary and/or fringe benefits of applicant or senior project personnel, child care, equipment, travel to meetings, institutional overhead, publication costs, or institutional support.

How to apply

• Download the instructions and materials packet.
• Read and follow all instructions.
• Submit your application online.

If you have questions about the application or the eligibility of your research after reading the instructions, please review the frequently asked questions below.

If your question is not answered there, email [email protected] .

Start your application

Start your application by clicking the button that best describes you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore frequently asked questions about Leakey Foundation grants. Contact our Grants Department at grants at leakeyfoundation.org if your question is not answered below.

Applications

May I submit more than one proposal per granting cycle?

Investigators may only submit one proposal as a principal investigator (PI) per granting cycle. This policy does not apply to co-investigators. For example, you may be the PI on one proposal and a co-investigator on another.

What expenses can I include in my budget?

Our grants cover expenses directly related and essential to the project (i.e., travel, living expenses during fieldwork, supplies, research assistance, and other relevant expenditures). Aid is not offered for salary and/or fringe benefits of the applicant (or senior project personnel), tuition, non-project personnel, child care, equipment, travel to meetings, institutional overhead, publication costs, or institutional support.

Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply? Advanced doctoral students and people who already hold PhDs. High school and undergraduate college students are NOT eligible. There are no citizenship restrictions.

Do I need to be a US citizen to apply? No! Our grants are open to applicants from anywhere in the world.

How can I know my topic is eligible for funding? Your topic must be relevant to human origins. Our current funding priorities include:

If you are unsure, please write to us at grants at leakeyfoundation.org and provide a brief description of your project before you apply.

I won’t be a PhD Candidate until after the grant deadline. Can I still apply? The foundation’s grants officer will determine your eligibility. Please email grants at leakeyfoundation.org to explain your status.

Does The Leakey Foundation offer research grants for undergraduate or masters students? No, Leakey Foundation Research Grants are limited to applicants who either already hold a PhD or equivalent qualification in anthropology or a related discipline or are enrolled in a doctoral program with all degree requirements fulfilled other than the thesis/dissertation.

I received a previous award from The Leakey Foundation. Can I apply for another? Yes, as long as you are fully compliant with the terms of your prior award.

If I am not affiliated with a school or research institution, may I apply for a grant? Individuals must be affiliated with a school or research institution.

How much funding can I request? As of May 2022, PhD candidates may apply for up to $20,000. As of May 2022, post-doctoral applicants and senior scientists may apply for up to $30,000.

How much can my institution deduct for administrative costs? Your institution may not deduct anything. Charges for overhead, administrative or indirect costs are not allowed.

Is funding available for publishing research results? We do not currently have funding programs for dissertation writing or any other form of publication assistance.

Granting Process

What are the application deadlines and how long before I can expect a decision? Research Grants have two application cycles each year, with deadlines falling on January 10th (Spring Cycle) and July 15th (Fall Cycle). Decisions for the Spring Cycle are announced in mid-May. Decisions for the Fall Cycle are announced in mid-December.

How do you select which grants to fund? Grant proposals are generally selected for award based on but not limited to the following criteria: the scientific merit of the proposal, methods and feasibility, the budget, the qualifications of the investigators, the relevancy of the proposal to understanding human origins, the current applicant pool, and the funds available during a given year. The following is the standard process we follow for selecting grants to fund:

• Grant proposals are reviewed for completion and eligibility by The Leakey Foundation’s Grants Department.
• Proposals are then sent to The Leakey Foundation’s network of scientists with pertinent expertise for peer review.
• Next, proposals and peer reviews are evaluated by The Leakey Foundation’s Scientific Executive Committee (SEC).
• Our SEC then presents award recommendations to our Board of Trustees for approval.
• Once proposals are approved, applicants are notified, and peer review feedback is shared. 

You are a nonprofit organization, does that mean donors choose which projects to fund? No. Although we depend on donations to fund our mission, decisions are made through a rigorous peer-review process. Donors and Leakey Foundation staff do not weigh in on the decisions.

How and when should I receive the decision about my proposal? You will receive a notification via the email address included with your application. We send notifications in mid-May and mid-December. If you haven’t heard by June 1st (Spring Cycle) or December 20th (Fall Cycle), please contact us at grants at leakeyfoundation.org .

What types of projects does The Leakey Foundation support? The Leakey Foundation exclusively funds research into human origins, including paleoanthropology, genetics, primate behavior, and the behavioral ecology of contemporary hunter-gatherers. Proposals that are not relevant to human origins are generally not considered.

Are there any Leakey Foundation grant programs for research that is not directly relevant to human origins? No. All applicants must explicitly demonstrate that the research is related to understanding human origins and evolution.

Explore past grant and scholarship recipients in the grantee database .

Estate Gift

I [name], of [city, state ZIP], bequeath the sum of $[ ] or [ ] percent of my estate to L.S.B. Leakey Foundation for Research Related to Man’s Origins, Behavior & Survival, (dba The Leakey Foundation), a nonprofit organization with a business address of 1003B O’Reilly Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94129 and a tax identification number 95-2536475 for its unrestricted use and purpose.

If you have questions, please contact Sharal Camisa Smith sharal at leakeyfoundation.org.  

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Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship

Region: Global

For eligible students at universities globally pursuing research aligned to Microsoft Research areas of focus.

Update : Microsoft Research has paused our call for proposals/nominations for the 2023 calendar year. We are exploring new avenues to invest in our academic partnerships and bring together students and researchers to collaborate, share knowledge, and pursue new research directions.

To learn more about the recently announced Microsoft Research AI & Society Fellows program , uniting eminent scholars and experts to collaborate on research at the intersection of AI and society, visit our program page .

The Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship is a global program that identifies and empowers the next generation of exceptional computing research talent. Microsoft recognizes the value of diversity in computing and aims to increase the pipeline of talent receiving advanced degrees in computing-related fields to build a stronger and inclusive computing-related research community. We currently offer PhD fellowships in Asia-Pacific, Canada and the United States, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

Over the last two decades, the Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship program has supported over 700 fellows around the world, many of whom have gone on to work at Microsoft. Others have gone on to perform pioneering research elsewhere within the technology industry or accept faculty appointments at leading universities.

See your region for details, instructions, and answers to common questions.

• Asia-Pacific
• Australia & New Zealand
• Canada & United States
• Middle East
• Latin America

We are always looking for the best and brightest talent and celebrate individuality. We invite and encourage candidates to come as they are and do what they love.

The Microsoft Research 2022 Global PhD Fellowship recipients were announced in October 2022. Meet all the 2022 PhD Fellowship recipients on our “ 2022 Fellows ” page or hear about what this opportunity means to a few PhD fellows from around the globe below.

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Field-Initiated Research Grant Programs

Research grants, our research grants are not designed for applicants to respond to a specific request – they are what you, scholars in the field, think we need to know more about..

The goal of all of our research grants is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically  sound  research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. We value work that fosters creative and open-minded scholarship, engages in deep inquiry, and examines robust questions related to education. We seek to support scholarship that develops new foundational knowledge that may also have a lasting impact on policy-making, practice, or educational discourse.  

Racial Equity Research Grants

Applications Open: Now closed.

Research Grants on Education: Large

Applications Open: December 2024

Intent to Apply January 14, 2025, 12:00 pm Noon (Central/Chicago Time)

Full Proposal Deadline: February 11, 2025, 12:00 pm Noon (Central/Chicago Time)

Research Grants on Education: Small

Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative research for educational change

Applications Open: July 9, 2024

Intent to Apply The Intent to Apply deadline has passed.

Full Proposal Deadline: October 31, 2024 (12:00 pm (noon) Central time)

More from Funding Opportunities

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The Spencer Foundation invests in education research that cultivates learning and transforms lives.

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We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Lyle M. Spencer established the Spencer Foundation in 1962 to investigate ways education, broadly conceived, might be improved.

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Research Grants

Doctoral Research Grants

• Faculty Research Grants
• Seed Research Grants
• Past-Grantee Database

The Al Qasimi Foundation's Doctoral Research Grants encourage scholars from a wide range of disciplines and professional fields to undertake research toward informing policymaking in the United Arab Emirates. The Grants are open to PhD students from all nationalities studying at an accredited university in the United Arab Emirates or abroad.

Doctoral Research Grants financially support PhD candidates in the research phase of their dissertations. Currently, two awards are available each year for applied research projects that have Ras Al Khaimah as a primary site for data gathering and analysis. The Grant covers all student expenses associated with their field research in the United Arab Emirates, including return airfares, furnished accommodation for up to 12 months, a stipend to cover living costs, and research support. Recipients are expected to produce one to two policy papers as part of the Grant and record a podcast or make at least one presentation to the local research community.

Please see the Past Grantee Database and Foundation Publications  for samples of past research topics and working papers written by grant recipients.

Grant Objectives

• Provide opportunities for distinguished doctoral candidates to realize their potential in conducting innovative, applied research while making a positive impact on the Ras Al Khaimah community
• Foster high-quality research that supports the development of the region's research capacity
• Build a community of scholars and promote collaboration among highly recognized international universities and national institutions in the United Arab Emirates
• Promote cross-cultural exchange that sparks curiosity and new ideas and also facilitates understanding

Grant Eligibility

The minimum eligibility criteria for prospective applicants seeking Doctoral Research Grants:

• Applicant must be a current PhD student at an accredited university in good academic standing.
• Applicant must have a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 85 or IELTS score of 6.5 if English is a secondary language.
• Applicant must have all PhD coursework completed and be ready to conduct the field research component of his/her dissertation.
• Applicant must have a research proposal that is approved (or is in the process of being approved) by the applicant’s advisor and graduate program. The approved proposal should include a literature review and significant detail on research methodology.
• The proposed research must have Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the applicant's home institution.
• The proposed research must focus on the United Arab Emirates, and specifically the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah. If the research proposal includes other locations, Ras Al Khaimah must be a significant focus for data gathering and analysis.

The following research areas do not qualify for Doctoral Research Grants because they are not considered policy-related: business or marketing, agronomy, engineering, IT or computer science, laboratory-based or scientific studies, and medical degrees.

Selection Criteria

If an applicant meets the minimum eligibility criteria noted above, he/she is encouraged to apply for a Doctoral Research Grant. The Grant is awarded based on merit as measured by academic performance and relevance of proposed research. The applicant’s intended field of study is also considered in the evaluation process, with preference given to those candidates pursuing a degree in education, public policy (such as urban planning, economics, public health, environment), or closely related fields. The Al Qasimi Foundation Directors and Advisory Board serve as the evaluation and selection committee.

The Grant review process is competitive. While the Al Qasimi Foundation receives many excellent and high-quality proposals, only two Doctoral Research Grants are available each year. The proposals chosen for funding represent the innovative ideas that align best with the Al Qasimi Foundation’s overall mission to aid in the social and economic development of Ras Al Khaimah.

Application Process

Before applying, please review the grant handbook , as it contains important information for applicants and recipients.

The 2024 research grant submission cycle, which includes Doctoral Research Grants, opens November 1, 2023, with a closing deadline of April 1, 2024. Prospective applicants should create an account in the Foundation’s grant management portal and follow the Doctoral Research Grant application instructions once submissions open. The online application form and all documents noted below must be uploaded and submitted in the grant management portal no later than April 1, 2024 to be considered:

• Online application form in the grant management portal.
• Two-page essay in the form of a cover letter outlining reasons why the applicant is interested in a Doctoral Research Grant. The letter should address (1) prior experiences, coursework, and skills relevant to the proposed field research; (2) how the proposed research aligns with the Al Qasimi Foundation's mission; (3) what the applicant hopes to gain from the field research experience; and (4) how the field research experience fits into the applicant's long-term academic and professional goals.
• CV or resume outlining educational background, research experience, publications, work experience, honors and awards, and co-curricular activities.
• Current official transcript of applicant's doctoral program (and official transcripts for all completed degrees).
• Official copy of a TOEFL or IELTS score report (only necessary for applicants for whom English is a secondary language).
• Copy of the approved research proposal or preliminary proposal. Please indicate specific facilities, special equipment, or other resources required to conduct the proposed research. The proposal should also include information on potential dates and duration of the field research component in Ras Al Khaimah.
• Completed Doctoral Research Grant Budget Template detailing itemized expenditures and total grant request.
• Official documentation of IRB approval for the proposed research from the applicant's home institution (or plans for gaining if not available at time of application)
• Two letters of reference that address the suitability of the candidate. One letter must be from the applicant’s doctoral advisor, and the other should be from another academic. Both letters must indicate the length of time, extent, and nature of the recommending party's relationship with the applicant.

All materials submitted for funding consideration will automatically become the property of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research and will not be returned to the sender.

Application Deadline

All required materials must be submitted through the grant management portal no later than April 1, 2024 . Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Review generally takes 6-8 weeks based on the volume of submissions received. Applicants should receive an update on the status of their proposal by the end of June 2024 . Questions regarding Doctoral Research Grants, the application process, or submission status may be sent to [email protected] .

• Graduate Research Grants

Anticipated Fall 2024

• Academic Venture Fund
• Rapid Response Fund
• Innovation for Impact Fund
• The 2030 Project: Fast Grants
• The 2030 Project: Climate Solutions Fund
• Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Grants
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Sustainable Biodiversity Fund
• Summer Internships

Graduate Funding in Thematic Areas

Cornell Atkinson’s Graduate Research Grants provide direct funding for periods of 6-24 months to students in any doctoral graduate field at Cornell (or terminal degree in fields that do not offer the PhD) in support of innovative research that aligns with our four priority areas: Accelerating Energy Transitions (AET), Reducing Climate Risk (RCR), Increasing Food Security (IFS), and Advancing One Health (AOH).

Cornell Atkinson’s Graduate Research Grants program is supported by generous gifts from Bruce H. Bailey ’74, Dan ’47 and Pat Cornwell, Laurie Paravati Phillips ’78 and Duane Phillips ’78, and other Cornell Atkinson donors.

How to Apply

Eligibility :

• Cornell graduate students

The 2024 Cycle Is Closed :

• Previous Request for Proposals

Questions or More Info:

Fourteen recipients across Accelerating Energy Transitions (AET) , Advancing One Health (AOH) , Increasing Food Security (IFS) , and Reducing Climate Risk (RCR): from Anthropology, Biological & Environmental Engineering, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Entomology, Global Development, Government, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Natural Resources & the Environment, and Soil & Crop Sciences

Made Adityanandana (Global Development)

Mobilization of Surplus Populations for Food Security in Indonesia’s Resettlement Project

Advisor: Jenny Goldstein

Aditya is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Global Development. His research examines agrarian transformation, food security, and population resettlement in Indonesia. Population resettlement has been integral to state-led agricultural projects since the Dutch colonial government relocated landless poor to the archipelago’s periphery in the early 20th century. Following independence, the Indonesian government has continued resettlement with the aim of bolstering food production. With its focus on the recent agri-food megaproject in Central Kalimantan, this research offers a vantage point in understanding the potential and constraints of distributive policy in ensuring reproduction of smallholders and securing food production.

Alonso Alegre-Bravo (Biological & Environmental Engineering)

Seeking a More Justice Oriented Indicator for Access to Electricity in Rural Communities of Latin America: The Guatemalan Case

Advisor: Lindsay Anderson

Alegre-Bravo’s dissertation examines rural electrification challenges in Latin America from a public policy and community perspective. Despite high rates of access to electricity in the region, rural communities describe electricity service as unstable, unaffordable, and unpredictable. Lack of or poor access to electricity hinders efforts to reduce inequality and poverty. Alegre-Bravo’s current research explores this discrepancy between official access to electricity metrics and the perceptions and realities of electricity access in rural communities in Guatemala. His work examines characteristics of electricity service, such as quality, availability, predictability, and affordability, in three rural communities in western Guatemala and the impact of unfulfilled electricity needs on these communities. His research highlights the limitations of current access to electricity indicators and will inform policymakers on how to include rural communities to achieve a just energy transition.

Alyssa de Villiers (Soil & Crop Sciences)

The Effects of Protective Sorption and Environmental Conditions on the Enzymatic Decomposition of Cellulose

Advisor: Carmen Enid Martinez

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is relevant to climate change in two crucial ways: Its turnover rate affects carbon dioxide addition to the atmosphere, and its buildup confers soil health benefits that promote agricultural resiliency in the face of a changing climate. Cellulose is arguably the most abundant biopolymer on Earth and is a major recurring source of organic carbon in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Cellulose has a faster turnover time than the more recalcitrant lignin, making it a shorter-term control on SOC levels. In this research, de Villiers will examine the sorptive protection afforded to cellulose and low molecular weight organics under a variety of environmental conditions while integrating the use of density functional theory as a methodological technique to predict binding affinities of molecules at soil surfaces. This will further our understanding of the factors controlling cellulose decomposition rates and how we might push systems toward carbon accrual.

Songtao Guo (Materials Science & Engineering)

Combustion of Liquid Fuels at Elevated Pressures

Advisor: C. Thomas Avedisian

The combustion of liquid fuels emits soot particles, significantly impacting global climate change. Biofuels, while offering some reduction in emissions, are not exempt from this issue, particularly at high pressures. This study aims to investigate how pressure affects soot formation during the combustion of liquid fuels. Guo will examine the burning of an isolated droplet in a setup that encourages one-dimensional gas transport. This method is designed to establish a correlation between soot volume fraction and pressure, which could be crucial in identifying optimal operating conditions for engines to minimize soot emissions. This study will explore a range of pressures from atmospheric levels up to approximately 20 atm, focusing on a specific biofuel, iso-butanol. The insights gained from this study are anticipated to extend beyond iso-butanol, offering broader implications for reducing soot emissions across various fuel types.

Tamar Law (Global Development)

Mangroves for the Future: The Socio-Political Dimensions of Coastal Restoration

In 2021, the United Nations declared a global decade of ecosystem restoration, marking a rise in rehabilitating ecosystems to address climate change worldwide. As part of this effort, Indonesia, home to over a quarter of the world’s mangroves, is completing extensive coastal mangrove restoration to reduce climate risk. Mangroves are essential green infrastructure, protecting against sea-level rise and storm surges. Moreover, they are extremely effective blue carbon sinks, referring to atmospherically significant carbon stores within coastal ecosystems. The growth of blue carbon is central to Indonesia’s low-carbon development plan and climate targets. My research project seeks to understand the politics of Blue Carbon governance by examining how state actors, locals, corporations, and scientists negotiate the restoration of Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystems. Taking a multi-sited ethnographic approach, this project combines semi-structured interviews, participatory mapping, transect walks, and document analysis to examine the social and political dimensions of mangrove restoration for blue carbon in Indonesia.

Alexandra Lim (Chemistry & Chemical Biology)

Tuning Carbon Capture From Air at Hydroxide Sites in Metal-Organic Frameworks

Advisor: Phillip Milner

Carbon capture and sequestration and direct air capture are key initiatives to minimize anthropogenic CO2 emissions and combat global climate change. Current technologies are largely limited to aqueous amine scrubbers, which are prone to oxidative and thermal degradation. Lim has demonstrated rapid CO2 capture with metal-azolate framework Co2(OH)4(btdd) – a porous, crystalline framework constructed from organic linkers and inorganic nodes – through HCO3- formation at nucleophilic OH- sites within the framework pores. This material was prepared using a novel and generalizable route: oxidation of the Co(II) metal center to a Co(III) halide followed by anion exchange to install the M–OH site. The proposed work aims to synthesize a library of M–OH-containing MOFs in order determine the key structure/property relationships that underpin their reactivity toward CO2 and suitability for direct air capture.

Laura Martinez (Entomology)

Investigating the Role of a Promising Volatile Control Technique on the Surrounding Insect Communities

Advisor: Jennifer Thaler

Crops grown for human consumption are greatly affected by pests. Most of these crop losses can be prevented or reduced through adequate pest control. Pesticide use can be effective but has a major impact on non-target organisms and contributes to negative impacts on human health. Integrated pest management strategies like biocontrol and organic chemical controls are sought-after alternatives. Recent findings show that behaviorally active chemicals, including predator odors, can have a protective effect on crops by deterring pests. However, these findings remain unexplored on larger agricultural scales, and their impact on the surrounding communities, including off-target organisms, remains unknown. This project investigates how a synthetic predator pheromone, isolated from the spined soldier bug, is affecting the broader agricultural community to explore if it could be used as a realistic, organic approach for pest management.

Tobias Mueller (Entomology)

Quantifying the Impacts of Antimicrobial Pesticides on Solitary Bee Microbiomes

Advisor: Scott McArt

Pollination, primarily from bees, benefits over 70% of the major food crops across the globe. During crop pollination, however, bees are exposed to high levels of pesticides. While the toxicological effects of insecticides on bees are relatively well understood, little is known about the impact of antimicrobial pesticide sprays, which unlike insecticides, are applied during bloom, when bees are actively pollinating. These antimicrobials are known to disrupt essential microbial associates of social honeybees, however, no studies have assessed their impacts on solitary bees, which represent 90% of bee diversity and are among the most important pollinators in many agricultural systems. Mueller’s work focuses on filling this gap and better understanding how commonly used antimicrobials are shifting solitary bee microbiomes and impacting their development.

Horace Owiti Onyango (Natural Resources & the Environment)

Harmful Algal Blooms: Exposure From Drinking Water for Small-Scale Fishing Households in Lake Victoria, Kenya

Advisor: Kathryn Fiorella

This study addresses the significant threat posed by harmful algal blooms (HABs) to water-dependent communities, particularly small-scale fishing communities near Lake Victoria, Kenya. Harmful microcystins from HABs can adversely affect human and animal health. The vulnerable fishing households, reliant on contaminated water sources, face risks to their liver, nervous system, and overall well-being. Despite their use of indigenous knowledge, the transparency of cyanobacterial HABs necessitates conventional testing to minimize exposure. Through a hybrid study design integrating biological tests and socioeconomic assessment, my research aims to determine the extent and factors of microcystin exposure in drinking water from source to glass. This unique focus on household drinking water distinguishes the study, contributing valuable information to the global dialogue on microcystins, contextual risk factors, and the vulnerability of small-scale fishing communities to HAB risks. The findings aim to inform strategies for anticipating, responding to, and recovering from the impacts of toxic algae.

Christina Pan (Government)

Power Beyond the Party: Trade, Industry Origins, and Local Government in China’s Clean Energy Transition

Advisor: Jeremy Lee Wallace

Pan’s research examines the domestic politics in clean energy transitions in developing economies. Her dissertation explores the state-society interaction in the clean energy industry and aims to conceptualize and explain the role of subnational actors – local governments and private entrepreneurs – across different clean energy-related sectors and across different time periods in China. In her project, Pan explores the factors that shape dynamics between different pro-clean energy groups in the domestic clean energy transition. Using comparative case analysis together with interviews, archives, and statistical analysis, this project sheds light on understanding the multi-level nature of government subsidy strategies in China, unpacks the idea of China’s state capitalism in the context of clean energy transition, and provides significant implications for the U.S. and the EU’s clean energy-related trade policies.

Roderick Wijunamai (Anthropology)

The Promise of Oil Palm in India’s Northeastern Borderlands

Advisor: Sarah Besky

Wijunamai is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology. His research is at the intersection of economic anthropology, political geography, and critical Indigenous studies. Taking the case of Nagaland in India’s Northeast, Wijunamai’s Ph.D. project examines how indigenous geographies affect, and are affected by, the making of a self-sufficient national economy. India is the world’s largest importer of edible oil. To contain its increasing demand, the government of India launched the National Mission for Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) in 2014. Nagaland – alongside other Northeastern states – is one of the key sites where production is concentrated. Grounded in a long-term ethnographic fieldwork, Wijunamai’s research explores the confluence of a national economy and Indigenous livelihood strategies through the lens of India’s oil palm development.

Henry Williams (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering)

Digital Twin for Multi-Use Solar Farm Design and Management

Advisor: K. Max Zhang

Large-scale solar farms have potential to be co-located with agriculture and ecosystem services, but the current lack of robust modeling tools is a critical barrier for the adoption of these multi-use designs. This project involves the development of an innovative digital twin platform for solar farm modeling and management, built on the intersection of 3D modeling, microclimate simulation, and internet-of-things data. The digital twin will be used to design and customize 3D representations of solar farms, allowing for robust modeling and data analysis. This project is at the forefront of a major shift in the renewable energy sector and aims to achieve real-world impact with key industry partners.

Adele Woodmansee (Soil & Crop Sciences)

Agricultural Biodiversity for Climate Adaptation in the High Atlas: Exploring Underutilized Cereal Crops and Cereal Mixtures

Advisor: Andrew McDonald

Woodmansee’s research looks at underutilized cereal cropping practices in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The High Atlas Mountains conserve in situ diversity for several Mediterranean crops, but this diversity is threatened by rapidly intensifying droughts and socioeconomic change. Cereal crops play an important role for both food and fodder in the High Atlas, but there are major gaps in knowledge about the extent and distribution of cereal diversity. Woodmansee will investigate millets and rye, underutilized cereal crops. She will also investigate cereal species mixtures (i.e., maslins), which have increasingly recognized value for adaptation but have been previously unstudied in Morocco. The project will include collections, surveys, and mother-baby trials that combine controlled irrigation trials with participatory farmer trials. This research will provide extensive knowledge about local cereal cropping practices in an understudied potential hotspot for cereal diversity.

Liming Zhao (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering)

Modeling and Design of Sustainable Low-Carbon Living Building Materials

Advisor: Jingjie Yeo

The manufacturing of cement and concrete damage repair, crucial to construction, contributes significantly to CO2 emissions with an annual production rate of over 4 billion metric tons. The living building material, a mixture of concrete and ureolytic bacteria, is a promising sustainable alternative, the bacteria of which aid in reducing cement production and facilitating its repair via biomineralization activity, a process converting CO2 into carbonate. However, the efficiency of biomineralization is greatly affected by bacterial neighboring heterogeneous chemical and structural conditions, necessitating more quantitative studies. By developing a novel individual-based simulation model, Zhao aims to quantify the effects of the chemical and mechanical environment around each bacterial cell and, thereby, unveil the regulatory mechanism of the environmental factors on biomineralization in concrete.

Fifteen recipients across Accelerating Energy Transitions (AET) , Advancing One Health (AOH) , Increasing Food Security (IFS) , and Reducing Climate Risk (RCR): from Anthropology, Biological & Environmental Engineering, Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Communication Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Global Development, Masters of Public Health, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, and Soil & Crop Sciences

Bayu Ahmad (Chemistry & Chemical Biology)

Visible Light Photo-switchable Carbon Dioxide Capture From Air (RCR) 

The rising carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has become a serious threat, and its removal is necessary to reduce future climate risk. Current carbon capture technologies are mainly based on amine-based scrubbers, which face challenges such as susceptibility to oxygen and water and large parasitic energy costs. With this funding, Ahmad seeks to develop a photochemical capture-and-release system that harnesses solar energy to provide the energy required to remove carbon dioxide from air. The proposed system promises to be more energy efficient and resistant toward water and oxygen than current technologies, enabling a new low-cost strategy for selective carbon capture from emission streams and air.

Marvi Ahmed (Global Development)

Assembling the Development Frontier: Identity, Climate Vulnerability, and Agrarian Livelihoods in the Indus Delta Region (IFS)                                 

Advisors: Fouad Makki , Wendy Wolford , and Sarah Besky

Ahmed’s research examines how neoliberal logics of community development entangle with socio-ecological relations in Sindh, Pakistan, a space that has long remained a frontier of agricultural extraction, ethno-nationalism and now acute climate vulnerability. Challenging the notion of climate change as the great leveler, she examines how pre-existing hierarchies profoundly condition climate vulnerabilities and how these dynamics are reshaped through the development frontier. In 2022, rising temperatures and intensified monsoon rains led to unprecedented “super floods” in the greater Indus delta region in Sindh. The region is lined with large export-oriented agricultural estates employing landless sharecroppers caught in cycles of debt bondage organized along caste lines, where low-caste communities form the most dispossessed groups. This precarity also makes them ideal candidates for donor-funded community development projects, urging improvement through market-driven initiatives such as entrepreneurship and microcredit. Examining how structural inequalities shape lived experiences of “empowerment-based” interventions and climate vulnerability sheds critical light on the work of development in an age of climate crisis.

Charlotte Albunio (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering)

Additive Manufacturing and Burning Characterization of Wildfire-prone Tree Species (RCR)

Advisor: Sadaf Sobhani

Albunio’s research aims to help categorize the burning behavior of wood species that are commonly found in wildfire prone areas. Understanding this behavior is essential for creating models that will help predict how wildfires will spread. These models will have a serious impact on reducing the risks associated with wildfire spread, including increased health complications and destruction of communities. Previous research has been done to categorize wood burning, however the innate heterogeneity of wood has barred scientists from being able to create meaningful databases. To overcome this hurdle, Albunio will use additive manufacturing to control the properties of wood. This will be informed by X-ray data from naturally occurring wood as well as thermogravimetric analysis to determine the material’s thermal stability.

Camille Blevins (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)

Closing Critical Knowledge Gaps in Ecosystem Methane Flux Under Sea-Level Rise (RCR)              

Advisor: Jed Sparks

Blevins, who uses the pronouns they/she, is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology working with Dr. Jed Sparks. Blevins’ research focuses on methane flux dynamics within coastal tidal wetlands during major environmental disturbances, such as sea-level rise. The proposed work will examine three critical methane flux pathways during a salt marsh restoration event that will elucidate a mechanistic understanding of surface methane flux pathway dynamics within coastal wetlands. The proposed work will leverage isotope analyses and infrared imaging to pinpoint changes to the methane production and consumption (oxidation) balance. Their work aims to provide the most comprehensive mechanistic representation of methane flux from this ecosystem with an eye toward identifying generalizable terms that can be applied to similar areas experiencing sea-level rise.

Aneesh Chandel (Soil & Crop Sciences)

Empirical Measurements and Improved Model Representation of Hydraulic Redistribution as a Control on Function of Semiarid Woody Ecosystems (RCR)   

Advisor: Yiqi Luo

Chandel is a soil and crop sciences Ph.D. student in the Luo lab at Cornell University whose research focuses on improving the model representation of plant-mediated water distribution between soil layers as a control on the functions of dryland ecosystems. Drylands cover more than 40% of the land surface and play a dominant role in global carbon sequestration. The current Earth system models are unable to simulate dryland ecosystem function, partly due to a poor representation of plant-available water dynamics. Chandel aims to utilize long-term observational data collected in AmeriFlux core sites in dominant dryland woody biomes in the Southwestern U.S. and employ the data assimilation approach to develop a robust dryland ecosystem model.

Liting Ding (Anthropology)

Living With Salinity: Development and Expertise in Sustainable Aquaculture for Building Climate-Resilient Mekong Delta (AET)

Ding is a Ph.D. student mentored by Dr. Sarah Besky in the Department of Anthropology. Ding works with Vietnamese and international scientists, development consultants, and aquaculture farmers to tell a story of lives entangled with economic promises, expertise in rural development, and climate change. With this funding, Ding will conduct field research in Vietnam to explore sustainable aquaculture development as a solution for the climate-resilient future of the Mekong Delta. This project intends to understand the discourses surrounding sustainable aquaculture and the production of expertise in climate adaptation. By interviewing aquaculture scientists, development agency consultants, and other stakeholders engaged in sustainable aquaculture research and implementation, this project examines how technological innovation and transnational partnerships on sustainable aquaculture address climate change mitigation and create socio-economic impact.

Giancarlo D’Orazio (Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering)

Leveraging Micro-Additive Manufacturing to Enable High Performance Electrochemical CO2 Conversion (AET)

CO 2 reduction reactors are an effective means of transforming waste carbon dioxide into carbon neutral or negative fuel and chemical sources. In these reactors, gaseous CO 2 flows into one side of the cell. In these cells, a porous membrane, called a gas diffusion electrode (GDE), separates the gas from a water-based electrolyte. As the cells operate, the electrolyte environment begins to change as new chemicals are evolved, and over the course of tens of hours the GDE will eventually flood. The research proposed will overcome these shortcomings and reduce flooding potential of the GDE via additive manufacturing. This will improve the operational lifespan of these reactors, enabling a long-term scaling solution to converting excess CO 2 into carbon neutral or negative fuels and other chemical products.

Jarvis Fisher (Global Development)

Food Self-Sufficiency, Agroecology, and Rice Production in Senegal (IFS)

Advisor: Rachel Bezner Kerr

Fisher is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Global Development. His research is focused on two approaches to food security in Senegal. For years, Senegalese government officials have promoted rice self-sufficiency by intensifying irrigated production in targeted riverine regions. Fearful of the social and ecological effects of these programs, a national agroecological coalition has formed to reject this approach and achieve food security through ecological intensification and local food sovereignty. Fisher’s project examines the transformative effect these two approaches have had on systems of rice production; their influences on farmer decision-making; and the analytical frameworks that have informed their design, implementation, and evaluation.

Sabrina Marecos (Biological & Environmental Engineering)

Effect of Metallophore Production on Mineral Dissolution With Gluconobacter Oxydans (AET)

Advisor: Buz Barstow

Marecos is a Ph.D. student in Buz Barstow’s lab in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering. Her research focuses on harnessing the bioleaching capabilities of the microbe Gluconobacter oxydans for the biomining of critical metals used in sustainable energy technologies. She is interested in understanding the effect of chelating compounds on the bioleaching capabilities of G. oxydans , with the aim of determining how they contribute to the mineral dissolution mechanism. This research will provide important insights regarding potential factors involved in the production of small-chelating molecules called metallophores, relevant properties of the biosynthesis genes that encode them, and the extent to which their production contributes to bioleaching. By studying the impact of metal-chelating molecules, this study aims to expand the understanding of mineral dissolution by G. oxydans and pave the way for more efficient biomining moving forward.

Jessica Noll (Population Medicine & Diagnostic Sciences)

Characterization of the Biological Function of African Swine Fever Virus P30/P32 Protein (IFS)

Advisor: Diego Diel

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a complex virus that threatens the swine industry worldwide. African swine fever (ASF), caused by ASFV, is a hemorrhagic transboundary disease of high social and economic impact with mortality rates reaching up to 100% in domestic pigs. Due to the high complexity of the virus, there are no vaccines or therapeutics available for ASF. Noll’s research is focused on the characterization of antibody and T cell responses against the high immunogenic protein p30/p32 of ASFV. Through a diverse array of assays, she is currently dissecting the function of antibodies elicited by p30/p32 as well as investigating the activation and function of T cell populations upon stimulation by p30/p32. The understanding of the immunological mechanisms stimulated by p30/p32 can lead to the rational development of novel subunit vaccines against ASF.

Timothy Ravis (Global Development)

Understanding Resistance to Geothermal Energy in Indonesia (AET)

A dvisor : Jenny Goldstein

Geothermal energy is subsurface heat that can be used to generate renewable, low-carbon electricity. Because of its relative abundance in Indonesia, experts see it as a cornerstone to that country’s energy transition. Yet uncertainty about its effects and profitability slows geothermal development across Indonesia. This research explores impediments to geothermal development by focusing on how development agencies, scientists, investors, and local residents negotiate the construction of new energy landscapes in Indonesia. It studies how these actors create certainty around geothermal development. Geological uncertainty motivates new financial schemes to shift the burden of investment risk to the state. Struggles over land affected by geothermal contributes to police militarization and the reworking of colonial-era laws differentiating surface and subsurface rights to property in land. Thus, this project explores both the impediments to a clean energy transition in Indonesia and how political power is produced alongside the resources that power industrial society.

Maria Rivera (Soil & Crop Sciences)

Enhanced Rock Weathering and the Persistence of Soil Organic Carbon (RCR)

Advisor: Johannes Lehmann

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a carbon dioxide removal strategy that amends soils with crushed magnesium and calcium silicate rock to accelerate carbon capture in soils. The effect of ERW on soil organic matter has received little attention, but past literature in organo-mineral associations suggests potential for organic carbon accrual. Through experiments, Rivera will learn the basic mechanisms by which magnesium and calcium silicate minerals extracted from ERW influence soil organic matter persistence. The findings will contribute to a holistic understanding of ERW as a carbon dioxide removal strategy, improve model predictions for ERW, and contribute to IPCC’s knowledge for enhanced weathering, a strategy now necessary for mitigating anthropogenic climate change.

Ellie Socha (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)

How Do Winter and Nutrient Conditions Interact to Regulate Year-Round Plankton Communities? (AOH)

Advisor: Meredith Holgerson

Climate change is shortening our winters, causing lakes to have less snow and ice cover, which is in turn influencing phytoplankton and food resources in lakes year-round. Yet, limnologists have long ignored winter periods in lakes, meaning that we have a poor understanding of how changing winter conditions will influence plankton, including phytoplankton and their zooplankton predators. This study aims to examine plankton communities year-round across a gradient of lakes with varying nutrient concentrations (from low to high productivity). The results of this research will inform how lake biological communities function throughout the year and give us insight into how communities may shift due to changing winter conditions. The findings will be especially relevant to One Health, as winter conditions coupled with lake nutrients shape phytoplankton communities, and ultimately control primary productivity, energy flow in food webs, toxin production, and lake oxygen availability.

Eric Teplitz (Public & Ecosystem Health)

Public and Ecosystem Health Impacts of Aquaculture Systems in Lake Victoria, Kenya (AOH)

Harmful algal blooms are a global phenomenon that are increasing in frequency, duration, and scale as a consequence of anthropogenic nutrient pollution. Concurrently, aquaculture production systems, which are pivotal to achieving food security yet impact aquatic ecosystem health, are proliferating rapidly. Navigating the food systems transitions required to balance environmental health with human nutrition is a key challenge. The Lake Victoria system in East Africa is an emblematic model of these co-occurring challenges: Persistent harmful algal blooms are increasing in scale as a nascent cage aquaculture industry undergoes explosive growth to meet increasing demand for fish. Cyanobacteria-producing harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) are highly prevalent in Lake Victoria and involve production of a potent liver toxin known as microcystin that accumulates in fish populations. Teplitz’s project will investigate the risk of human toxicosis through farmed and wild-caught fish consumption, characterize the spatiotemporal occurrence of cyanoHABs, and identify relevant fish health challenges.

Amanda Vilchez (Communication)

Let’s Talk About Bats: Citizen Science for One Health in Peru (AOH)

Advisor: Bruce Lewenstein

Bats are widely known as vectors for viruses such as rabies. However, their essential roles in the ecosystem are ignored as pollinators, seed dispersers, and pest controllers. This dichotomy of bats as a health threat and an essential part of the ecosystem has big implications for humans, bats, and the ecosystem. “Let’s talk about bats” is a citizen science project that seeks to improve human health, the bat community, and ecosystem services through a cooperative national sampling of bats’ distribution in Peru’s urban and rural areas. This study considers the participation of non-scientists in obtaining information about bats’ species and their presence using acoustic methods. As a result of non-scientists participation in the study and systematic conversations with scientists, Vilchez expects to encourage positive perceptions of bats and decrease negative interactions with them. Simultaneously, bat distribution information obtained by non-scientist participation will be relevant to future bat conservation measures around Peru.

Ten recipients across Accelerating Energy Transitions (AET) , Advancing One Health (AOH) , Increasing Food Security (IFS) , and Reducing Climate Risk (RCR): from Animal Science, Entomology, Food Science & Technology, Global Development, Horticulture, Plant Biology, Plant Breeding & Genetics, Science & Technology Studies, and Soil & Crop Sciences

Martin Abbott (Science & Technology Studies)

Redrawing Risk in FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program: “Equity in Action” or Equity Inaction? (RCR)

Martin Abbott is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Science and Technology Studies. His research is concerned with the scientific and social nature of urban flooding, risk, and map-making. This research focuses on New Orleans and how the Federal Emergency Management Agency has refined the city’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps. These maps form the backbone of FEMA’s trillion-dollar National Flood Insurance Program and are among governments’ most powerful tools to minimize the impact of flooding and adapt cities to climate change. Martin’s preliminary analysis shows that urban flood risk is underestimated, poorly understood, and disproportionately affects low-income groups and minorities.

Nikita Agarwal (Food Science & Technology)

Grape Pomace Waste, as Natural Alternatives for Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Poultry Feed (AOH)

Nikita Agarwal is a PhD student working with Dr. Elad Tako on finding natural and sustainable alternatives to antibiotics in poultry feed. Antibiotic growth promotors pose a risk of increasing antibiotic-resistant microbes that can spread to humans through meat consumption. On the other hand, the wine and grape juice industry produces over 70 million tons of grape pomace “waste” annually. This low-cost by-product is a rich source of phenolic acids, which leads to soil pollution when discarded. With the funding from Cornell Atkinson, Nikita’s research will aim to reclassify this waste as a co-product by evaluating its effects on various aspects of poultry gut health.

Jenny Berkowitz (SIPS Horticulture)

Developing a Soil Health Index for Urban Agricultural Soils to Support Food Security (IFS)

Jenny Berkowitz is a Ph.D. student co-advised by Thomas Björkman and Jenny Kao-Kniffin. Her work examines processes for developing soil health practices that fit farmer and community goals. This study seeks to utilize participatory methods to build off New York City Farmer experience and create an Urban Soil Health Index. Urban farming has gained widespread enthusiasm for its immense potential to increase food security, particularly for the many urban growers who are people of color and from working-class backgrounds that experience food insecurity. Urban farmers have developed their own methods for assessing their soil health, some of which are not included or addressed in current rural soil health metrics. When farmers test their soils for standard health parameters, they have no guides to compare the “optimal” or “aspirational” ranges they would expect to see. The Urban Soil Health Index will be created by and for urban farmers to address these gaps.

Lauren Brzozowski (SIPS Plant Breeding & Genetics)

Leveraging Plant Immune Responses for Increased Food Security (IFS)

Lauren Brzozowski is a postdoctoral research associate advised by Dr. Jean-Luc Jannink in Plant Breeding & Genetics. As a plant breeder, she is interested in breeding new plant varieties for sustainable agricultural systems, especially those that contribute to ecological pest management. Lauren currently focuses on genetic research of phytochemicals in oat ( Avena sativa ) that contribute to plant disease resistance and to human health. Funding from the Atkinson Center will support her work in conducting new research to test whether oat varieties have different immune responses that can increase antioxidants and disease resistance. Studying how plants vary in their immune responses is a promising research area for breeding plants for resistance to pests and disease. This work can improve oat cultivation practices and provide a basis for studying other crop plants to promote food security in our changing climate.

Mohammad Irfan (SIPS Plant Biology)

Investigating the Role of Carotenoids in Improving Sustainable Agriculture of Sweet Potatoes Under Water Stress (IFS)

Mohammad Irfan is a postdoctoral research associate working with Gaurav Moghe in the Plant Biology Section of the School of Integrative Plant Science. He works in the field of plant-specialized metabolic pathways and high-value phytochemicals, such as anthocyanins and carotenoids of sweet potato, a nutritious superfood. The primary aim of this project is to address food security issues and improve the sustainable agriculture of sweet potatoes. Using transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches, he will investigate the role of carotenoids in sweet potato’s response to water-challenging conditions, which is expected to affect sweet potato yields in the coming decades as per future climate predictions. This project also aims to study the carotenoid’s metabolism during the sweet potato’s interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi during water stresses.

Morgan Irons (SIPS Soil & Crop Sciences)

The Effects of Bacterial Organic Adhesives on Carbon Sequestration in Soils for Climate Change Mitigation (RCR)

Morgan A. Irons (she/her/they/them) is a Ph.D. candidate working with Johannes Lehmann to examine how bacterial organic adhesives affect carbon mineralization and sequestration through organo-organic and organo-mineral interactions in aggregates. The proposed work will use atomic force microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and spectroscopy techniques to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the spatial and chemical complexity of bacterial organic adhesive in soil aggregates, understand how that, in turn, confers persistence to other soil organic matter and carbon, and determine the chemical and surface morphology mechanism of adhesion between model bacterial species and relevant organic and mineral substrates. As soil contains the largest terrestrial pool of organic carbon (OC), understanding how OC occludes and turns over in soil is integral to accurately predicting and managing carbon sequestration and long-term soil fertility. The research will thus contribute to a more holistic understanding of how soil microbiomes affect carbon cycling and contribute to the development of more informed management strategies for combatting climate change and soil degradation.

Rachelle LaCroix (SIPS Soil & Crop Sciences)

Does Plant Litter Type and Microbial Diversity Effect Soil Organic Matter Molecular Diversity? (RCR)

Rachelle LaCroix is a Ph.D. candidate advised by Dr. Johannes Lehmann in Soil and Crop Sciences. Rachelle’s research is focused on identifying soil biogeochemical mechanisms that contribute to long-term storage of soil organic carbon. The funding provided by the Cornell Atkinson grant will enable her, with the help of her undergraduate researcher Caleb Levitt, to better understand the role of plant litter type and microbial diversity on the decomposition of soil organic matter. Improving our fundamental understanding of complex biogeochemical processes will increase our ability to adapt soil management policies to a changing climate.

Andres Ortega (Animal Science)

Abomasal Infusion of Nutritionally Non-Essential Amino Acid for Evaluation of Overall Amino Acid Utilization and Productive Efficiencies in Lactating Dairy Cattle (IFS)

Andres Ortega is a Ph.D. Candidate mentored by Dr. Mike Van Amburgh, whose group works to further develop the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS). The CNCPS is a nutritional model used by dairy farmers around the world to formulate cattle diets and predict productive performance. Andres’s research focuses on amino acid (AA) chemistry methods and metabolism in dairy cows in support of lactation and other nutrient demands. He is interested in developing novel methods to analyze the AA composition of different substrates using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to better characterize the chemical composition of various model components. In this study, he will examine the role and energetic demand of non-essential AA for milk and milk component synthesis.  The objective is to be able to improve diet formulation and further improve productive efficiency. This can result in less N excreted into the environment and lower feed costs for dairy producers.

Annika Salzberg (Entomology)

Trap Crops for Flea Beetle Control in Cabbage Fields (IFS)

Annika is a Master’s student in Katja Poveda’s lab in the Department of Entomology. As an agroecologist, her research centers around landscape ecology and the effect of landscape simplification on insect body size, abundance, and diversity–and subsequently how these factors affect crop damage and yields. She will use her Cornell Atkinson funding to conduct applied agricultural research into managing flea beetles through trap cropping in New York State. Determining viable trap crops will provide a new and more sustainable pest control practice for local growers, decreasing the frequency and/or amount of pesticides needed to maintain yields, and minimizing detrimental effects of pesticide sprays on surrounding ecosystems.

Camillo Stubenberg (Global Development)

Energy Transition as Last Resort: The Adoption of Decentralized Renewable Energy Technologies in the Wake of State Absence and Fossil Fuel Shortages in Lebanon (AET)

Camillo Stubenberg is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Global Development. He is advised by Lori Leonard, Jenny Goldstein, and Sara Pritchard. Camillo will use this funding to conduct field research in Lebanon in the fall of 2022, examining the rushed adoption of off-grid and renewable energy technologies in Lebanon, where an interlocking political and financial crisis has led to a total breakdown of the country’s electricity sector. In the summer of 2021, a convergence of political, financial, and infrastructural crises led to severe fuel shortages. Without the diesel necessary to run both the state’s power plants and private backup generators, the country was quite literally plunged into darkness. As a result, households, communities, and businesses are scrambling to access off-grid and renewable energy systems. The project aims to answer three related questions. First, how does an energy transition take place in the “absence” of fossil fuels and state regulation? Second, how do emerging green energy startups alter electric connections and reconfigure existing political and social patterns? And finally, how does connection to decentralized and renewable infrastructure affect end-users’ energy behavior and political outlook? By shedding light on the ongoing dynamics in Lebanon, this research provides insights both for the design of renewable energy systems as well as policies aimed at fostering energy transitions across the globe.

Increasing Food Security (IFS): Five recipients from Global Development, Horticulture, and Masters of Public Health

Maria Arnot (Masters of Public Health)

Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing on Adult Dietary Changes

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) launched a  Produce Prescription Program  in Tompkins County in 2018 to prescribe fruits and vegetables as medicine for high-risk participants with low food security, low income, and diet-related health issues. Simultaneously, this program supports local organic farmers who grow and sell the fresh produce that is provided to program participants weekly. By 2020, the program had expanded to 75 participants. Working with Baz Perry at CCE, Master of Public Health candidate Maria Arnot will assess the effectiveness of motivational interviewing on the participants’ dietary changes through this program. While research shows that motivational interviewing can be influential in promoting lifestyle changes, especially in substance abuse treatment, minimal research is available as to how this can be applied to dietary behavior changes, particularly when paired with existing produce prescription programs

Emily Baker (Global Development)

Participatory Agrobiodiversity Mapping Informs Sustainable Livelihoods, Food Security, and Socio-ecological Resilience

Emily Baker is a Ph.D. student studying smallholder farmers’ cultivation and understanding of agricultural biodiversity in the Rwenzori Mountains of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Uganda. Diversified agroforestry and home garden systems have gendered implications for smallholder social and ecological resilience, livelihoods, and food security. Working with  Rachel Bezner Kerr , Baker seeks to understand the ways that intersectional and intergenerational agrobiodiversity knowledge and agency are linked with macro drivers of social and environmental change, and can inform policy approaches and community decision-making for local conservation, food security, and equitable approaches to social and ecological resilience.

Emily Hillenbrand (Global Development)

Engaging Men to Improve Gender Equality, Food Security, and Sustainable Livelihoods in Malawi

Emily Hillebrand is a Ph.D. candidate working with  Rachel Bezner Kerr , examining processes and implications of gender-transformative approaches and shifting masculinities in Burundi and Malawi’s agriculture development. Her research will be conducted in partnership with  Soils, Food, and Healthy Communities (SFHC), a farmer-led non-profit organization that addresses the challenges of soil infertility, climate change, food insecurity, and gender inequality in Malawi. This study will be carried out in 10 SFHC target communities, reaching more than 300,000 people, to examine the effects of a gender-transformative intervention on couples’ key household negotiations related to food security, nutrition, and livelihood strategies. The study will pay particular attention to how men participate in gender activities and what factors contribute to their engagement and personal changes.

Connor Lane (Horticulture)

Apple Microbiome Responses to Preharvest Chemical Treatments Affecting Ethylene Production

Connor Lane is a Ph.D. student advised by Jenny Kao-Kniffin . While plant microbiomes are increasingly recognized as important for the optimal functioning of agricultural systems, little is known about fruit-associated microbiomes. The apple microbiome is of interest due to the role microbes play in apple diseases and spoilage during postharvest storage. In this study, Lane proposes investigating the microbiome response to different plant growth regulators that slow ripening and spoilage by limiting ethylene production. He will also examine the apple microbiome’s functional traits. These findings on microbial dynamics related to treatments with postharvest effects will pave the way to a greater understanding of food spoilage and dietary effects on the human gut microbiome.

Yejin Son (Horticulture)

Uncovering the Role of Polyphosphate Accumulating Organisms and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Soil for Enhanced Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration

Healthy soils are fundamental for food security, but intensive farming practices have negatively impacted various aspects of soil health, including soil aggregation and carbon storage. Soil microorganisms, especially certain fungi, aid soil organic carbon sequestration, but much remains unknown about these collaborative effects. Advised by  Jenny Kao-Kniffin , Ph.D. student Yejin Son’s research aims to discover how polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) recovered from manure could work with these fungi to sequester organic carbons in the rhizosphere of Irish Potato, potentially leading to improved food security and agricultural techniques, as well as increased use of PAOs as a phosphorus biofertilizer option and climate change mitigation.

Reducing Climate Risk (RCR): Four recipients from Architecture, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Soil + Crop Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine

Laurel Lynch (Soil + Crop Sciences)

Defining Fundamental Tradeoffs Between Microbial Activity and Soil Carbon Sequestration

Laurel Lynch is a postdoctoral associate advised by  Johannes Lehmann  in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. As an ecosystem ecologist, she is interested in how microbial and environmental drivers influence the molecular composition of dissolved organic matter. With this funding, Laurel seeks to better understand how the composition and spatial distribution (between soil horizons and across landscapes) of microbial residues shape systems-level Carbon cycling. These natural climate solutions have the potential to meet ~40% of the carbon reductions needed to keep climate warming below 2°C and confer co-benefits, such as wildlife habitat, improved human health outcomes, and better air and water quality.

Prince Ochonma (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)

Accelerated and Sustainable Bio-Hydrogen Generation with Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Technology for Advancing a Negative Emissions Future

Prince Ochonma is a Ph.D. student in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, advised by  Greeshma Gadikota . This project involves developing accelerated and sustainable bio-hydrogen generation with integrated carbon capture and storage technology, to advance a negative emissions future by producing H2 from renewable biomass sources with in-situ CO2 capture. The building blocks for this technology include water, aqueous or solid biomass, and alkaline resources such as industrial residues or naturally occurring minerals. This technology could be integrated with a bio-refinery and adapted to utilize agricultural or dairy waste generated in rural communities, or food waste in rural and urban regions. Sophomore Claire Blaudeau also received a supplemental undergraduate grant to assist with this research.

Ranaivo Rasolofoson (College of Veterinary Medicine)

Drowning and Climate Change in Small-scale Fishing Communities Around Lake Victoria

Ranaivo Rasolofoson is a postdoctoral research associate in the College of Veterinary Medicine, advised by  Kathryn Fiorella . He is interested in investigating the impacts of environmental programs and environmental changes on human wellbeing and environmental outcomes. With support from Cornell Atkinson, Rasolofson will explore the potential effects of climate change on drowning deaths in small-scale fishing communities in low-income country settings, to raise awareness on the necessity of effective measures to mitigate the effects of climate change of such communities.

Yang Yang (Architecture)

Energy and Mobility-aware Urban Design: A Mobility Simulator Assisting Urban Design Decision-making for Mitigating Energy Consumption and Transportation Emissions

Yang Yang is a master’s student advised by  Timur Dogan  in the Department of Architecture. She will use funding from Cornell Atkinson to develop a mobility simulator to aid urban design decision-making for mitigating energy consumption and transportation emissions. The research is expected that it will enhance the design and planning of mobility solutions, energy use, and urban form. This could facilitate the early discovery of synergies that lead to better cities with lower energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Increasing Food Security (IFS): Four recipients from Entomology, Soil and Crop Sciences, Natural Resources, and Plant Breeding and Genetics Reducing Climate Risk (RCR): Four recipients from Architecture, Anthropology, Biological and Environmental Engineering, and Soil and Crop Sciences

Ashley Jernigan (Entomology)

Elucidating the Effect of Soil Fauna on Crop Yields through Nutrient Cycling (IFS)

Ashley Jernigan is a PhD student in  Kyle Wickings ’ lab in the Department of Entomology. She is interested in the effect of soil microarthropods on crop productivity and agroecosystem functioning. Her research explores how changes in microarthropod abundance and community composition impacts nutrient cycling and plant pathogen transmission and suppression. With this funding, Ashley is completing a project investigating how alterations to microarthropod abundance and community composition impacts soil nitrogen cycling and plant nutrient acquisition under different fertilizer treatments. Elucidating these important agroecosystem relationships will allow for improved management of crops and will lead to increased system resiliency.

Eugene Law (Soil and Crop Sciences)

Soil Carbon Storage and Soil Structure Impacts of ‘Kernza’ Intermediate Wheatgrass (IFS)

Eugene Law is a PhD candidate in Soil and Crop Sciences co-advised by  Toni DiTommaso  ( Weed Ecology and Management Lab ) and  Matt Ryan  ( Sustainable Cropping Systems Lab ). His current research explores the development of cropping systems and market opportunities for two novel perennial grain crops, intermediate wheatgrass and perennial cereal rye, using a systems approach that incorporates aspects of agronomy, ecology, soil science, and economics. He will use funding from the Atkinson Center to expand the breadth of his research on how perennial grain crops might enhance soil health by comparing indicators of soil carbon storage and soil structure regeneration in fields of perennial intermediate wheatgrass and annual wheat.

Ryan Lepak (Natural Resources)

Tracing Sources of Mercury Contamination in Freshwater Fisheries Across Space and Time (IFS)

Ryan Lepak is a postdoctoral research associate working with  Peter McIntyre  in the Department of Natural Resources, Casey Dillman, Cornell Museum of Vertebrates and the Mercury Research Laboratory in the US Geological Survey. His research focuses on understanding current and past sources of neurotoxic methylmercury to freshwater fisheries of central Africa by measuring stable isotope tracers in fish preserved in museums worldwide. The support from SBF will allow Ryan to visit and subsample fish from European museums that predate many instances of anthropogenic mercury contamination like mercury-mediated small-scale artisanal gold mining which has expanded rapidly in this region in unregulated ways. Accessing greater spatial and temporal coverage from museums specimens will allow Ryan to better inform the region of the extent of contamination and inform these impoverished nations of realistic baselines they may strive to achieve for safer fish consumption.

William Stafstrom (Plant Breeding and Genetics)

Modeling Mycotoxin Risk in a Tanzanian Smallholder Farming System (IFS)

Will Stafstrom is a Plant Breeding and Genetics graduate student working in  Dr. Rebecca Nelson ’s maize disease lab. He studies various ways of mitigating the harmful effects of mycotoxins produced by maize fungal pathogens. His research spans multiple scales from the genetic basis of mycotoxin resistance to landscape wide indicators of mycotoxins. His work supported by the Atkinson Center will focus on modeling mycotoxin risk in a smallholder farming system in Tanzania by integrating local surveys of mycotoxins with remote sensing datasets of environmental factors. This project intends to improve understanding of mycotoxins’ relationship with environmental conditions and to develop a useful tool for predicting mycotoxin risk areas on a yearly basis.

Allison Bernett (Architecture)

Early Design Decision-making Framework for Simulating Building Energy, Carbon, and Cost (RCR)

Allison is pursuing a master of architecture degree and working in  Dr. Timur Dogan ’s Environmental Systems Lab in the architecture department. Prior to Cornell, Allison worked as a sustainability consultant. Her research in the lab focuses on developing an early design decision-making building simulation framework that when furnished with basic inputs generates design options that can be filtered by energy performance, carbon footprint, and cost criteria. Given that architects make critical early design decisions on orientation, massing, and structure that significantly affect the energy use and carbon footprint of the design, such a framework aims to better inform these initial decisions, reducing time and cost while improving building performance.

Luisa Cortesi (Anthropology)

The Flood Room (RCR)

Luisa Cortesi (PhD, Yale, Forestry and Environmental Studies and Anthropology) is currently the S.H. Taylor postdoc in Anthropology and STS. She is an environmental anthropologist, interested in the environmental knowledge of increasingly disastrous waters, in particular floods and toxic drinking water, and environmental justice. She works primarily in North Bihar, India, a place that is recurrently flooded and increasingly so, where she asks under which conditions are people better equipped to face a disaster.

Alexa Schmitz (Biological and Environmental Engineering)

Extracting Rare Earth Elements with Engineered Microorganisms for Sustainable Energy (RCR)

Alexa is a postdoctoral researcher with the  Barstow  Lab in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering. Her research focuses on the development of an efficient and sustainable solution to the growing demand for rare earth elements in light of their utilization for renewable energy technologies, especially wind turbines. In collaboration with researchers at the Idaho National Lab, Alexa is using the bacterium,  Gluconobacter oxydans , to extract these critical metals from end-of-life waste materials via its production of strong, but biodegradable, organic acids. This bioleaching process will hopefully replace some of the more harmful technologies currently in place for rare earth extraction. Funding from the Atkinson Center will support Alexa’s development of whole-genome knockout collections in  G. oxydans , allowing her to comprehensively identify genes underlying the bioleaching process that can be targeted for improvement through bioengineering.

Itamar-Ariel Shabtai (Soil and Crop Sciences)

Can Improved Drainage Water Management in Peat Soils Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emission and Optimize Crop Yields? (RCR)

Itamar Shabtai is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Integrative Plant Science working in  Johannes Lehmann ’s lab. He is interested in how soil water content can be managed to stabilize organic carbon in the soil. Peat soils contain more organic carbon than all the forests of the worlds combined but their degradation under agricultural use is responsible for 6% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Itamar will leverage ACSF funding to study how improving the water budget of agricultural peat soils can minimize peat carbon decomposition. This work will help develop management tools to reduce CO2 emissions from agricultural peat soils.

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Mak-RIF Round 5, Track 2: PhD Research Grants 2023/2024 Request For Applications

Funding opportunity description: Makerere University received special funding from the Government of the Republic of Uganda, to support high impact Research and Innovations that will accelerate national development. The Financial Year 2022/24 is the fifth year of this fund’s availability. The fund illustrates the increasing importance that the Government attaches to Research and Innovation as a driver of socio-economic transformation. The objective of the fund is to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda. Over the last four Financial Years (2019/2020 – 2022/2023), government appropriated 105 Billion Uganda Shillings to support this Fund. Between the four years, MakRIF has funded a total of 1.062 projects across all sectors critical for development. In the current Financial Year (2023/24), Makerere University expects to receive about 30 Billion Uganda shillings (about US$ 8.1 million) under the Government Research and Innovation Fund (RIF). Of this, at least 1.5 Billion Shillings will fund PhD research ideas that generate knowledge that addresses national development priorities. The Makerere University Research and Innovation Grants Management Committee (GMC) therefore announces the second round of PhD research grants as part of the 5 th round of RIF funding titled: RIF Round 5, Track 2 (PhD Research Grants) . Available funds are obligated for the Financial Year 2023/2024, with an expectation of actionable results that speak to the National Research and Innovation Agenda. The GMC therefore invites applications from PhD students with original research ideas that demonstrate a clear link to key thematic areas of the National Research and Innovation Agenda. This is a closed call that is open to only PhD students. This funding call is specifically targeted to PhD students that are full time at Makerere University .

Grant amounts and estimated number of awards: The GMC estimates to award the following number and amount of PhD Research Grants:

*Note: The numbers shown are only indicative. The MakRIF GMC reserves the right to adjust the numbers based on the quality of the proposals submitted.

Applicants should take into consideration the following:

• Given that the MakRIF funds are received on an annual basis and are tied to a specific financial year, the current grant only commits to funding the awardee for a period of one year (12 months) of implementation.
• However, the MakRIF GMC is cognizant of the fact that PhD research often spreads over more than one year in which case some projects require multi-year funding. Because of this reality, half of the awards under this round will fund extensions for eligible projects that were previously funded. Extension funding will not be automatic but will be competitive and conditional to the following: 1) Availability of funds, 2) Showing cause as to which additional areas of research will be covered in the extension funding, 3) Successful execution and completion of all the objectives for the previous funding period, evidenced by full submission of the required deliverables; 4) Full technical and financial accountability for all the funds given to the researcher during the previous year of funding. Prior grantees in need of extension funding must apply for the follow-on funding through the new PhD Research Grant call.
• The GMC recognizes that the amounts indicated for this award may not be sufficient to cover all the necessary costs for a student’s project. In such cases, the award should be considered as a contribution and the students should mobilize additional funding to bridge the resource gaps.
• The number of awards indicated are only estimated and the GMC retains the discretion to determine the amount and number of awards based on the actual funding that MakRIF funders will make available and the number of quality proposals submitted.

Scope and Technical Description of the Research and Innovation Grant

The GMC conducted a comprehensive stakeholder consultation to identify priority thematic areas of interest for national development. The GMC triangulated this information with that from the National Development Plan III, the Makerere University Strategic Plan and Research Agenda to develop an instructive MakRIF research agenda that responds to national development priorities. The RIF Round 5, Track 2 (PhD Research Grants) will therefore specifically target research and innovation projects that align with priority thematic issues in the MakRIF instructive Research Agenda under 14 thematic areas as follows:

Theme 1: Transforming the Agricultural sector to drive development

Theme 2: Achieving Sustainable health as a means to sustainable development

Theme 3: Re-imagining Education to unlock capacity for economic development

Theme 4: Water, sanitation and the environment: A pre-requisite to sustainable development

Theme 5: Harnessing the social sector, culture and arts to drive development

Theme 6. Harnessing Tourism, wildlife and heritage for development

Theme 7: Sustainable Planning, finance and monitoring as catalysts for growth

Theme 8: Leveraging public service and local administration for efficient service delivery

Theme 9: Defence and security: Achieving sustainable peace and stability

Theme 10: Strengthening law, governance, human rights and international cooperation as prerequisites for development

Theme 11: Harnessing Information and Communication Technology to drive development

Theme 12: Works, manufacturing, science and technology as tools to accelerate development

Theme 13: Solutions to catalyse business and enterprise

Theme 14: Energy and Minerals as drivers of rapid economic development

The MakRIF PhD Research Grants will cover all technical disciplines in Makerere University as long as the research questions align with the instructive research agenda themes above. Particular attention will be paid to ideas that have clear potential for scalability to drive development.

Note: This grant covers the costs of research. It does not cover payment of tuition or living stipends for PhD students .

Eligibility

The new PhD research grants will only be open to PhD students who have been approved for full registration at Makerere University . Students who have already received full scholarships under other award programs are not eligible to apply for these grants as this will constitute double funding. Members of Academic staff who are not on the Makerere University Staff Development Program, as well as those who are on the Staff Development Program but received only a tuition waiver without research funding are eligible to apply, provided they do not have full funding for their research from elsewhere. This funding is only open to Makerere University students. PhD students registered in other universities are not eligible for this funding. Further specifications on the awards are as follows:

• Applicants for new awards must be at a stage where they have been approved for full registration as PhD students at Makerere University . Being at the stage of full registration means that they have developed a full research proposal that has been approved by the respective Higher Degrees Research Committee in their academic unit, and that they have been recommended for full registration OR are fully registered by Makerere University . New grant applicants will be required to provide evidence of one of the following: Minutes of the Higher Degrees Research Committee in their Academic college, showing approval of their research proposal, OR a full registration certificate.
• Because the research funds are provided for one year funding cycles, PhD students with provisional registration will not be eligible for funding under this award since the time required for them to complete full proposal development and to start data collection is unlikely to fit within the financial year.
• New grants are limited to PhD students who do not have prior funding for their studies or whose funding is inadequate to cover their research. Applicants in the latter category must make full disclosure of their other funding sources and what they cover.
• Applicants for extension awards should have been funded in the earlier PhD research awards. Only those who have completed and closed out their previous projects will be considered.
• All applicants (new and extension) should provide a letter of support from any one of the following: 1) The Head of their Department, or 2) The Dean of their School, or 3) the Principal of their College (Only one of these is sufficient).
• All applicants (new and extension) should provide a letter of support from one of their Supervisors within Makerere University . The letter should clearly indicate that they do not have other funding that fully covers their research/training activities, or where such funding is available, they should indicate what aspects of the student’s study program it covers and the funding gap. The supporting Supervisor will be designated as a co-Investigator on the research project.

GRANT GUIDELINES

MakRIF PhD Research Grant applicants will submit a competitive project proposal for the available funding. The proposal ought to specify the objectives for the full research project. It should also indicate which of the full research objectives will be specifically met by the available funding for this financial year.

Applicants intending to apply for multi-year funding in the subsequent years will be required to indicate so. In such cases, the students should indicate which study objectives would be covered by the extension funding.

The research problem: The proposal should clearly articulate the knowledge gap that the researcher targets to address, and why it is important to address this knowledge gap. The research problem should be aligned to at least one theme in the MakRIF research agenda.

Previously funded proposals applying for extension funding should indicate how the proposed research problem builds on the research problem of the previous phase.

The proposed solution: PhD Researchers should present the proposed solution in form of the research focus for the current phase of the funding. They should clearly articulate the objectives of the planned research. Researchers should also describe the critical content of the solution (i.e., the ‘research methodology’). Researchers should defend the relevance of the proposed solution to addressing key development outcomes in the respective sector and its alignment to one or more thematic areas specified in this call. Researchers should also demonstrate that at least one objective of their research project is implementable within one (1) year and will result in tangible results within one year of execution.

Research projects that require multi-year implementation will only be considered if they can show actionable intermediate results or objectives attainable within 1 implementation year, since funding will be on a yearly basis. Apart from a summary of the proposed approach, researchers will provide a more detailed description of their technical approach (research methodology) to enable a robust assessment of the rigor of the proposed methodology.

Previously funded proposals applying for extension funding should indicate how the proposed solution builds on the solution from the previous phase.

Outputs, outcomes, and impact: Researchers should articulate the overall scientific outputs, outcomes and anticipated impact of the PhD research project. They should state the primary (Direct) and secondary (Indirect) beneficiaries of the planned research project. They should state the anticipated outputs (the outputs of the activities of the entire project as well as the specific milestones to be attained with the one-year funding) and the outcomes (both the outcomes of the entire project and those for the current funding phase). Researchers should also state the anticipated impact of the the project (Note: Impact might not be achievable in one or even a few years in which case the current phase only contributes to it). Since this funding is specific to the current financial year, projects must demonstrate clearly the deliverables they expect within one year, matching the level of investment made and attainable in the 1-year timeframe. Multi-year projects should show clearly what will be achieved in the current year of funding as well as what would be achieved overall when the full PhD research is completed in the subsequent years.

Previously funded proposals applying for extension funding should indicate how the proposed outputs, outcomes and impacts build on those realized in the previous phase of funding.

Translation and dissemination for impact: Since this fund is aimed at supporting government and its partners to improve service delivery and to accelerate development, researchers should show a clear plan for disseminating their findings to audiences critical for policy and program change so as to achieve impact at scale. This will include a clear description of the knowledge translation and dissemination plan to stakeholders in the relevant sectors including the knowledge products anticipated to arise from the study (e.g., publications, policy briefs, knowledge briefs, etc.). Innovation-based projects should articulate a scaling strategy, including linkage to scaling partners within the industry (for commercially viable enterprises), or within the relevant public sectors (for innovations targeted to the public) or within relevant implementing agencies (for social enterprises). Innovations targeting commercial interest should demonstrate the anticipated commercial potential, anticipated demand, anticipated patents/copy-rights/industrial design claims/trademarks if applicable and the path to commercialization. Innovations targeting social impact (social innovations) should elucidate the path to wide scale community uptake.

Previously funded proposals applying for extension funding should indicate how the planned knowledge translation/scaling activities builds on those in the previous phase of funding.

Ethical implications: The implications of the research to human subjects, animal subjects and the environment should be articulated where necessary including how key ethical or environmental concerns arising from the study will be addressed. It is anticipated that at the time of full registration, projects requiring ethical approval will have already obtained that approval from their respective ethics committees.

Budget: Researchers will prepare a summary budget for the one-year phase of their project as well as a detailed budget. Budgets should be submitted in the official currency (Uganda Shillings).  Because these are university funds, academic units (Departments, Schools and Colleges) will not charge institutional overheads to any of the research funds. Budgets should not spread beyond one Financial Year. Even if the projects to be funded under this mechanism are multi-year, researchers should provide a budget for only one Financial Year. The budgets will include the following sections:

• Personnel costs
• Supplies and services
• Program activity costs
• Dissemination

Under Personnel costs, applicants should not budget for ‘Salaries’ for staff who are paid a salary by Makerere University or another Government of Uganda institution (whether on permanent or contract terms) as this would constitute double payment from government funds. However, such researchers can budget for ‘activity-based’ time input or ‘level-of-effort-based’ costs for their additional time input into the project in form of allowances. The latter should be justified by specifying the extra-time demands from the project for each individual involved.

Researchers can budget for salaries for critical project staff that are not paid by Makerere or the Government of Uganda e.g., Project Coordinators, Administrative Assistants, Research Officers etc. Regular Personnel costs excluding field research assistants should not exceed 33% of the budget. Field research assistants (or Data collectors) if needed should not be included under ‘Personnel costs’ but should instead be included under ‘Program Activity Costs’. All salaries and all repetitive allowances will be subject to mandatory statutory deductions at source, to pay the relevant taxes. Because these funds are earmarked to support actual research, PhD students cannot budget for a monthly stipend under this award.

In addition to the summary budget, research teams will be required to attach a detailed budget (As an MS Excel attachment) that breaks down all expenditure line items, inclusive of a budget justification that explains the rationale behind the different budget items. The total budget in the budget summary should exactly match that in the detailed breakdown. You should budget within the category that your project was funded in RIF-1. Budgeting in another category will lead to disqualification. The total budget should not exceed the highest amount indicated for the respective funding category in which your project lies. Exceeding the indicated category maximum can result in disqualification.

PhD Researchers cannot budget for Tuition.

Workplan: Researchers will provide a list of key milestones for the project clearly demonstrating the deliverables expected at each point during the extension phase of the project. These milestones will be used as the basis for tracking implementation of activities towards project goals and outputs. Given the one-year time-frame for the awards, it will be important that researchers commit to a clear time-bound set of deliverables all achievable within one year for the main deliverable targeted during the current period of funding. Failure to articulate a one (1) year plan will imply inability to utilize the grant funds within one (1) year.

Previously funded proposals applying for extension funding should indicate how the current workplan/milestones build on those proposed and realized in the previous phase of funding.

GRANT PROCESS

Submission of applications: Submission of the applications will be online at https://rif.mak.ac.ug/portal . All submissions must be online and must be made within the stipulated period. To access the application form, the PhD Research Fund applicant will be required to create a MakRIF account. In your account, select the appropriate funding opportunity and fill out the application form.

Rules governing applications: All applications should be written in English. All applications should be submitted via the online portal mentioned above. Complete applications must be submitted not later than 11.59pm East African Time on the closing date. No submissions after closure of applications will be accepted. Any attempt at solicitation of acceptance beyond this date will not be entertained. The Grants Committee bears no responsibility for submissions that are not completed in time and incomplete submissions will not be considered. If none of the submitted applications meets the requirements to receive a grant, the call may be reopened at the sole discretion of the Grants Management Committee. An individual researcher should not submit more than ONE application.

Participants agree to assume any and all risks, and to waive claims against Makerere University and the Grants Management Committee for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their participation in this grant implementation.

Evaluation and selection of projects: Applications will be reviewed by the GMC. Submission of an application does not mean the project must be funded. The GMC will evaluate five main aspects of the project:

• The alignment of the proposed research to national priorities as stipulated in the MakRIF research agenda
• Clear articulation of the knowledge gap and how the planned research will contribute to building new knowledge
• Quality of the proposal in terms of the relevance and innovativeness of the proposed solution, the planned activities and the articulation of a sound methodology
• Clear stipulation of outputs and outcomes and feasibility of tangible achievements within one year of funding
• Potential impact and transformativeness of the proposed research idea, especially in contributing to national development
• Submission of a realistic budget

Notification of successful applicants: Successful applicants will be informed by email to their designated point of contact.

Grant timeline:

Click here to apply Now

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Agriculture & Environment

Foodland project team holds dissemination meeting for stakeholders in wakiso district.

******Funded by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 programme, the main aim of the project was to develop, implement and validate innovative, scalable, and sustainable technologies to support the nutrition performance of local food systems in Africa. Held at Makerere University , the meeting served as a platform to sensitize stakeholders on the different products developed by the project, including smart farming technologies, nutrient-rich foods, and the nutritional recommendations for adults and the elderly. The meeting featured clinical screening, and the launch of a 30-day healthy diet challenge.

Africa’s food system is dominated by a number of challenges ranging from primary and seasonal production to poor quality produce, and limited access to markets.  In Africa, the use of outdated farming practices and the low adoption rate of improved agricultural technologies have contributed to low productivity. Issues such as monoculture, lack of crop rotation, and poor soil management are still prevalent across the Continent. Poor infrastructure in terms of roads, storage, and processing facilities limits access to markets and increases post-harvest losses. Moreover, many African farmers and other food systems-related businesses lack access to finance and credit facilities that would enable them to invest in improved agricultural technologies and inputs. (John Ulimwengu, FARMINGFIRST 2023).

In his presentation delivered at the AU Summit in Addis Ababa in 2023, FAO Director General, Dr. QU Dongyu highlighted the need for collective effort to support vulnerable communities with multiple and innovative solutions to build their resilience and transform agri-food systems to deliver better nutrition. Dr QU Dongyu warned that 1 billion people in Africa could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, and the impacts of the climate crisis, conflicts, the pandemic, and the war in Ukraine were raising levels of malnutrition and hunger. According to a joint report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, led by FAO, 281 million people in Africa are undernourished, nearly 60 million African children under 5 suffer from stunting, and 14 million suffer from wasting.   

Solutions to Challenges facing Africa’s food system

Launched in 2020 with the aim of developing, implementing and validating innovative, scalable, and sustainable technologies to support the nutrition performance of local food systems in Africa, Food and Local, Agricultural, and Nutritional Diversity (FoodLAND) Ugandan project team has come up with a number of initiatives that have tremendously transformed farming in rural communities in the country. Led by Prof. John Muyonga from the School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bio-engineering at Makerere University , the team has developed technologies for precision irrigation and fertigation, smart storage, rodent control, and value addition. Additionally, the team has established infrastructure at Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK) for research and training, and has trained over 100 farmers in the different technologies developed, supported the application of ecological principles to ensure sustainable agricultural production, developed nutrient enhanced food products such as noodles containing orange fleshed sweet potatoes and biofortified beans; instant flours containing orange fleshed sweet potatoes, biofortified beans and grain amaranth; and dry eggplant. The team has also developed nutritional guidelines for adults and the elderly. Uganda’s project team: Prof. John Muyonga and Prof. Johnny Mugisha from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Makerere University; Dr. Cassius Aruho, Dr. Puline Nakyewa, Dr. Margaret Masette, Dr. Getrude Atukunda, and Dr. Justus Rutaisire from NARO; Mr. Henry Nsereko from VEDCO; and Prof. Dorothy Nakimbugwe from Nutreal.

Funded to the tune of 7 million euros by the European Commission within the Horizon 2020 programme, and led by Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (Italy), FoodLAND project is committed to developing a range of innovations for local agriculture and aquaculture development, as well as to nudging consumers towards healthier eating behaviour in six African countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The project specifically aims to empower smallholder farmers and food operators, foster nutrition responsive and sustainable agro-biodiversity, reinforce the productivity and resilience of food supply chains, and create new market opportunities at both the local and global scales, thereby encouraging the flourishing of rural communities. These achievements are envisaged to benefit both African and European consumers by providing them with traditional-based, healthy, nutritious foods, while encouraging the diffusion of African diets and aiding the fight against malnutrition, particularly in women and children.

Project dissemination workshops

In July 2024, the team held workshops in the project areas of Kamuli and Nakaseke districts to sensitize farmers on the research recommendations, and train them on the technologies developed to support smart farming.

Stakeholders’ engagement/dissemination meeting in Wakiso District

On 29 th August 2024, the project team held a dissemination meeting for stakeholders within Wakiso District to sensitize them on the challenges affecting Africa’s food systems, particularly Uganda, and the measures undertaken by the project to address them. Held at Makerere University and attended by staff and students, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and NARO, and representatives of farmer groups, the meeting discussed a number of issues including the engineering innovations for precision irrigation and fertigation, smart storage (charcoal cooling blankets to prolong shelf-life), and rodent control system developed by the research team. The meeting also discussed producer and consumer behaviours, value addition, integrated aquaculture and bio-based packaging, and nutritional recommendations to minimize under-nutrition, malnutrition, and non-communicable diseases.

Presentations by the project team

Briefing participants on the project goal and objectives, Prof. John Muyonga, project coordinator in Uganda emphasized the need to address production and nutritional challenges along the entire value chain.

Delivering a presentation on producers and consumers’ behaviour, Prof. Johnny Mugisha noted that fear of risks was undermining uptake of innovations by the farmers. He highlighted the need for incentives to farmers to promote uptake, and called for support initiatives to reduce risks associated with long term investments such as climate change mitigation strategies. Additionally, Prof. Mugisha explained that the price of food or affordability was associated with consumer food choices, advocating for innovative models to distribute quality food to consumers at fair prices. The research also established that diets of rural women were greatly affected by their level of income, calling for initiatives to improve women’s income, and sensitization on good nutrition.

On behalf of Nutreal Ltd that led the value addition component on the project, Dr Dorothy Nakimbugwe, from the Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Makerere University , presented to participants the different nutrient-rich products developed. These include; orange fleshed sweet potato, bio-fortified beans, noodles, composite flours, and snacks/daddies. According to Dr Nakimbugwe, food processing improves nutrition and health and reduces post-harvest losses. “Consumption of the nutrient-enhanced foods contributes to higher dietary intake of key nutrients (protein and micronutrients e.g. iron and zinc), and can greatly reduce malnutrition. Reports from UNICEF indicate that malnutrition poses a significant barrier to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), affecting not only health but also education, economic prosperity, and societal well-being. In sub-Saharan Africa, over 30% of children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition. Uganda’s adult population also faces a malnutrition burden. In adults, under-nutrition and nutritional deficiencies lead to low productivity, poor health, and poor pregnancy outcomes.

Presenting the nutritional recommendations, Dr Richard Bukenya from the Department of Food Technology and Nutrition at Makerere University indicated that the causes of malnutrition were largely behavioural. According to the Global Nutrition Report of 2022, Uganda has shown limited progress towards achieving the diet-related non-communicable disease (NCD) targets. 10.4% of adult (aged 18 years and over) women and 2.3% of adult men are living with obesity. Uganda’s obesity prevalence is lower than the regional average of 20.8% for women and 9.2% for men. At the same time, diabetes is estimated to affect 5.6% of adult women and 5.6% of adult men. The 2018 Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) survey by the World Health Organization (WHO), also indicates an increase of diet related health conditions including obesity, diabetes, Cardio Vascular Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, and Cancer with up to 33% of deaths in Uganda related to these non-communicable diseases. The FoodLAND project has worked to supplement efforts by Government to reduce malnutrition. Following desk reviews and stakeholder engagements, the project developed 30 nutritional recommendations for adults and the elderly. These include; i) Daily consumption of locally available fruits and vegetables, whole starchy staples, and protein-rich foods including beans, peas, nuts, fish, eggs, and meat; ii) Limiting the consumption of fried foods, salt, alcohol, and sweetened beverages; iii) Hydrate with fluids, preferably water; iv) Regular engagement in moderate-intensity physical activity like brisk walking, digging, swimming, aerobics, and cycling; v) Undertaking medical examination at intervals of no longer than 6 months to facilitate timely detection and treatment of ailments like diabetes, hypertension, high plasma cholesterol and cancers.

Remarks by the Vice Chancellor

On behalf of the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University , the Deputy Director, Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, Prof. Julius Kikooma commended the project team for the initiative. “The research focus of the FoodLAND project is extremely important, especially for us as a country that is highly reliant on agriculture and yet faced with malnutrition, poor market access from agricultural products and the challenge of climate change. While Africa has potential to grow diversity of food, the continent suffers high levels of under-nutrition, nutritional deficiencies, food poisoning and has in recent decades also registered marked rise in prevalence of over-nutrition and associated non-communicable diseases,” he noted. He commended the project for being in line with the University’s 2020-2030 strategic plan, which seek, among others, to strengthen generation and uptake of knowledge and technologies that contribute to socio-economic transformation of people in Uganda and beyond.  He appreciated the European Commission for the support extended to the project.

MAAIF Representative

In his address, Mr.  Steven Byantware , MAAIF Director for Crop Resources, who represented the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) appreciated the project team for supporting government programmes intended to foster agro-industrialization and mechanisation of agriculture with the aim of transforming the country from subsistence to commercial farming. He urged the team to popularise the research findings through extensive dissemination programmes.

Director General – NARO

On behalf of the Director General of NARO, Dr. Sadik Kassim, Deputy Director General commended the partnership between Makerere and the organization. Highlighting the challenges posed by climate change and mechanization of agriculture, Dr. Kassim said the project is crucial in promoting agro-bio-diversity and nutrition bio-diversity. Regarding uptake and sustainability, he urged the project team to work with the government and private sector to strengthen the innovations. He equally appreciated the European Commission for funding the project.

In her remarks, the Dean, School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bio-engineering, Dr Julia Kigozi commended the project team for the initiative, saying it promotes the CAES innovation-intentional agenda.

The meeting featured testimonies by some of the farmers supported by the project who expressed gratitude, noting that their livelihoods had greatly transformed following the application of the knowledge acquired from the project.

Exhibition, clinical screening, and launch of a 30-day healthy diet challenge

On the side-lines of the dissemination meeting was an exhibition of the different products developed by the project team, and clinical screening as well as launch of a 30-day healthy diet challenge.

More about the project;

FoodLAND Project 4th Annual Meeting Takes Stock of Progress, Discusses Strategies for Future Implementation

FoodLAND Project Research Dissemination: Nakaseke District Farmers Sensitized on Modern Agricultural Practices & Proper Nutrition

CEES Researchers discover how Indigenous knowledge systems such as Ethnomathematics enhance teaching and learning school mathematics

On September 3, 2024, the College of Education and External Studies at Makerere University hosted a significant research dissemination event, presenting pioneering findings on integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) such as ethnomathematics in teaching and learning school mathematics. The research, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York through the Makerere University Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, highlighted innovative approaches to making mathematics education more relevant and accessible to students in Uganda.

Ethnomathematics is an interdisciplinary field that explores the relationship between mathematics and culture. It investigates how different cultural groups understand, articulate, and apply mathematical concepts in ways that are often unique to their traditions and everyday practices. Educators and researchers can bridge the gap between formal, academic mathematics and the diverse mathematical practices found in various cultural contexts by exploring ethnomathematics. This approach can serve as a powerful medium for teaching and learning mathematics, offering several benefits such as cultural relevance in education.

Ethnomathematics helps make mathematics more culturally relevant to students by connecting abstract mathematical concepts to their real-world experiences and cultural backgrounds. This relevance can increase student engagement, making mathematics feel more accessible and meaningful. For example, students from agricultural communities may better understand mathematical concepts when they are presented using traditional farming practices, such as crop rotation patterns or land measurement techniques.

The research, led by Dr. Marjorie Sarah Kabuye Batiibwe from the Department of Science Technical and Vocational Education, focused on how traditional practices such as mat and basket weaving can be incorporated into the secondary school mathematics curriculum. This approach, termed ethnomathematics, seeks to connect abstract mathematical concepts to the cultural practices familiar to students, thus enhancing their understanding and engagement with the subject.

Key Findings

The research revealed that the mathematical processes embedded in traditional activities like weaving are rich in concepts that align with the school mathematics curriculum. For instance, mat weaving incorporates geometrical concepts such as symmetry, parallel lines, and shapes, while basket weaving introduces students to patterns, sequences, and measurement techniques. These cultural activities can be used as teaching tools to make learning more hands-on and relatable.

Impact on Education

Julius Anthony Musinguzi, a Master’s student undertaking this research said, the study also demonstrated that students taught using these culturally relevant methods showed improved conceptual understanding and a more positive attitude toward mathematics. “The use of IKS in teaching not only made mathematics more engaging but also helped bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application,” he said.

Dr. Batiibwe’s research further proposed the development of a curriculum module that incorporates these ethnomathematical practices into the training of pre-service mathematics teachers. This module would equip future educators with the tools and strategies needed to integrate IKS into their teaching practices effectively.

The event concluded with a call to action for education stakeholders in Uganda to consider the integration of ethnomathematics into the national curriculum. This would not just preserve and promote indigenous knowledge but also improve the quality of mathematics education by making it more inclusive and contextually relevant.

Makerere University continues to be at the forefront of educational innovation, and this research marks a significant step towards redefining how mathematics is taught in Uganda, ensuring that it resonates with students from all cultural backgrounds.

Research team

• Principal Investigator: Marjorie Sarah Kabuye Batiibwe
• Mentor: Assoc. Prof. Betty Kivumbi Nannyonga (Department of Mathematics, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University )
• Master’s student: Julius Anthony Musinguzi (Master of Education in Science Education (Mathematics)

School of Education Holds Workshop on Reporting Research Findings for PhD Students

Kampala, August 30, 2024 —

The School of Education, Department of Languages at Makerere University , recently organized a highly impactful workshop aimed at enhancing the research skills of PhD students. The workshop, titled “Moving from Raw Data to Reporting Findings in Educational Research,” attracted over 40 doctoral candidates who are currently navigating the challenging terrain of academic research.

The event was graced by a distinguished panel of senior researchers who brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the discussion. The panel included Dr. Leah Sikoyo, Dr. Reymick Oketch, Dr. Nambi Rebecca, Dr. Badru Musisi, Dr. Nicholas Itaaga, and Dr. Michael Gallagher, a Senior Lecturer in Digital Education from the University of Edinburgh .

Theoretical Foundations in Research

A key point emphasized during the workshop was the importance of grounding research in a strong theoretical framework. The facilitators urged the PhD students to ensure that every piece of research draws from a relevant theory, which serves as a foundation for their study. “A theory is not just an academic requirement; it’s a lens through which you interpret your data and understand your findings,” said Dr. Leah Sikoyo, setting the tone for the day.

Navigating Research Methodologies

The workshop also delved deeply into the ongoing debate between quantitative and qualitative research methods. Dr. Sikoyo argued passionately that qualitative data collection is often more rigorous than its quantitative counterpart, as it requires a deep understanding of the context and the researcher’s ontological views must be clearly represented in the thesis. This approach ensures that the subjective nature of qualitative research is not lost, and that the findings truly reflect the nuanced realities of the study subjects.

On the other hand, Dr. Badru Musisi contributed to the discussion by distinguishing between mixed methods and multi-methods research. He explained that while mixed methods research combines qualitative and quantitative approaches in a single study, multi-methods research involves using multiple methods within the same research paradigm. “Understanding the distinction is crucial,” Dr. Musisi noted, “as it influences how you design your study and interpret your findings.”

Adding to the discussion, Dr. Reymick Oketch emphasized the critical role of statistical methods in data analysis, particularly within quantitative research. He highlighted that statistical tools enable researchers to uncover patterns, test hypotheses, and draw conclusions with a high degree of precision. “Incorporating statistical methods into your research allows for a more rigorous analysis of data, providing results that are both reliable and valid,” Dr. Oketch explained. He encouraged students to develop a strong foundation in statistical analysis to enhance the quality of their research outcomes.

Reporting Research Findings

One of the workshop’s highlights was a session led by Dr. Michael Gallagher, who provided practical guidance on presenting research findings effectively. Dr. Gallagher emphasized that research findings should directly answer the research questions posed at the outset of the study. He advised students to draw clear connections between their findings and the themes that emerged during the data analysis, ensuring that their conclusions are firmly grounded in both their data and the existing literature.

Dr. Gallagher also underscored the importance of transparency in reporting research methods. “Be sure to mention all the methods you used to collect data,” he advised. “This not only adds credibility to your research but also provides a roadmap for others who may wish to replicate your study.” He further encouraged PhD students to be reflexive in their analysis, emphasizing the importance of critically examining their own assumptions, biases, and perspectives throughout the research process. Reflexivity in research analysis involves being aware of how the researcher’s identity, experiences, and positioning might influence the interpretation of data and the outcomes of the study.

In a practical session, Dr. Nambi Rebecca introduced the students to a presentation model she code-named PEE —Point, Evidence, and Explanation. She explained that this model helps in structuring arguments logically and effectively. “Start with your Point, back it up with Evidence from your research, and then provide an Explanation that ties it all together,” Dr. Nambi advised. This approach, she noted, is especially useful when presenting complex research findings, as it ensures clarity and coherence in the delivery.

A Valuable Learning Experience

The workshop was lauded by participants for its practical focus and the opportunity to learn directly from seasoned researchers. “It was an eye-opening experience,” said one of the PhD students in attendance. “The insights shared will definitely shape how I approach my own research, especially in terms of grounding my work in theory and being more reflective in my analysis.”

As the event concluded, there was a palpable sense of empowerment among the PhD students, who left with a clearer understanding of how to navigate the complex journey from raw data to meaningful, well-reported research findings. The Department of Languages plans to continue offering such workshops to support the academic growth of its doctoral candidates, ensuring they are well-equipped to contribute to the field of educational research.

The School of Education’s commitment to fostering academic excellence and research rigor is evident through such initiatives. As the doctoral candidates move forward in their research endeavors, the lessons learned from this workshop will undoubtedly serve as a valuable guide, helping them to produce high-quality research that not only advances their academic careers but also contributes to the broader field of education.

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Six New Research Grants to Build Theory and Evidence in our Focus Areas

We are proud to announce six new research grants, totaling over $2.8 million, in support of four studies on ways to reduce inequality in youth outcomes and two studies on strategies for improving the use of research evidence in ways that benefit young people. Approved at the most recent meeting of the Foundation’s Trustees, these grants will help build theory and empirical evidence in our two focus areas.

Among the grants focused on reducing inequality include studies investigating whether state policies requiring students to take advanced high school courses reduce racial and gender inequalities in advanced course-taking; whether permanently expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit would reduce racial income inequality among young adults; how mixed-income neighborhood initiatives improve educational opportunities and outcomes for Black youth from low-income families; and whether brief psychological interventions that improved short-term academic outcomes among Black and Latinx secondary students have longer-term effects.

The grants on improving the use of research evidence will examine the use of research evidence in mental health clinical supervision and treatment activities, and its downstream impact on youth outcomes; and assess whether and how using a decision-making tool, the Discrete Event Simulation model, will improve the local relevance and use of research evidence for school-based mental health decision-making.

“We are excited that these studies seek to tackle inequalities in a range of ways—from federal and state policy to neighborhood housing initiatives to individual-level interventions. These studies will deepen our bodies of knowledge on how to reduce inequality among young people in the United States,” said Senior Program Officer Jenny Irons, who oversees grants in the reducing inequality focus area.

“Research evidence can play a critical role in shaping and informing policies that improve the lives of young people. As more youth experience mental health challenges, these two studies will contribute greatly to our understanding of strategies to improve use of research evidence among decision-makers at community and school-based mental health systems,” said Program Officer Anupreet Sidhu, who oversees grants on improving the use of research evidence.

Focus Area: Reducing Inequality

Changed Mindsets, Changed Futures? Enduring Effects of Two Social-Psychological Interventions Do brief psychological interventions designed to mitigate identity threats among Black and Latinx secondary students have enduring effects that reduce academic inequalities?

Geoffrey Borman, Arizona State University 9/1/2024–8/31/2026, $225,365

The transition to middle school can be challenging for adolescents, especially for Black and Latinx students, who are simultaneously navigating a critical phase of racial and ethnic identity formation, as well as possibly confronting negative racial stereotypes about their academic performance and negotiating an environment in which they feel they do not fully belong. Borman and colleagues will investigate whether brief psychological interventions that improved academic outcomes in the short term for Black and Latinx students compared to White and Asian students have longer-term effects. This study will build on prior district-wide, student-level randomized trials of two middle school interventions, one that affirms an individual’s personal values to mitigate negative stereotypes about identity and another that seeks to improve one’s sense of belonging in school. Using newly available longitudinal student-level administrative data, Borman and colleagues will employ multi-level models to examine whether the two interventions, delivered in double-blind randomized controlled trials when students were in 6th and 7th grade, have positive effects on on-time graduation rates in 12th grade, longitudinal GPA, and suspension counts. Findings will inform the scaling up of the interventions to nationally representative samples.

How State Policy Affects Racial/Ethnic and Gender Equity in Advanced Course-taking Do state high school course-level graduation requirements reduce racial, ethnic, and gender inequalities in students’ advanced course-taking?

Jamie Carroll and Douglas Harris, Tulane University 8/1/2024–7/31/2027, $340,757

Taking advanced courses, which require critical thinking and problem-solving skills, is a strong predictor of post-secondary success for high school students, especially for those who pursue STEM majors and careers. Yet, due to factors between and within schools, such as school financial resources and stereotypes, rates of advanced course taking are lower for Black and Latinx students than their White peers, and rates of taking advanced STEM courses are lower for girls than boys. Carroll and colleagues will use a difference-in-differences approach to examine whether state policies that require students to take advanced high school courses, especially Algebra II and Physics, reduce racial and gender inequalities in advanced course-taking. The team will examine rates of course-taking within racial, ethnic, and gender groups; investigate the relative risk of completing an advanced course between groups to determine whether the policies have gap-closing effects; and evaluate heterogeneity in the impact of state requirements by school characteristics and across racial, ethnic, and gender groups. Findings will provide evidence on the potential of state policies to reduce inequalities in high school and ultimately improve post-secondary outcomes.

How do Mixed-Income Neighborhood Initiatives Reduce Educational Inequality for Low-Income Black Youth? How do mixed-income neighborhood initiatives improve educational opportunities and outcomes for Black youth from low-income families?

Sarah Lenhoff, Wayne State University; Huriya Jabbar, University of Southern California; DeMarcus Jenkins, University of Pennsylvania; Kara S. Finnigan, University of Michigan 8/1/2024–7/31/2027, $600,000

The legacy of systemic inequality in housing and neighborhood development has contributed to a persistent educational opportunity gap between Black and White students. Federally sponsored housing programs have sought to address these barriers by disrupting concentrated poverty and racial segregation, but one challenge has been their focus on housing, rather than neighborhood conditions like access to information and resources. HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) was established to address these limitations by strengthening community social cohesion through cross-sector collaboration. Leveraging the community-engaged research infrastructure of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research (PEER), Lenhoff and colleagues will ask whether CNI can mitigate educational disparities created by a legacy of systemic inequality in housing and neighborhood development. In a longitudinal mixed-methods study, the team will examine whether key components of CNI, including improved and expanded housing, opportunities for building neighborhood cohesion, and educational supports, improve educational opportunities for Black youth from low-income families by transforming their social networks. Findings will provide an in-depth examination of the processes through which such initiatives create, deepen, or disrupt social ties and shed light on the promise of cross-sector initiatives to reduce inequalities.

Assessing the Effect on Inequality of a Childless EITC Expansion for Young Adults Would a permanent expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit to young adults without children reduce racial and ethnic income inequality?

Laura Wheaton and Robert McClelland, The Urban Institute 7/1/2024–12/31/2026, $326,365

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) provides substantial benefits to low-income working families with children and has been found to reduce Black–White income inequality, but individuals without resident children receive very little benefit and are ineligible if under the age of 25. Young adults tend to “fall through the cracks” in safety net programs in part due to the assumption that they have access to parental resources. Wheaton and colleagues will examine whether the temporary expansion of the EITC in 2021 and a potential permanent expansion of the EITC would reduce racial income inequality among young adults. They will also examine the benefits and drawbacks of different methods of measuring the effect of a policy change on inequality. The study will use the Urban Institute’s TRIM3 microsimulation model, a comprehensive model of the U.S. social safety net that simulates the major benefit and tax programs, including the EITC, applied to data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The team plans to produce a policy paper and a methodological paper, and they will distribute findings through the Urban Institute’s Department of Communications and the Brookings Institute Tax Policy Center.

Focus Area: Improving the Use of Research Evidence

Microecological Influences of Supervision on URE in Children’s Mental Health: Secondary Analysis of the Child STEPs in California Randomized Effectiveness Trial How do clinical supervisory decisions improve the use of research evidence in mental health treatment activities and youth mental health outcomes?

Bruce Chorpita, University of California, Los Angeles; Deborah McGuiness, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Kimberly Becker, University of South Carolina 7/1/2024–6/30/2026, $379,984

Despite an increase in mental health conditions among children in the past decade and an extensive research evidence base on effective treatments, service organizations and providers continue to struggle to incorporate research evidence into routine mental health care, leading to inefficiencies and, ultimately, lower quality of life for children. Chorpita and colleagues will examine the use of research evidence in clinical supervision activities and subsequent treatment sessions and the downstream implications of such use on youth outcomes. The team will leverage and newly code a rich dataset from a trial of Child System and Treatment Enhancement Projects (STEPs) in California, which included extensive records of supervision and treatment activities and youth outcomes. They propose secondary data analysis using mixed effects regression models to examine how the supervisory “microecology” facilitates the use of research evidence in treatment activities and their association with weekly clinical youth outcomes. The project will analyze documentation from supervision meetings that were a part of a large randomized clinical trial for anxiety, trauma, depression and conduct problems for a diverse group of youth between ages 5-15 in a large public mental health system.

Utilizing Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to Improve the Use and Relevance of Research Evidence to Inform School Mental Health Services Does utilizing a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model improve the local relevance and use of research evidence for school-based mental health decision-making?

Nathaniel von der Embse and Ken Christensen, University of South Florida; Stephen Kilgus, University of Wisconsin-Madison 9/1/2024–8/31/2027, $950,000

Given rising student mental health concerns, there is a need for efficacious school mental health services. However, school decision-makers inconsistently utilize research evidence when selecting services, preferring guidance from peers and colleagues. The DES decision-making software acts as an information broker to make research evidence more relevant to a local school administrator by simulating how various intervention and assessment choices will result in the use of school resources, including the time, cost, and effectiveness of the treatment. von der Embse and colleagues propose a three-year mixed-methods study to validate the DES software and test strategies to improve the use of research evidence using the DES model. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: DES model with technical assistance condition, DES model with information only condition, and a business-as-usual condition. The team will share a series of white papers and policy briefs with federal and state-level policymakers, do a joint release of the DES as a free tool within the Florida Department of Education and Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction websites, make the DES model accessible to school and district administrators widely, and provide technical assistance guides for researchers through the national School Mental Health Collaborative.

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• Improving the Use of Research Evidence

September 13, 2024

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• September 3, 2024 - Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE) Program (UE5/T34). See NOFO PAR-24-236 . 
• September 3, 2024 - Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE) Program (UE5/T32). See NOFO PAR-24-235 .

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) will host an informational webinar to provide advice and respond to questions from prospective applicants to PAR-24-236 “Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE) Program (UE5/T34)” and PAR-24-235 “Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE) Program (UE5/T32)".

Webinar Information

Date: Monday, October 21, 2024

Time: 3:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time

Please click this URL to join the meeting :  https://nih.zoomgov.com/j/1612295964?pwd=2PAyQNPIMuf2ZONinxSD9dogOyNbb0.1

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Participation in the webinar, although encouraged, is optional and is not required for the submission of an application. Advanced registration is not required. Please send program-specific questions to the NIGMS staff listed below.

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The YCCI Program will be open to ALL pre-doctoral applicants training across the full span of clinical and translational research. All applications will be accepted and reviewed based on scientific merit.

All Applicant Category: Multidisciplinary Pre-Doctoral Training Program in Translational Research

The Multidisciplinary Pre-Doctoral Training Program in Translational Research aims to identify and support a representative and diverse group of outstanding trainees who specifically want to pursue careers in clinical and translational research; to train them in the use of state-of-the-art research tools; to enhance their abilities to work collaboratively in complex multidisciplinary research teams; to provide outstanding mentoring (including concordant mentoring) by experienced and diverse faculty that support the trainee’s long-term professional development. Pre-doctoral students from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Engineering and Applied Science, or other appropriate departments in the graduate school in training across the full span of clinical and translational research focused on human health are encouraged to apply. The program will tap into Yale’s established educational leadership team, who has a diverse background in clinical and translational research, as well as expertise in the evaluation and dynamic reshaping of medical education programs. The leadership will work directly with both the trainees and their mentors to promote multidisciplinary team-based research that addresses complex medical and/or societal aspects of health and healthcare delivery in the US and around the world.

Funded by the Yale CTSA, this program focuses on providing students the opportunity to develop and participate in multidisciplinary team research with the mentorship of Yale faculty in two or more disciplines. Students in the program will:

• Identify a research question related to patient or public health with aims that should be achievable in one year.
• Establish a mentoring team comprised of both primary and secondary mentors that come from distinct disciplines that work as a team to address the research question. An example would be a primary mentor from Medicine or Nursing and a secondary Mentor from Biomedical Engineering or Public Health.
• Gain clinical or laboratory research experience under the mentorship of the mentoring team.
• Meet with one of the Co-Directors of Education at least once annually.
• Interact with Yale physician-scientists, PhD investigators, pre and postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.
• Participate in the YCCI research in progress and ROCATS team science orientation activities.
• Attend appropriate institutional lectures, departmental conferences, and lab meetings.

Research projects reflect a broad-based perspective on the entire research cycle from discovery to development to delivery of care. Project areas include laboratory bench research, clinical research, biostatistics, and epidemiology, among many others. Awards will be for one year, with the option to apply for a second year of support.

Special Emphasis

Promotion of health equity research.

The YCCI strongly advocates for research that will guide healthcare systems in ways to improve the health outcomes of all individuals. Health equity research is a portfolio of activities across the translational research spectrum that moves beyond documenting existing group disparities in health outcomes and healthcare delivery to generating solutions through the application of novel approaches. Rather than being confined to the study of static population subgroups, health equity research interrogates the dynamic, cumulative, and interrelated structures of power, environmental conditions, and economic systems that produce unequal population health. Health equity research also identifies and highlights protective factors that are traditionally undervalued and understudied. Health equity research is grounded in rigorous interdisciplinary research methodologies and centers on the valued contributions and engagement of diverse stakeholders across all phases of research activity. We recognize our institutional responsibility to prioritize research that is responsive to communities and to create dynamic structures that support a unified mission to advance health equity and justice. Applicants whose focus is on developing expertise in health equity research are encouraged to apply for this postdoctoral program and, if awarded, will be supported for one year, with the option to apply for a second year of support.

Promotion of Diversity in Translational Research

The YCCI is committed to attracting outstanding trainees who are members of populations that are underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce and who want to pursue careers in any type of translational research. Translational research includes clinically-based, laboratory-based, population-based, or community-based research that is focused on understanding or treating human diseases. Such applicants will be a member of a population identified by NIH as underrepresented in the U.S. biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences research enterprise (see NIH NOT-OD-20-031 ). Awardees will receive training in the use of state-of-the-art research tools; training to enhance their abilities to work collaboratively in complex multidisciplinary research teams; and outstanding mentoring (including concordant mentoring) by experienced and diverse faculty that will support the junior faculty member’s long-term professional development, including connecting diverse individuals to support networks. We will also provide access to resources for retention and the elimination of barriers to career transition.

Community-Engaged Research and Implementation Science

We encourage applications from persons who are conducting community-engaged research or are working on implementation science. Community-engaged research is generally considered to involve working collaboratively with groups of people who are geographically colocalized or share a special interest or similar situations to each other in order to address issues affecting the well-being of those people. Implementation Science involves the study of methods that can be used to promote the adoption and integration of evidence-based practices, interventions, and policies into routine health care in order to improve overall population health.

• Due date for applications in all areas: Friday, March 8, 2024, at 5:00 PM
• Earliest anticipated start date: Saturday, June 1, 2024

Eligibility

• Applicants must be Yale students actively enrolled in and in good standing in the MD program, the MD-PhD program, or a PhD program.
• Applicants who are working toward their PhD degree must have passed their qualifying examinations by the anticipated start date and be projected to remain in the PhD program for the duration of the year award.
• Program awardees who have already received 2 years of support are not eligible to apply.
• Candidates must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
• NRSA support at the predoctoral level via institutional training grants or individual fellowship awards is limited to 5 years. Candidates may have no more than 4 years of NRSA support prior to beginning the program.

Please see the Request for Applications below for the full list of requirements and additional terms of the award.

Application Information Webinar

2024 ycci multidisciplinary pre-doctoral & post-doctoral training programs applicant information webinar.

This webinar is for prospective applicants to learn more about the awards, eligibility, application process, and program requirements. Recorded on January 11, 2024.

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• General & Introductory Life Sciences

Research Ethics for Scientists: A Companion for Students, 2nd Edition

ISBN: 978-1-119-83788-6

August 2023

Digital Evaluation Copy

C. Neal Stewart Jr.

A fully updated textbook helping advanced students and young scientists navigate the ethical challenges that are common to scientific researchers in academia

As the number of scientific journals, government regulations, and institutional guidelines continue to grow, research scientists are increasingly facing ethical dilemmas. Even seasoned and honest scientists can unintentionally commit research misconduct or fail to detect and address intentional misbehavior.

Research Ethics for Scientists is an authoritative “how-to” guide that clearly outlines best practices in scientific research. Critically examining the key problems that arise in research management and practice, this real-world handbook helps students and young scientists conduct scientific research that adheres to the highest ethical standards. Accessible chapters, logically organized into functional themes and units, cover all the major areas that are crucial for sustained success in science: ideas, people, data, publications, and funding.

The second edition offers new and updated content throughout, including discussions of recent innovations to detect and adjudicate research misconduct, vulnerabilities in research practices that were exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and new methods people are using to cheat the system and skew the peer review process. Entirely new case studies focus on harassment and bullying in training and mentorship, anti-science and pseudoscience, equality and equity issues, the fabrication of data, and more. This edition integrates gender, race, student training, and other important social issues throughout.

• Presents up-to-date coverage of growing issues such as the ethics of rushing to publish
• Discusses the use of text-similarity detecting software to reveal plagiarism and image analysis techniques for detecting data and image manipulation
• Features new material on current trends such as universal open access (OA) publishing, increased research metrics, new models for peer review, working for multiple employers, and “shadow labs” for individual scientists
• Includes access to a companion website with PowerPoint slides of case studies and figures

Written by an experienced researcher and PhD mentor, Research Ethics for Scientists: A Companion for Students, Second Edition is an indispensable resource for graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, early-career professors, and scientists involved in teaching scientists-in-training.

C. Neal Stewart, Jr. is Ivan Racheff Chaired Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, USA. He teaches a graduate-level research ethics course that focuses on best practices in research that are portable among different areas of biology, medicine, and agriculture.

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Archived funding opportunity

Nsf 23-502: cultural anthropology program - doctoral dissertation research improvement grants (ca-ddrig), program solicitation, document information, document history.

• Posted: October 12, 2022
• Replaces: NSF 19-560
• Replaced by: NSF 24-605

Program Solicitation NSF 23-502

Full Proposal Target Date(s) :

     January 17, 2023

     January 15, Annually Thereafter

     August 15, 2023

     August 15, Annually Thereafter

Important Information And Revision Notes

• This solicitation provides instructions for preparation of proposals submitted to the Cultural Anthropology Program (CA) for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG).
• This revision increases the direct cost limit for DDRIG proposals to $25,000.
• This revision eliminates the requirement that a PI Letter be included as a supplementary document attached to the proposal.
• This revision does not alter the restriction that a DDRIG proposal may only be re-submitted once without a waiver for an additional submission.
• This revision reaffirms the explanation of NSF's mission to support fundamental research, rather than applied research, or descriptive ethnographic work with primarily humanistic objectives, or non-generalizable data collection centered on describing a particular ethnographic site or sites.
• The revision includes additional guidelines related to the inclusion of a well-developed data analysis plan in the project description.
• The revision includes additional guidelines related to the inclusion of a clear and systematic sampling strategy in the research plan.
• The revision includes additional budgetary guidance.
• Additional solicitation-specific guidelines are described in the proposal preparation and submission instructions below. Failure to comply with the CA-DDRIG solicitation-specific instructions may result in a proposal being returned without review.

Innovating and migrating proposal preparation and submission capabilities from FastLane to Research.gov is part of the ongoing NSF information technology modernization efforts, as described in Important Notice No. 147 . In support of these efforts, proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation must be prepared and submitted via Research.gov or via Grants.gov and may not be prepared or submitted via FastLane.

Any proposal submitted in response to this solicitation should be submitted in accordance with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. The NSF PAPPG is regularly revised and it is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets the requirements specified in this solicitation and the applicable version of the PAPPG. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Summary Of Program Requirements

General information.

Program Title:

Cultural Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (CA-DDRIG)

The primary objective of the Cultural Anthropology Program is to support basic scientific research on the causes, consequences and complexities of human social and cultural variability. Contemporary cultural anthropology is an arena in which diverse research traditions and methodologies are valid in investigations of human cultural variation. Recognizing the breadth of the field's contributions to science, the Cultural Anthropology Program welcomes proposals for empirically grounded, theoretically engaged and methodologically sophisticated research in all sub-fields of cultural anthropology. Because the National Science Foundation's mission is to support basic research, the NSF Cultural Anthropology Program does not fund research that takes as its primary goal improved clinical practice, humanistic understanding or applied policy. A proposal that applies anthropological methods to a social problem but does not propose how that problem provides an opportunity to make a theory-testing and/or theory-expanding contribution to anthropology will be returned without review. Program research priorities include, but are not limited to, research that increases our understanding of: Sociocultural drivers of critical anthropogenic processes such as deforestation, desertification, land cover change, urbanization and poverty. Resilience and robustness of sociocultural systems. Scientific principles underlying conflict, cooperation and altruism, as well as explanations of variation in culture, norms, behaviors and institutions. Economy, culture, migration and globalization. Variability and change in kinship and family norms and practices. General cultural and social principles underlining the drivers of health outcomes and disease transmission. Biocultural work that considers the nexus of human culture and its relationship with human biology. Social regulation, governmentality and violence. Origins of complexity in sociocultural systems. Language and culture: orality and literacy, sociolinguistics and cognition. Theoretically-informed approaches to co-production in relation to scientific understandings of human variability and environmental stewardship. Mathematical and computational models of sociocultural systems such as social network analysis, agent-based models, multi-level models, and modes that integrate agent-based simulations and geographic information systems (GIS). As part of its effort to encourage and support projects that explicitly integrate education and basic research, CA provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation projects designed and carried out by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. institutions of higher education who are conducting scientific research that enhances basic scientific knowledge.

Cognizant Program Officer(s):

Please note that the following information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

• Jeffrey Mantz, Program Director, W13148, telephone: (703) 292-7783, email: [email protected]
• Jeremy Koster, Program Director, telephone: (703) 292-8740, email: [email protected]
• Tarini Bedi, Program Director, telephone: (703) 292-8740, email: [email protected]
• Angelica T. Brewer, Program Specialist, telephone: (703) 292-4636, email: [email protected]
• 47.075 --- Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences

Award Information

Anticipated Type of Award: Standard Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: 40 to 50

During a fiscal year, Cultural Anthropology expects to recommend (either on its own or jointly with one or more other NSF programs) a total of 40-50 doctoral dissertation research improvement (DDRIG) awards.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $800,000

Anticipated Funding Amount is $800,000 pending availability of funds. Project budgets should be developed at scales appropriate for the work to be conducted. The total direct costs for CA DDRIG awards may not exceed $25,000; applicable indirect costs are in addition to (that is, on top of) that amount.

The proposer may concurrently submit a doctoral dissertation proposal to other funding organizations. Please indicate this in the "Current and Pending Support" section of the NSF proposal, so that NSF may coordinate funding with the other organizations. The "Current and Pending Support" section of the NSF proposal should also list the proposal itself. The proposer may submit a DDRIG proposal to only one NSF program although they may request that the proposal be co-reviewed with one or more other NSF programs; actual co-review will be at the discretion of the relevant program officers.

Eligibility Information

Who May Submit Proposals:

Proposals may only be submitted by the following: Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - doctoral degree granting IHEs accredited in, and having a campus located in, the U.S., acting on behalf of their faculty members.

Who May Serve as PI:

The proposal must be submitted through regular organizational channels by the dissertation advisor(s) on behalf of the graduate student. The advisor is the principal investigator (PI); the student is the co-principal investigator (co-PI). The student must be the author of the proposal. The student must be enrolled at a U.S. institution, but need not be a U.S. citizen. To be eligible to serve as the PI, the advisor must be available during the period of submission, review, and performance of the research to relay information and communications from NSF to the student.

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization:

There are no restrictions or limits.

Limit on Number of Proposals per PI or co-PI:

There are no limitations on the number of DDRIGs that may be submitted by an organization on behalf of a single faculty member during a specific competition or over the course of their career. But an organization may submit only two proposals (an original submission and if necessary a resubmission) for a particular student over the student's career, barring special dispensation from the Cultural Anthropology Program for an additional resubmission. Such dispensations are exclusively at the discretion of the CA Program Officer(s). A student and their advisor therefore should carefully consider at what point during the student's graduate program the student is ready to submit a DDRIG proposal, keeping in mind that proposal processing normally takes approximately six months.

Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions

A. proposal preparation instructions.

• Letters of Intent: Not required
• Preliminary Proposal Submission: Not required
• Full Proposals submitted via Research.gov: ; NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) guidelines apply. The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg .
• Full Proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov guidelines apply (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide ).

B. Budgetary Information

Not Applicable

C. Due Dates

Proposal review information criteria.

Merit Review Criteria:

National Science Board approved criteria apply.

Award Administration Information

Award Conditions:

Standard NSF award conditions apply.

Reporting Requirements:

Standard NSF reporting requirements apply.

I. Introduction

The Cultural Anthropology Program awards Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs) in all areas of cultural anthropological science supported by the program. The primary objective of the Cultural Anthropology Program is to support basic scientific research on the causes, consequences and complexities of human social and cultural variability. DDRIGs support the development of the next generation of cultural anthropologists to pursue those questions.

Contemporary cultural anthropology is an arena in which diverse research traditions and methodologies are valid in investigations of human cultural variation. Recognizing the breadth of the field's contributions to science, the Cultural Anthropology Program welcomes proposals for empirically grounded, theoretically engaged and methodologically sophisticated research in all sub-fields of cultural anthropology. Because the National Science Foundation's mission is to support basic research, the NSF Cultural Anthropology Program does not fund research that takes as its primary goal improved clinical practice, humanistic understanding or applied policy. Program research priorities include, but are not limited to, research that increases our understanding of:

• Sociocultural drivers of critical anthropogenic processes such as deforestation, desertification, land cover change, urbanization and poverty.
• Resilience and robustness of sociocultural systems.
• Scientific principles underlying conflict, cooperation and altruism, as well as explanations of variation in culture, norms, behaviors and institutions.
• Economy, culture, migration and globalization.
• Variability and change in kinship and family norms and practices.
• General cultural and social principles underlining the drivers of health outcomes and disease transmission.
• Biocultural work that considers the nexus of human culture and its relationship with human biology.
• Social regulation, governmentality and violence.
• Origins of complexity in sociocultural systems.
• Language and culture: orality and literacy, sociolinguistics and cognition.
• Theoretically informed approaches to co-production in relation to scientific understandings of human variability and environmental stewardship.
• Mathematical and computational models of sociocultural systems such as social network analysis, agent-based models, multi-level models, and modes that integrate agent-based simulations and geographic information systems (GIS).

II. Program Description

CA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants provide funds for items not usually available from the student's U.S. academic institution. The awards are not intended to provide the full costs of a student's doctoral dissertation research. Funds may be used for valid research expenses. The funds may not be used for post-field research writing, analysis and thesis production costs. Funds may not be used for stipends, tuition or the purchase of textbooks or journals. Further details concerning allowable as well as non-allowable expenses can be found in the budgetary information section of this solicitation.

While NSF provides support for doctoral dissertation research, the student (co-PI) is solely responsible for the conduct of such research and preparation of results for publication. NSF, therefore, does not assume responsibility for such findings or their interpretation. This program does not support research with applied, disease-related goals, including research directly focused on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of disease or dysfunction.

III. Award Information

Estimated program budget, number of awards and average award size/duration are subject to the availability of funds.

IV. Eligibility Information

V. proposal preparation and submission instructions.

Full Proposal Preparation Instructions : Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this Program Solicitation via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

• Full Proposals submitted via Research.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the general guidelines contained in the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG). The complete text of the PAPPG is available electronically on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg . Paper copies of the PAPPG may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from [email protected] . The Prepare New Proposal setup will prompt you for the program solicitation number.
• Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation via Grants.gov should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov . The complete text of the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: ( https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide ). To obtain copies of the Application Guide and Application Forms Package, click on the Apply tab on the Grants.gov site, then click on the Apply Step 1: Download a Grant Application Package and Application Instructions link and enter the funding opportunity number, (the program solicitation number without the NSF prefix) and press the Download Package button. Paper copies of the Grants.gov Application Guide also may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from [email protected] .

See PAPPG Chapter II.C.2 for guidance on the required sections of a full research proposal submitted to NSF. Please note that the proposal preparation instructions provided in this program solicitation may deviate from the PAPPG instructions.

In addition to the guidelines in the PAPPG or NSF Grants.gov Application Guide, specific instructions for Cultural Anthropology (CA) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant (DDRIG) proposals are:

Proposal Set-Up

Select "Prepare New Full Proposal" in Research.gov. Search for and select this solicitation title in Step 1 of the Full Proposal wizard. The information in Step 2, Where to Apply, will be pre-populated by the system. Select "Research" as the proposal type. In the proposal details section, select "Single proposal (with or without subawards). Separately submitted collaborative proposals will be returned without review. The project title must begin with "Doctoral Dissertation Research:". The title should be descriptive rather than clever. It should emphasize the generalizable science that the research will address, such as the main research question that the student aims to investigate.

You may select additional programs if you would like those programs to consider co-review of your proposal with Cultural Anthropology. After the proposal is created click on the 'Manage Where to Apply" link on the proposal main page. This will open the "Manage Where to Apply" page where additional programs can be selected. Note that a request for co-review should be made only when the PIs believe the proposed work makes a strong case for advancing theory and basic knowledge in multiple communities served by multiple programs and when the project description engages literature from those communities. Methods that are relevant to other programs are not sufficient to merit co-review; the contribution must be theoretical and scientific. Not all standing programs support the co-review of DDRIG proposals. You should verify that the proposed program is willing to co-review a DDRIG proposal.

Senior Personnel

List the primary dissertation advisor as the "PI" and the student as the "co-PI."

Cover Sheet

• Mark human subjects as pending, approved or exempted.

Project Description

• This section is limited to 10 single-spaced pages of text.
• If the proposal is a resubmission, the first paragraph of the project description must summarize how the proposal has responded to previous reviewer concerns.
• The "Results from Prior NSF Support" section is NOT required for DDRIG proposals.
• A statement of the research problem and its scientific importance, specific aims, questions or hypotheses. The research questions or hypotheses must be empirically driven. Arguments that are not subject to falsification via empirical discovery and data analysis will be returned without review. Projects that are motivated strictly by philosophical or humanistic questions, or that source information in service of a particular theoretical position (without putting that theoretical position at risk of falsification through data collection and analysis), will also be judged to be unsuitable for funding and returned without review.
• A section addressing intellectual merit (we recommend you clearly label it in a way that highlights the basic scientific value of the project, e.g., "intellectual merit," "scientific generalizability," or "scientific merit"). This section should describe the project's potential contribution to advancing anthropological theory beyond the site and context of the project itself. It should include a focused review of what is thought to be known about the topic of study and a clear statement of what the project's original contribution will be and why that contribution will be significant. Proposals that list areas of scholarship without reference to the specific means by which theory will be tested, queried or advanced are not sufficient. The project description must describe the project's potential contribution to advancing anthropological theory beyond the site and context of the project itself. Projects that are focused narrowly on the sociological or cultural context of a particular site that fail to frame the project in terms of a larger, generalizable set of questions will be returned without review.
• A section labeled broader impacts that discusses the broader impacts of the proposed activities and the pathways by which those broader impacts will be realized. Broader impacts are significant effects beyond basic science. They might include communicating results to policy makers, contributing to the knowledge base to solve an important social problem, engaging students of any age in the research enterprise, doing outreach to the public, producing databases that contribute to scientific infrastructure, strengthening international research collaborations, broadening the scientific participation of underrepresented communities, or strengthening research capacity in developing nations. Partisan activities explicitly related to advocacy and/or activism should not be included.
• A discussion of any preliminary studies performed by the student, the results of those studies and how they inform the project.
• An account of whether the student has the relevant technical training, language competence and other preparation necessary to make the project feasible. This must also include an explanation of how the student has obtained the relevant methodological training (at their institution or elsewhere) to conduct a scientific research project.
• A statement of steps taken to ensure objectivity given student positionality with respect to their research site(s), question(s) and hypotheses;
• A research design that includes a discussion of the research site(s) and source(s) of data, the methods by which data will be collected to answer the questions or test hypotheses posed by the proposal, and the reasons those methods are the most appropriate.
• A clear description of the systematic strategy that will be used to recruit research participants (i.e., sample design) and a justified estimate of the sample size necessary to achieve research objectives. Research sample design and estimates of sample size should be carefully described; the researcher should explain how these strategies mitigate sampling bias, omitted variables and confirmation biases.
• A well-developed data analysis plan (usually one page in length) that explains how the data will be systematically analyzed to address the specific research questions, aims or hypotheses posed within the proposal.
• A research schedule or timeline that includes the date that funds are required.

Budget and Budget Justification

• The budget justification pages should be used to detail and explain the rationale for each item requested.
• Travel expenses may include food and lodging as well as transportation while the researcher is living away from their normal place of residence. All travel expenses should be requested under "Travel - Domestic" or "Travel - Foreign."
• All other expenses should be requested under "Other Direct Costs."
• No items may be budgeted under "Consultants" or "Subawards". If casual or itinerant labor is being requested to assist in data collection activities (e.g., the hiring of local field assistants at a research site), this may be budgeted under "Other Direct Costs."
• Incentive payments to research participants to participate in the study should be budgeted under "Other Direct Costs." These should not be described as "gifts."
• Any software requested should be at academic pricing where available.
• Salaries or stipends for the graduate student or the advisor are not eligible for support. Therefore, after the PI and Co-PI(s) are entered on the cover page, their names must be manually removed from the senior personnel listing on the budget pages. This is to avoid construal as voluntary committed cost sharing, which is not permitted.

Facilities, Equipment & Other Resources

• If you have resources (such as a research awards from another sources) that will be used to supplement any NSF award, those resources should be listed here (rather than in the budget justification).

Data Management Plan

A data management plan (DMP) is required for all research proposals, and proposals that do not include one will not be able to be submitted. The DMP should address the following questions:

• What kinds of data, software and other materials will your research produce?
• How will you manage them (e.g., standards for metadata, format, organization, etc.)?
• How will you give other researchers access to your data, while preserving confidentiality, security, intellectual property and other rights and requirements?
• How will you archive data and preserve access in publicly accessible and institutionally maintained repositories in the short and the long term? (A departmental website is not adequate.)

PIs are encouraged to consult the American Anthropological Association's (AAA) Statement on Professional Ethics , Section 5: Make Your Results Accessible, and Section 6: Protect and Preserve Your Records, as well as the AAA's data management course modules . In addition to describing the AAA's practice standards, these web pages include links to other helpful resources on data management. PIs who plan to use a standard archive, such as the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) archive housed at the University of Michigan, Harvard University's Dataverse or the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) at Syracuse University, are strongly advised to contact the archive before undertaking the research to ascertain any specific requirements for permissions or metadata, which would require advance planning. The AAA maintains a wiki where researchers can identify where their data are archived or deposited. We recommend use of this facility to enhance data sharing.

Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations as part of the proposal process must contact the NSF Office of Equity and Civil Rights (OECR) at least 30 days prior to the proposal target date.

Supplementary Documentation

• Up to two pages of technical illustrations, maps, or sample survey questions may be included as a supplementary document.
• If the project's success depends on access to a non-public site (such as a clinic, Native American or Indigenous territory or business), PIs are advised to obtain a letter providing that access. This should not be an endorsement of the proposal. Please use this template:

To: NSF _________(Program Title)___________ Program From: ____________________________________ (Printed name of the individual collaborator or name of the organization and name and position of the official submitting this memo)

By signing below (or transmitting electronically), we acknowledge that we are listed as providing resources, access or assistance for the project described in the proposal entitled. Barring unforeseen events, I/we agree to provide the access, resources or assistance as described in the project description of the proposal.

Signed: _______________________ Organization: ________________________________ Date: _________________________

Letters of reference or evaluation are NOT allowed. The Cultural Anthropology Program does NOT require a letter from the department assessing the student's progress to degree.

Cost Sharing:

Inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited.

Budget Preparation Instructions:

Proposers may request up to $25,000 in direct costs and durations of up to 24 months. There are no indirect cost limitations; proposals submitted in response to this solicitation are subject to the awardee's current federally negotiated indirect cost rate. Indirect costs are in addition to (that is, on top of) the maximum direct cost request of up to $25,000. Project budgets should be developed at scales appropriate for the work to be conducted and may only include costs directly associated with the conduct of dissertation research. Please allow 6 to 8 months after the target date for an award to be made.

DDRIG awards provide funding for research costs not normally covered by the student's university. Expenses that may be included in a DDRIG proposal budget include:

• Costs associated with travel and related expenses (budgeted under Line E) to conduct research at field sites, archives, specialized collections or facilities away from the student's campus.
• Costs for data collection activities.
• Costs for modest field equipment (e.g., laptops; photo, video or audio equipment), and materials and supplies (usually budgeted under Line G1) necessary for the conduct of the project that will be devoted to the project over the duration of the award. (Note that any equipment purchased with NSF funds becomes property of the awardee organization.) Costs should be based on appropriateness to the scientific need of the study and current market prices. Top-of-the-line equipment is generally not funded unless there is a specific and well-justified explanation as to why standard equipment will not suffice.
• NOT ALLOWABLE: donation of books to a needy school or gifts simply because it is cultural custom.
• ALLOWABLE: purchase of books needed to perform a study that will take place at a school, incentives (including pre-paid gift cards) for participation in a study that would likely not be able to be completed without incentives (e.g., a very long survey to fill out, a study that requires multiple follow-up sessions, medical testing, etc.), subject payments for survey respondents.
• Costs for casual or itinerant research assistance (budgeted under Line G6), such as the hiring of local field assistants at a research site, if essential to the execution of the study.
• Costs for other research services that are essential for the research and are not otherwise available.
• Costs for travel-specific insurance (such as for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains), if appropriately justified.
• Costs for modest (i.e., typically less than State Department per diem rates) living expenses for the Co-PI during research in locations away from the university or normal place of residence.
• Costs of obtaining a visa required for the research.
• Costs related to achieving the broader impacts of the proposed work.
• Costs for the expenses of relatives or dependents, including childcare, are allowable as specifically authorized by 2 CFR §200.475. We recommend contacting program officers in advance of proposal submission, wherever possible, to discuss allowability of specific costs.

Costs that cannot be reimbursed by DDRIG awards include the following:

• A stipend or salary for the doctoral student or advisor;
• Costs for tuition, university fees, the purchase of textbooks or journals (except publication costs), dissertation preparation, routine medical insurance, mortgage payments, personal clothing, toiletries, over-the-counter medicines or other items not directly related to the conduct of dissertation research.
• Costs for transcription services are not ordinarily allowed.
• Costs for consultants budgeted under Line G3.
• Subawards budgeted under Line G5Costs for expensive cameras and computers unless justified in terms of the research goals.
• Insurance for equipment.
• "Gifts" or "tokens" for research participants/informants that are requested because it is a cultural norm to exchange gifts.

D. Research.gov/Grants.gov Requirements

For Proposals Submitted Via Research.gov:

To prepare and submit a proposal via Research.gov, see detailed technical instructions available at: https://www.research.gov/research-portal/appmanager/base/desktop?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=research_node_display&_nodePath=/researchGov/Service/Desktop/ProposalPreparationandSubmission.html . For Research.gov user support, call the Research.gov Help Desk at 1-800-673-6188 or e-mail [email protected] . The Research.gov Help Desk answers general technical questions related to the use of the Research.gov system. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this funding opportunity.

For Proposals Submitted Via Grants.gov:

Before using Grants.gov for the first time, each organization must register to create an institutional profile. Once registered, the applicant's organization can then apply for any federal grant on the Grants.gov website. Comprehensive information about using Grants.gov is available on the Grants.gov Applicant Resources webpage: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html . In addition, the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide (see link in Section V.A) provides instructions regarding the technical preparation of proposals via Grants.gov. For Grants.gov user support, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or by email: [email protected] . The Grants.gov Contact Center answers general technical questions related to the use of Grants.gov. Specific questions related to this program solicitation should be referred to the NSF program staff contact(s) listed in Section VIII of this solicitation. Submitting the Proposal: Once all documents have been completed, the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) must submit the application to Grants.gov and verify the desired funding opportunity and agency to which the application is submitted. The AOR must then sign and submit the application to Grants.gov. The completed application will be transferred to the NSF FastLane system for further processing.

Proposers that submitted via Research.gov may use Research.gov to verify the status of their submission to NSF. For proposers that submitted via Grants.gov, until an application has been received and validated by NSF, the Authorized Organizational Representative may check the status of an application on Grants.gov. After proposers have received an e-mail notification from NSF, Research.gov should be used to check the status of an application.

VI. NSF Proposal Processing And Review Procedures

Proposals received by NSF are assigned to the appropriate NSF program for acknowledgement and, if they meet NSF requirements, for review. All proposals are carefully reviewed by a scientist, engineer, or educator serving as an NSF Program Officer, and usually by three to ten other persons outside NSF either as ad hoc reviewers, panelists, or both, who are experts in the particular fields represented by the proposal. These reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with oversight of the review process. Proposers are invited to suggest names of persons they believe are especially well qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal. These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the Program Officer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal. In addition, Program Officers may obtain comments from site visits before recommending final action on proposals. Senior NSF staff further review recommendations for awards. A flowchart that depicts the entire NSF proposal and award process (and associated timeline) is included in PAPPG Exhibit III-1.

A comprehensive description of the Foundation's merit review process is available on the NSF website at: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/merit_review/ .

Proposers should also be aware of core strategies that are essential to the fulfillment of NSF's mission, as articulated in Leading the World in Discovery and Innovation, STEM Talent Development and the Delivery of Benefits from Research - NSF Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022 - 2026 . These strategies are integrated in the program planning and implementation process, of which proposal review is one part. NSF's mission is particularly well-implemented through the integration of research and education and broadening participation in NSF programs, projects, and activities.

One of the strategic objectives in support of NSF's mission is to foster integration of research and education through the programs, projects, and activities it supports at academic and research institutions. These institutions must recruit, train, and prepare a diverse STEM workforce to advance the frontiers of science and participate in the U.S. technology-based economy. NSF's contribution to the national innovation ecosystem is to provide cutting-edge research under the guidance of the Nation's most creative scientists and engineers. NSF also supports development of a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce by investing in building the knowledge that informs improvements in STEM teaching and learning.

NSF's mission calls for the broadening of opportunities and expanding participation of groups, institutions, and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects, and activities it considers and supports.

A. Merit Review Principles and Criteria

The National Science Foundation strives to invest in a robust and diverse portfolio of projects that creates new knowledge and enables breakthroughs in understanding across all areas of science and engineering research and education. To identify which projects to support, NSF relies on a merit review process that incorporates consideration of both the technical aspects of a proposed project and its potential to contribute more broadly to advancing NSF's mission "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes." NSF makes every effort to conduct a fair, competitive, transparent merit review process for the selection of projects.

1. Merit Review Principles

These principles are to be given due diligence by PIs and organizations when preparing proposals and managing projects, by reviewers when reading and evaluating proposals, and by NSF program staff when determining whether or not to recommend proposals for funding and while overseeing awards. Given that NSF is the primary federal agency charged with nurturing and supporting excellence in basic research and education, the following three principles apply:

• All NSF projects should be of the highest quality and have the potential to advance, if not transform, the frontiers of knowledge.
• NSF projects, in the aggregate, should contribute more broadly to achieving societal goals. These "Broader Impacts" may be accomplished through the research itself, through activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. The project activities may be based on previously established and/or innovative methods and approaches, but in either case must be well justified.
• Meaningful assessment and evaluation of NSF funded projects should be based on appropriate metrics, keeping in mind the likely correlation between the effect of broader impacts and the resources provided to implement projects. If the size of the activity is limited, evaluation of that activity in isolation is not likely to be meaningful. Thus, assessing the effectiveness of these activities may best be done at a higher, more aggregated, level than the individual project.

With respect to the third principle, even if assessment of Broader Impacts outcomes for particular projects is done at an aggregated level, PIs are expected to be accountable for carrying out the activities described in the funded project. Thus, individual projects should include clearly stated goals, specific descriptions of the activities that the PI intends to do, and a plan in place to document the outputs of those activities.

These three merit review principles provide the basis for the merit review criteria, as well as a context within which the users of the criteria can better understand their intent.

2. Merit Review Criteria

All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board approved merit review criteria. In some instances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specific objectives of certain programs and activities.

The two merit review criteria are listed below. Both criteria are to be given full consideration during the review and decision-making processes; each criterion is necessary but neither, by itself, is sufficient. Therefore, proposers must fully address both criteria. (PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i). contains additional information for use by proposers in development of the Project Description section of the proposal). Reviewers are strongly encouraged to review the criteria, including PAPPG Chapter II.C.2.d(i), prior to the review of a proposal.

When evaluating NSF proposals, reviewers will be asked to consider what the proposers want to do, why they want to do it, how they plan to do it, how they will know if they succeed, and what benefits could accrue if the project is successful. These issues apply both to the technical aspects of the proposal and the way in which the project may make broader contributions. To that end, reviewers will be asked to evaluate all proposals against two criteria:

• Intellectual Merit: The Intellectual Merit criterion encompasses the potential to advance knowledge; and
• Broader Impacts: The Broader Impacts criterion encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes.

The following elements should be considered in the review for both criteria:

• Advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and
• Benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
• To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?
• Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success?
• How well qualified is the individual, team, or organization to conduct the proposed activities?
• Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home organization or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

Broader impacts may be accomplished through the research itself, through the activities that are directly related to specific research projects, or through activities that are supported by, but are complementary to, the project. NSF values the advancement of scientific knowledge and activities that contribute to achievement of societally relevant outcomes. Such outcomes include, but are not limited to: full participation of women, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); improved STEM education and educator development at any level; increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology; improved well-being of individuals in society; development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce; increased partnerships between academia, industry, and others; improved national security; increased economic competitiveness of the United States; and enhanced infrastructure for research and education.

Proposers are reminded that reviewers will also be asked to review the Data Management Plan and the Postdoctoral Researcher Mentoring Plan, as appropriate.

B. Review and Selection Process

Proposals submitted in response to this program solicitation will be reviewed by Panel Review.

Reviewers will be asked to evaluate proposals using two National Science Board approved merit review criteria and, if applicable, additional program specific criteria. A summary rating and accompanying narrative will generally be completed and submitted by each reviewer and/or panel. The Program Officer assigned to manage the proposal's review will consider the advice of reviewers and will formulate a recommendation.

After scientific, technical and programmatic review and consideration of appropriate factors, the NSF Program Officer recommends to the cognizant Division Director whether the proposal should be declined or recommended for award. NSF strives to be able to tell applicants whether their proposals have been declined or recommended for funding within six months. Large or particularly complex proposals or proposals from new awardees may require additional review and processing time. The time interval begins on the deadline or target date, or receipt date, whichever is later. The interval ends when the Division Director acts upon the Program Officer's recommendation.

After programmatic approval has been obtained, the proposals recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Division of Grants and Agreements or the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support for review of business, financial, and policy implications. After an administrative review has occurred, Grants and Agreements Officers perform the processing and issuance of a grant or other agreement. Proposers are cautioned that only a Grants and Agreements Officer may make commitments, obligations or awards on behalf of NSF or authorize the expenditure of funds. No commitment on the part of NSF should be inferred from technical or budgetary discussions with a NSF Program Officer. A Principal Investigator or organization that makes financial or personnel commitments in the absence of a grant or cooperative agreement signed by the NSF Grants and Agreements Officer does so at their own risk.

Once an award or declination decision has been made, Principal Investigators are provided feedback about their proposals. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers or any reviewer-identifying information, are sent to the Principal Investigator/Project Director by the Program Officer. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

VII. Award Administration Information

A. notification of the award.

Notification of the award is made to the submitting organization by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer. Organizations whose proposals are declined will be advised as promptly as possible by the cognizant NSF Program administering the program. Verbatim copies of reviews, not including the identity of the reviewer, will be provided automatically to the Principal Investigator. (See Section VI.B. for additional information on the review process.)

B. Award Conditions

An NSF award consists of: (1) the award notice, which includes any special provisions applicable to the award and any numbered amendments thereto; (2) the budget, which indicates the amounts, by categories of expense, on which NSF has based its support (or otherwise communicates any specific approvals or disapprovals of proposed expenditures); (3) the proposal referenced in the award notice; (4) the applicable award conditions, such as Grant General Conditions (GC-1)*; or Research Terms and Conditions* and (5) any announcement or other NSF issuance that may be incorporated by reference in the award notice. Cooperative agreements also are administered in accordance with NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (CA-FATC) and the applicable Programmatic Terms and Conditions. NSF awards are electronically signed by an NSF Grants and Agreements Officer and transmitted electronically to the organization via e-mail.

*These documents may be accessed electronically on NSF's Website at https://www.nsf.gov/awards/managing/award_conditions.jsp?org=NSF . Paper copies may be obtained from the NSF Publications Clearinghouse, telephone (703) 292-8134 or by e-mail from [email protected] .

More comprehensive information on NSF Award Conditions and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg .

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Build America, Buy America

As expressed in Executive Order 14005, Ensuring the Future is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers (86 FR 7475), it is the policy of the executive branch to use terms and conditions of Federal financial assistance awards to maximize, consistent with law, the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and services offered in, the United States.

Consistent with the requirements of the Build America, Buy America Act (Pub. L. 117-58, Division G, Title IX, Subtitle A, November 15, 2021), no funding made available through this funding opportunity may be obligated for an award unless all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in the project are produced in the United States. For additional information, visit NSF's Build America, Buy America webpage.

C. Reporting Requirements

For all multi-year grants (including both standard and continuing grants), the Principal Investigator must submit an annual project report to the cognizant Program Officer no later than 90 days prior to the end of the current budget period. (Some programs or awards require submission of more frequent project reports). No later than 120 days following expiration of a grant, the PI also is required to submit a final project report, and a project outcomes report for the general public.

Failure to provide the required annual or final project reports, or the project outcomes report, will delay NSF review and processing of any future funding increments as well as any pending proposals for all identified PIs and co-PIs on a given award. PIs should examine the formats of the required reports in advance to assure availability of required data.

PIs are required to use NSF's electronic project-reporting system, available through Research.gov, for preparation and submission of annual and final project reports. Such reports provide information on accomplishments, project participants (individual and organizational), publications, and other specific products and impacts of the project. Submission of the report via Research.gov constitutes certification by the PI that the contents of the report are accurate and complete. The project outcomes report also must be prepared and submitted using Research.gov. This report serves as a brief summary, prepared specifically for the public, of the nature and outcomes of the project. This report will be posted on the NSF website exactly as it is submitted by the PI.

More comprehensive information on NSF Reporting Requirements and other important information on the administration of NSF awards is contained in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) Chapter VII, available electronically on the NSF Website at https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=pappg .

VIII. Agency Contacts

Please note that the program contact information is current at the time of publishing. See program website for any updates to the points of contact.

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

For questions related to the use of FastLane or Research.gov, contact:

• FastLane and Research.gov Help Desk: 1-800-673-6188
• FastLane Help Desk e-mail: [email protected]
• Research.gov Help Desk e-mail: [email protected]

For questions relating to Grants.gov contact:

• Grants.gov Contact Center: If the Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR) has not received a confirmation message from Grants.gov within 48 hours of submission of application, please contact via telephone: 1-800-518-4726; e-mail: [email protected] .

IX. Other Information

The NSF website provides the most comprehensive source of information on NSF Directorates (including contact information), programs and funding opportunities. Use of this website by potential proposers is strongly encouraged. In addition, "NSF Update" is an information-delivery system designed to keep potential proposers and other interested parties apprised of new NSF funding opportunities and publications, important changes in proposal and award policies and procedures, and upcoming NSF Grants Conferences . Subscribers are informed through e-mail or the user's Web browser each time new publications are issued that match their identified interests. "NSF Update" also is available on NSF's website .

Grants.gov provides an additional electronic capability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. NSF funding opportunities may be accessed via this mechanism. Further information on Grants.gov may be obtained at https://www.grants.gov .

About The National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent Federal agency created by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended (42 USC 1861-75). The Act states the purpose of the NSF is "to promote the progress of science; [and] to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare by supporting research and education in all fields of science and engineering."

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering. It does this through grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, businesses, informal science organizations and other research organizations throughout the US. The Foundation accounts for about one-fourth of Federal support to academic institutions for basic research.

NSF receives approximately 55,000 proposals each year for research, education and training projects, of which approximately 11,000 are funded. In addition, the Foundation receives several thousand applications for graduate and postdoctoral fellowships. The agency operates no laboratories itself but does support National Research Centers, user facilities, certain oceanographic vessels and Arctic and Antarctic research stations. The Foundation also supports cooperative research between universities and industry, US participation in international scientific and engineering efforts, and educational activities at every academic level.

Facilitation Awards for Scientists and Engineers with Disabilities (FASED) provide funding for special assistance or equipment to enable persons with disabilities to work on NSF-supported projects. See the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide Chapter II.E.6 for instructions regarding preparation of these types of proposals.

The National Science Foundation has Telephonic Device for the Deaf (TDD) and Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) capabilities that enable individuals with hearing impairments to communicate with the Foundation about NSF programs, employment or general information. TDD may be accessed at (703) 292-5090 and (800) 281-8749, FIRS at (800) 877-8339.

The National Science Foundation Information Center may be reached at (703) 292-5111.

The National Science Foundation promotes and advances scientific progress in the United States by competitively awarding grants and cooperative agreements for research and education in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering. To get the latest information about program deadlines, to download copies of NSF publications, and to access abstracts of awards, visit the NSF Website at 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22314 (NSF Information Center) (703) 292-5111 (703) 292-5090   Send an e-mail to: or telephone: (703) 292-8134 (703) 292-5111 Privacy Act And Public Burden Statements The information requested on proposal forms and project reports is solicited under the authority of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended. The information on proposal forms will be used in connection with the selection of qualified proposals; and project reports submitted by awardees will be used for program evaluation and reporting within the Executive Branch and to Congress. The information requested may be disclosed to qualified reviewers and staff assistants as part of the proposal review process; to proposer institutions/grantees to provide or obtain data regarding the proposal review process, award decisions, or the administration of awards; to government contractors, experts, volunteers and researchers and educators as necessary to complete assigned work; to other government agencies or other entities needing information regarding applicants or nominees as part of a joint application review process, or in order to coordinate programs or policy; and to another Federal agency, court, or party in a court or Federal administrative proceeding if the government is a party. Information about Principal Investigators may be added to the Reviewer file and used to select potential candidates to serve as peer reviewers or advisory committee members. See System of Record Notices , NSF-50 , "Principal Investigator/Proposal File and Associated Records," and NSF-51 , "Reviewer/Proposal File and Associated Records." Submission of the information is voluntary. Failure to provide full and complete information, however, may reduce the possibility of receiving an award. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 3145-0058. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 120 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions. Send comments regarding the burden estimate and any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Suzanne H. 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