Heritage Dissertation Research Award

The Heritage Initiative acknowledges personality and social psychology's rich heritage by honoring some of the great teachers and scientists who have made major contributions to the field. In doing so, the Initiative is aimed at ensuring the field’s future by assisting its next generation of scholars. The Heritage Dissertation Research Awards are the direct result of funds raised in honor of some of our fields’ leading luminaries. 

Requirements

• Applicants must be graduate students in personality and/or social psychology in good standing with their university. Applicants must be enrolled full-time (or working on their dissertation research for an equivalent of full-time enrollment regardless of actual registration status).
• Applicants must be student members of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology at the time they apply for the award.
• Applicants must have had their dissertation proposals approved by their dissertation committees prior to application with an expected defense date no earlier than December of the application year.
• Each department may endorse no more than two (2) students per year for the Heritage Dissertation Research Award. If more than two students from a department wish to apply for these funds, the department should perform an initial screening and choose only two applications for submission.
• Applicants must not have previously received a Heritage Dissertation Research Award.
• The dissertation research may be in any area of social or personality psychology.

Submission Criteria

• Abstract of the dissertation proposal, not more than two pages long, single-spaced (not including references) and up to one Table or Figure.
• Curriculum vitae including scientific publications, presentations, research and teaching experience.
• Paragraph describing how the funds will be used to support their research. Funds can be used for research-related expenses such as participant fees, equipment, research supplies, or specialized programming. Funds may NOT be used to buy a computer, overhead, administrative support, or conference travel. 
• A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s academic advisor is required to complete the application process. Please note that this letter has a maximum length of (1) page, single-spaced. Please communicate to the faculty member who will write your recommendation letter the importance of adhering to this maximum page limit. In addition, please do not submit more than one letter of recommendation; only one will be forwarded for review. The letter writer will submit his/her letter on-line and The letter must also verify the following information:

1. the applicant is in good standing in his or her program.
2. the proposal has been approved by the applicant’s committee (or the equivalent designation for the Ph.D. program).
3. the date the student is expected to complete the dissertation.
4. a statement indicating that the funds are needed to complete the research.

2021

2020

Adriana Germano, University of Washington

Arvin Jagayat, Ryerson University

Isidro Landa, Washington University in St. Louis

Katharine Scott, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Stephanie Cardenas, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Thomas Costello, Emory University

2019

Daniel Albohn, The Pennsylvania State University

Analia Albuja, Rutgers University

Katie E. Garrison, Texas A&M University

Eva-Maria Stelzer, The University of Arizona

Sanaz Talaifar, The University of Texas at Austin

Katherine Zee, Columbia University

2018

R. Thora Bjornsdottir, University of Glasgow

Katharina Block, University of British Columbia

Kimberly Chaney, Rutgers University

Maya Rossignac-Milon, Columbia University

Kate Turetsky, Columbia University

2017

Olivia Atherton, University of California, Davis

Andrew G. Christy, Texas A&M University

Jason Deska, Miami University

Franki Kung, University of Waterloo

Randi Proffitt Leyva, Texas Christian University

Chelsea Schein, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Haran Sened, Bar Ilan University

Vivian P. Ta, University of Texas at Arlington

Sarah Ward, University of Missouri

Marika Yip-Bannicq, New York University

2016

William Brady, New York University

Kassandra Cortes, University of Waterloo

Brittany Jakubiak, Carnegie Mellon University

Jinhyung Kim, Texas A&M University

Yeonjeong Kim, Carnegie Mellon University

Erin Westgate, University of Virginia

Ashley Whillans, The University of British Columbia

2015

Jeffrey Bowen, University of California, Santa Barbara

David Chester, University of Kentucky

Allison Farrell, University of Minnesota

Nicole Lawless DesJardins, University of Oregon

Chadly Stern, New York University

Konstantin Tskhay, University of Toronto

2014

Alyssa Croft, University of British Columbia

Patrick Forscher, University of Wisconsin

Nathan Hudson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 

For more information, please contact awards@spsp.org