For over two decades, ISR has provided “Next Generation” research awards to emerging scholars. Since 2001, ISR’s 35 Next Generation funds have supported more than 600 early career researchers, providing up to $300,000 each year in support of University of Michigan graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and pre-tenure faculty.
These awards are open for the 2023-24 academic year and will be open for application until March 12, 2023. To apply, please visit our InfoReady page for more details.
2023 Awardees & Projects

Angus Campbell Scholars Fund

Lauren White
Doctoral Candidate, Social Work and Psychology
Employing Participatory Implementation to Investigate Collaborative Use of Research Evidence to Promote Health Equity for Indigenous Youth in a Reservation Communit
CID Emerging Inequality Scholar Award

Jasmine Simington
Doctoral Candidate, Sociology and Public Policy
Negotiating homeownership: The Paradox of Heirs’ Property

Neil Christy
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Economics
Capital Income Taxes and the Distribution of Wealth
Daniel Katz Dissertation Fellowship in Psychology and Survey Methodology

Aaron Neal
Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Science and Psychology
Determinants of Black Youth Mental Health: Examining the Role of Structural Racis
Elizabeth Douvan Junior Scholars in Life Course Development

Suzanne Perkins
Research Investigator, Institute for Social Research
Child maltreatment cognitive outcomes across the life course
F. Thomas Juster Economic Behavior Research Fund

Janet Wang
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Education and Earnings Inequality Among Older Worker
Garth Taylor Dissertation Award in Public Opinion

Eugenia Quintanilla
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Prosocial Politics: A Theory of Political Engagement and Public Opinion
Hanes Walton Jr. Endowment for Graduate Study in Racial and Ethnic Politics

Shayla Olson
Doctoral Student, Political Science
Inconsistent Ambivalence: White Christians’ Responses to Calls for Racial Justice from the Pulpit
James Morgan Innovation in the Analysis of Economic Behavior Fund

Zsigmond Palvolgyi
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Economics
Did decreasing residential segregation reduce the Black–White wealth gap?
Jerald and Virginia Bachman Research Fellowship on Change in American Youth

Brooke Arterberry
Research Investigator, Institute for Social Research
Loneliness from young adulthood to midlife
Marshall Weinberg Endowments

Charles Katulamu
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Morals, Beliefs, and the Law: Uncovering the Abortion Realm in Kampala, Uganda

Emma Banchoff
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Family formation in times of uncertainty: gender, work, and the transition to adulthood

Junchao Tang
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Population Census, State Legibility, and Politics of Data in China

Matthew Pesner
Postdoctoral Scholar, Population Studies Center
The Life-Cycle Impacts of Cash Transfers to Poor Children

Weidi Qin
Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center
Neighborhood, Social Support, and Inflammation in Older Adults
Marshall Weinberg Population, Development, and Climate Change Fellows Program

David Grace
Doctoral Candidate, School for Environment and Sustainability
TEffects of Religious Networks on Forest Conservation in the Western Ghats, India
Mercedes Florez Memorial Research Fund

Emily Flores
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Psychology
Financial Exploitation among Spanish-speaking older adults
Philip Converse and Warren Miller Fellowship in American Political Behavior

Francy Luna Diaz
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Latinos’ Unique Information Environments and the Spread of Misinformation

Ignangeli Salinas-Muñiz
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Islands of the Underrepresented: Public Opinion of Political Status in the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico

Phoebe Henninger
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Partisan Election Administration and its Effect on Voter Confidence
Robert and Judy Marans/Kan and Lillian Chen Dissertation Award in Sustainability and Survey Methodology

Soobin Choi
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Communication and Media
Communicating Climate Change Efficacy
Robert Kahn Fellowship for the Scientific Study of Social Issues

Elly Field
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
How School Choice Policies Shape How Schools and Neighborhoods Experience Racial Demographic Changes Over Time

Kimberly Hess
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Representation Matters: Minority Inclusion and American National Identity in K-12 U.S. State Social Studies Standards
Ronald F. Inglehart Scholarship Fund

Peter Carroll
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Patronage as Insurance: Precarity, Clientelism and Political Engagement in Africa
Roy Pierce Scholars Fund

Jun Fang
Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science
Gender Inequalities in Constituency Service Delivery in Authoritarian Regimes: Evidence from China’s Public Restroom Project

Martin Macias Medellin
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
The Politics and Logistics of Police Violence: Evidence from Rio de Janeiro

Victor Rateng
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Election Observation and Public Confidence in the Outcome of the 2022 General Elections in Kenya
Sarri Family Fellowship for Research on Educational Attainment of Children in Low Income Families

Elly Field
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
How School Choice Policies Shape How Schools and Neighborhoods Experience Racial Demographic Changes Over Time
The Tessler Fellows Fund

Rebecca Wai
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Maybe in my backyard: How refugee-host cooperation promotes peace and prosperity
Donor Impact

“This opportunity is a dream. It allows me to grow in areas that for lack of a research infrastructure, I had not believed possible. I am incredibly grateful for the Converse Miller Fellowship and the donors for supporting and believing in this work.”
– Ignangeli Salinas-Muniz

“I am proud and delighted to be selected for this prestigious award, which allows me to dedicate my undivided attention to writing my dissertation. As an international student, I am especially grateful for the James Morgan Innovation in the Analysis of Economic Behavior Fund, as its award is one of the few which is open to non-US citizen students as well.”
– Zsigmond Pálvölgyi

“This award will allow me to make significant progress toward my degree; it will be the first causal evidence that I will get to combine with other descriptive work on racialized religious communication. I cannot thank the donors enough for this award. It is a great honor to be able to do this research with your support.”lly grateful for the James Morgan Innovation in the Analysis of Economic Behavior Fund, as its award is one of the few which is open to non-US citizen students as well.”
– Shayla Olson

“Funding and support from the Institute for Social Research via the Daniel Katz Dissertation Fellowship are allowing me to delve deeper into my research and contribute to our understanding of how structural racism impacts health and what the field of Psychology should do to dismantle racism.”z
– Aaron Neal

“With this financial support, it is possible for me to collect data for my dissertation project and answer questions about American public opinion and political mobilization with greater detail and a more robust sample. Thank you again for your generous contribution!”
– Eugenia Quintanilla

“Ever since I found out about this award, I have been enthusiastic that this award particularly underlines the importance of incorporating an understanding of human behavior in solving sustainability issues. As chosen as an awardee, I am even more excited and appreciative about my opportunities.”
– Soobin Choi

“With this research, I hope to deeply investigate how the link between neighborhoods and schools in the United States helps reinforce racial inequality with the ultimate goal of informing governments and policymakers.”
– Elly Field
Support the Next Generation
As our 2023 awardees described above, donor-funded Next Generation awards have transformative power, bringing peace of mind to their hard-working recipients and putting important and innovative projects into action, while honoring the legacy of those who came before. Please consider joining us in giving the gift of opportunity.
Contact the Development team at ISR to discuss your vision for supporting the Next Generation of scholars.