Institute for Social Research Next Generation Initiative. 2022 Awardees & Projects

Joelle Abramowitz
Assistant Research Scientist, Survey Research Center
Understanding work arrangements of older adults in the United States and their effects on wellbeing

Sofia Hiltner
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Making the Loneliness Epidemic: How Government and Nonprofits Construct and Respond to Social Isolation and Loneliness as a Public Problem

Catalina Anampa Castro
Doctoral Candidate, Sociology & Public Policy
“Nothing and nobody can kick them out.” Incorporating the experiences of formerly undocumented older adults into aging and health research for the Latino/a population

Zsigmond Palvolgyi
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Economics
The Long-Standing Effect of Racial Segregation on Wealth Inequality in the United States

Wenshan Yu
Doctoral Candidate, Survey and Data Science
Improving Inferences Based on Survey Data Collected Using Mixed-Mode Designs

Davis Daumler
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
The Demography of Wealth Accumulation: Household Finances and the Returns to Family Dynamics

Hwayong Shin
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Building Bipartisan Trust in Political Fact-checking: Norms, Practices, and Public Perceptions

Zoe Walker
Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science
“To Be Both a Negro and an American”: How Black Americans Reconcile Systemic Racism with the American Dream

Mosi Ifatunji
Faculty Associate, Program for Research on Black Americans

Jiaming Soh
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Economics
Entrepreneurship and Wealth Inequality

Delvon Mattingly
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Epidemiology
Understanding the role of police exposures on racial/ethnic disparities in substance use among US youth

Analidis Ochoa
Doctoral Candidate, Sociology & Social Work
Blood Veins for Hire: Plasma Donation in an age of Inequality, Instability, and Precarious Work

Catalina Anampa Castro
Doctoral Candidate, Sociology & Public Policy
“Nothing and nobody can kick them out.” Incorporating the experiences of formerly undocumented older adults into aging and health research for the Latino/a population.

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

Emily Parker
Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center.
How Socioeconomic and Racial-Ethnic Variation in Access to Safety Net Clinics Affects Health Disparities over the Life Course

Erin Ice
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Patching up the safety net: The negotiation and construction of long-term care systems in the U.S.

Giovanni Román-Torres
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Study on the belonging of Latina/o immigrants in the South and their socioeconomic well-being


Janet Wang

Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Stratification of Later Life Earnings


Lewis Miles

Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Blaxit to Mexico: Black Americans and Contemporary Emigration to Mexico

Margaret Whitley
Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center
Working conditions and health disparities

Sofia Hiltner
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Sociology
Making the Loneliness Epidemic: How Government and Nonprofits Construct and Respond to Social Isolation and Loneliness as a Public Problem

Weidi Qin
Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center
Neighborhood, Social Support, and Inflammation in Older Adults

Paloma Contreras
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Anthropology
The Threat of Water Insecurity and its Effects on Mental and Physical Health among Women in Mexico City

Saki Kuzushima
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Microfoundation of Naming and Shaming: Survey Experiment to Identify Backlash against Foreign Criticism

Ciera Hammond
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Gendering the Presidency

Joshua Thorp
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Body Politic: Disability and Political Cohesion

Jess Lasoff-Santos
Doctoral Candidate, School for Environment and Sustainability
Psychological effects of municipal resilience planning on citizens

Elizabeth Burland
Doctoral Candidate, Ford School of Public Policy
Consequences of Rural-Urban Inequality: The Role of Geographic Variation in Educational Inequality

Jeremy Boo
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
State Capacities, Religious Repression, and Political Mobilization

Sujin Cha
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
A New Dataset on Economic Foundations of Authoritarian Regimes

Fabricio Vasselai
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Political Science
Real-time vote counting and the public trust in modern elections

Emma Bausch
Doctoral Candidate, Higher Education
Financial Aid Award Letters and College Choice: A Mixed Methods Stud

Briana Starks
Joint PhD Program in Social Work & Sociology
Diapers, Debt, & Degrees: The Practical and Theoretical Implications of Maternal Postnatal Educational Attainment

Donor Impact

“This funding is incredibly valuable to me as it will allow me to pursue a new area of qualitative research and develop my grant portfolio and will also advance our SRC survey content.”
– Joelle Abramowitz

“My project will benefit immensely from the funding support by the F. Thomas Juster Economic Behavior Research Award, by providing me with instrumental support to dedicate my time to this data-intensive project that engages with key topics of social science research on wealth, family inequality, and social inequality… Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to this fund; ambitious projects would not be possible without such awards and resources.”
– Davis Daumler

“The funding from this grant will allow me to collect my own data to study my research questions. I will obtain nationally diverse samples of Black Americans and ask questions about their belief in the American opportunity structure, the extent to which they feel discrimination limits their opportunity to succeed and their support for racially redistributive policies. Thank you again for this generous award.”
– Zoe Walker

“I plan to use the award’s funding to pay participants who complete my intervention and survey, including those who participate in the pilot stage of my study. Personally, I am very excited to pursue this research, in part because this is my first opportunity to conduct such a large-scale study. This is only possible through the funding that you provided. Thank you so much for your contribution to the Marans/Chen Award; it will have an indelible mark on my career.”
– Jess Lasoff-Santos

“The Morgan Award is one of the resources that are unique to the University of Michigan. With the Morgan Award, I will be able to devote my productive time to explore my research question full-time. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and to give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help future students to achieve their goals just like how you have helped me.”
– Jiaming Soh

“This award will help me conduct more rigorous and innovative research on a topic – work and health disparities – that is of great public health importance. Moreover, I am at a pivotal stage in my career as a researcher, as I begin to establish a track record of leading my own studies and obtaining external funding. This support will help move me toward being an accomplished expert in this field.”
– Margaret Whitley

“Funds from this award will be used to compensate participants who I will plan to interview. Having these funds will allow me to begin this project early this summer, thus helping me move my dissertation forward earlier than expected. I am thankful to the Marshall Weinberg Endowment.”
– Giovanni Román-Torres

“This funding will be incredibly important for the success of this project. Your generous donation allows us field surveys to answer questions that have not yet been answered, or even asked until this point. Thanks to you, I will be able to create and field my own survey for the first time in my career, which will be invaluable to my professional development. Also, since this grant ensures you work with a faculty member affiliated with the ISR, I will be able to work closely with Dr. Kenneth Lowande. As a result, I will not bolster my substantive training, but will also learn how to be a great mentor and co-author from Dr. Lowande. Thank you again for your generosity. This project would not be possible without you.”
– Ciera Hammond

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