SSRC Student Research Awards

Students play a vital role in advancing social science scholarship, and we are dedicated to nurturing their intellectual curiosity and research potential. To that end, SSRC coordinates a number of divisional research awards that facilitate master's and/or doctoral research throughout SSD and beyond.

Please contact jgarbeil@uchicago.edu with any questions about the application process.

SSRC Graduate Student Fellowship Program

The SSRC Graduate Student Fellowship Program provides PhD students in the Division of the Social Sciences who are in their final throes of dissertation write-up with a dedicated workspace in the Social Sciences Research Center. Fellows are selected from a pool of applicants with a special focus on those using multiple methods in their research programs. 

Eligibility: Doctoral students from any division of the Social Sciences completing dissertation research

Submission Procedures: submit your application (including a project narrative, CV, and dissertation committee member list) via InfoReady

Award: allocation of one cubicle in the Social Sciences Research Center (SSRC) for the 2025-26 academic year

Deadline: February 17, 2025, 12 noon CST

Access the call for applications here.

Agnes and Nathan Janco Travel Award

Established in 2005, the Agnes and Nathan Janco Travel Award supports dissertation research-related travel by SSD doctoral students. The awards are designed to help defray the costs of travel for students who have a specific research goal critical to their dissertations. The Agnes and Nathan Janco Travel Grant is made possible by a gift from Joel Janco in honor of Agnes and Nathan Janco in recognition of their love of travel and exploration, their compassion for others, and their implacable dedication to science and the arts. 

Eligibility: Doctoral students from any division of the Social Sciences completing dissertation research

Submission Procedures: submit your application (including a project narrative, detailed itinerary and budget for your travel, and a CV via InfoReady

Award Amount: two to three awards of up to $3,000

Deadline: February 17, 2025, 12 noon CST

Access the call for applications here.

Gedvila Family Research Award

SSRC coordinates with the Center for East European and Russian/Eurasian Studies (CEERES) to award the Gedvila Family Research Award to support graduate student research focused on the history and culture of Lithuania, the Baltic States, and/or Eastern Europe. Funding may be used to support research needs including data collection, travel, data analysis, dissertation support, publications, and projects that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Eligibility: University of Chicago MA, MBA, or PhD students in the Division of the Social Sciences, Chicago Booth, Harris School for Public Policy, or Humanities Division whose work relates to the focus areas

Submission Procedures: submit a CV and two-page narrative to Jessie Garbeil (jgarbeil@uchicago.edu)

Award Amount: up to $5,000

Deadline: February 17, 2025, 12 noon CST

Access the call for applications here. 

David R. and Mady W. Segal Fund for Social Sciences Research on Military Personnel

SSRC coordinates the David R. and Mady W. Segal Fund for Social Sciences Research on Military Personnel to support graduate dissertation research focused on military personnel or military organization, including but not limited to the disciplines of sociology, psychology, economics, political science, history, and anthropology. Funding may be used to support research needs including data collection, travel, conference fees, dissertation support, publications, and projects that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration. Check back soon for RFP. 

Eligibility: Doctoral students from any division of the Social Sciences whose dissertation project relates to the award focus area

Submission Procedures: submit a CV and two-page narrative to Jessie Garbeil (jgarbeil@uchicago.edu)

Award Amount: one award of $5,000

Deadline: February 17, 2025, 12 noon CST

Access the call for applications here. 

W. Allison Davis Graduate Research Award

W. Allison Davis was a pioneering anthropologist and professor at the University of Chicago where, in 1942, he became the first African American to hold a full faculty position at a major white university.  Professor Davis devoted his life to studying systems of stratification and segregation between and within racial and ethnic groups in the United States. He was committed to rigorous inquiry documenting the effects of social stratification and segregation on family life, language use, educational attainment and the development of personality and character of children and adolescents in American minority groups. He aimed at discovering social policies and practices that promised to promote the healthy development of all children and youth. SSRC coordinates with the Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity and the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice to award the W. Allison Davis Graduate Research Award to doctoral students who propose to conduct outstanding research on these questions. Check back soon for RFP. 
Eligibility: UChicago doctoral students in all Divisions and Schools
Deadline: TBD