
Next Generation Initiative helps ISR postdoctoral scholar explore new areas of research
October 26, 2024
Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])
ANN ARBOR — Shane Burns, Ph.D., arrived at the Institute for Social Research in 2023 and has quickly expanded his research horizons.
A postdoctoral scholar, Burns studies disability within the context of global aging. Previously, much of his research has centered on physical disability, but ISR has helped him broaden his scope of study.
“My mentor has encouraged me to pursue other domains of disability, particularly sensory disability and cognitive disability,” he said. “So, that’s where my work has expanded, particularly looking at disparities by gender.”
Working closely with Philippa Clarke, Ph.D., Burns has begun to investigate disparities in various domains of disability across Central and Eastern Europe as well as examine racial disparities of different disabilities within Brazil, all while leveraging the unique connections ISR can offer to a postdoctoral scholar.
“It’s a very encouraging environment. Collaboration and pursuing grant opportunities — that’s something that a graduate student might pursue, but it’s more commonly expected for a postdoc,” said Burns. “Grant funding opportunities allow the expansion of particular research ideas. That opportunity seems to come up a lot.”
It has come up for Burns in the form of funding from ISR’s Next Generation Initiative, a collection of funds designed to give early career scholars access to resources that can boost their careers. Burns has leveraged NGI funding to supplement data provided by the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Other countries have conducted surveys similar to HRS, but not all have freely available data.
“One of them that is unfortunately behind a paywall for someone based in the United States is the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). I wanted to incorporate Canada into my research, particularly looking at disability disparities within North America. The funding from the grant will allow me to apply and access CLSA.”
Burns hopes to leverage his research into a long-term tenure track position, utilizing both the data and community available at ISR to fuel his search. And until that position arrives, he plans to utilize what he’s already gained to continue to add to his research.
“Success with the Next Generation Initiative has encouraged me to pursue other grants. It’s almost like lifting weights. You have to start small, and this has encouraged me to take the next step and pursue larger grants that may enable more prolific research.”