eu funding phd students

Collaborative Doctoral Partnership programme

The Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships (CDP) is an initiative of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to establish strategic collaborations with higher education institutions (HEIs/universities) that grant doctoral degrees (PhD).

CDP is characterised by research excellence and international reputation.

The purpose of CDP is to train a new generation of doctoral students in science and technology.

A specific focus lies on the science-policy interface.

HEIs/universities

A first call for expression of interest for the CDP pilot phase was launched at the end of 2016. A second call has started in 2020.

HEIs/universities located in EU Member States and countries associated to the EU Research Programme Horizon 2020 are eligible for participation to the CDP.

HEI/universities can apply to one or more thematic fields with several proposals, each proposal submitted on a separate application form.

List of CDP HEIs/universities collaboration agreements of first Call (2016)

Scholarships and student finance

• Bursaries for conference interpreting students
• How to find a scholarship
• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees

Student finance Types of financial support available for students.

Share this page

European Education Area

Research opportunities in europe.

Europe offers considerable opportunities for existing and young researchers from around the world to study a PhD, a post-doctorate degree and to work as a researcher.

Some points to keep in mind when applying for PhD and postdoctoral studies in Europe

• You should have a Master’s or equivalent degree to apply. In some cases, a bachelor’s degree is sufficient.
• Make sure you have a unique research proposal or know how your work can contribute to existing research in a field. 
• Generally, it takes a minimum of 4 years to complete a PhD in Europe, although there are 3- and 5-year programmes available, as well as part-time options. 
• Fees are typically low or non-existing and good grant possibilities are often offered by host countries, the European Union (EU) and other organisations. You may also be able to gain employment as a researcher during your doctoral studies.
• The diversity of opportunities is matched by a system of qualification recognition and credit transfer, meaning that your degree will be internationally recognised and accepted by all countries with an ENIC-NARIC network . 
• After a PhD, you can pursue postdoctoral work. These positons are somewhat more difficult to obtain and in many cases the researcher will have to provide the funding for his or her research.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions 

Candidates who are actively seeking a paid postdoc position may seek funding via the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). 

MSCA is the EU’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training under Horizon Europe. 

The MSCA foster inter-sectoral and international research. Funding is open to organisations, consortia and individual applicants. 

To learn more about the different types of funding available and to apply for a relevant job, follow the link to visit the page About Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions .

Search EURAXESS

EURAXESS is a European Commission portal providing information on research positions and funding to help researchers come to Europe to work, work in another European country or beyond. People use it to find a position or funding.

To take advantage of this information and search for your job in research, just follow the link EURAXESS .

Related links

Thanks for your feedback.

We are happy to see that your experience was positive. Don't forget to share the pages you like with your friends and colleagues.

If you need to ask a question, please contact Europe direct .

We search among 12,320 programmes to find the ones that really match your profile.

• Start your free search

Here is how it works: Scholarships and grants for your education in three steps

5 myths about scholarships and grants and in the eu.

This is not true! There is a wide variety of selection criteria. This can be anything from your parents’ jobs, to where you live.

Wrong! There are more than 12,000 scholarships, grants, loans and other funding options in the EU worth a total value of more than 27 billion Euros.

Also wrong! There are many programmes targeting established students. Financial aid is available twelve months of the year and if you continue to look, you’ll find more opportunities.

This is not true either! In fact over two-thirds of students never apply for any type of scholarship.

Not anymore! European Funding Guide will help you find financial assistance that matches your profile with just a few clicks. Often all you only need is a covering letter outlining your motivation, and a CV to apply.

Recent articles on scholarships

The 10 most important tips to get a scholarship.

Finding a scholarship is easier than you might think. Here are some tips on getting a scholarship, including what you should look out for in your application.

The 10 Biggest Misconceptions about Scholarships

Only one in eight secondary school graduates with good grades apply for scholarships. This is because many have misconceptions about getting funding. Here are some of the common misconceptions.

The 4 Most Common Ways to Lose a Scholarship

Scholarships are a privilege that come with responsibilities. Not living up to those responsibilities can result in you losing the scholarship before the end of the funding period. To help you avoid this, here are the main reasons why people lose their scholarship funding.

Funding sources for PhD studies in Europe

PhD positions in European countries are funded through a diverse range of sources. Understanding the different funding sources for PhD studies in Europe is pivotal: With this knowledge, prospective PhD students can turn their abstract ambition to pursue a degree in Europe into a concrete strategy.

Doing a PhD in Europe

Phd funding in europe through university budgets, phd funding in europe through external project grants, phd funding in europe through individual grants from governments & research councils, phd funding in europe through individual scholarships from foundations, phd funding through governmental scholarships from countries of origin, part-time phd funding in europe through non-academic employers.

A brief disclaimer to begin with: There is a huge variety between European countries. Therefore, when embarking on a PhD journey, it is always necessary to check out country-specific arrangements! That said, there are some general differences, for instance, doing a PhD in North America.

For starters, to qualify for PhD studies in most European countries, a master’s degree is required. Furthermore, in many European countries, PhD students are treated as employees. This means that they are formally employed, receive a salary and make pension contributions.

The money that is used to pay for PhD positions can come from a variety of sources. However, prospective students are often not aware of the wide range of possibilities to fund their PhD studies.

Knowing about different funding sources for PhD studies is crucial because often prospective candidates play an active role in securing PhD funding!

The most straightforward funding arrangement is PhD funding via university budgets. This essentially means that a university has money available to invest in PhD students.

The types of PhD positions that stem from university budgets tend to ask for an individual research proposal within the framework of a specific theme. This proposal becomes an important part of the application process, in which a professor selects one or more PhD students to work with.

Prospective PhD students cannot influence this funding source. Often, they simply have to apply to an open position advertised on a university website or a job portal.

Examples of academic job portals:

• Academic Positions
• HigherEDJobs

Many universities rely on external funding to create PhD positions. This external funding often comes in the form of research grants for specific research projects. Common sources of funding are the European Commission and national scientific research councils.

The PhD positions that are created within externally funded research projects are often clearly defined. The PhD student works as part of a larger project team and completes a set of concrete tasks.

During the application process, applicants often have to showcase how they fit into the specific project. Furthermore, they have to make suggestions of how they would approach and execute certain tasks to meet the project’s goals.

Prospective PhD students can rarely influence this funding source. Exceptions exist when they already worked with a Principal Investigator, for instance during a master’s degree. Then they could support the project proposal and grant writing process, in the hope that the project receives funding and creates a position for them.

Example sources for external project grants:

• Horizon Europe
• European Research Council Grants
• French National Research Agency ANR
• German Research Foundation DFG

National scientific research councils play a dominant role in the European academic landscape. Next to providing funding for large-scale (international) research projects, many of them also offer specific individual grants for PhD studies.

The PhD positions that are created from individual grants by scientific research councils often require unique, individual PhD research projects. These projects offer room for creativity but require a high degree of independence.

Individual grants and scholarships are very competitive. Applications often involve multiple stages, including pre-proposals, proposals, and interviews. In some cases, prospective PhD students can only apply for these grants if they already have a potential supervisor and the backing of an eligible university.

Prospective PhD students have a high degree of influence when it comes to this source of funding. They have to proactively approach potential supervisors and universities well in advance of the application deadline, and develop a competitive research idea.

Example sources for individual research grants:

• Economic and Social Research Council ESRC
• National Science Centre Poland
• Dutch Scientific Research Council
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships
• Stipendium Hungaricum by the Hungarian Government

There are many foundations that either support or fully fund PhD studies in Europe. These foundations are often connected to political parties, religious institutions, specific industries, companies or non-profit organisations.

The PhD studies that receive funding from foundations are diverse but tend to have a concrete link to the funding body. This link can be thematic or ideological. For instance, the foundation of a country’s Green Party is likely more inclined to fund a research project addressing climate change instead of one on fossil fuel excavation.

Furthermore, the profile of the prospective candidate is extremely important in these scholarship applications. Some foundations also target prospective PhD students from specific countries or backgrounds.

Prospective PhD students have a high degree of influence when it comes to this source of funding. They tend to be in charge of the whole application process.

Examples of PhD funding through foundations:

• Rotary Foundation Global Scholarship Grants for Development
• The Green Political Foundation
• The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF)
• German Academic Exchange Service DAAD
• Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund

Several non-EU countries provide PhD scholarships for their nationals to pursue a PhD full-time and are fully funded in Europe. Thus, as an international student, these government schemes are interesting to explore.

The application process for these governmental scholarship schemes is hard to generalise. However, a common denominator is that prospective PhD students seem to have a high degree of influence when it comes to this source of funding.

Applicants usually have to undergo two application processes: One to receive the scholarship, and another one to secure a position at a European university.

Sometimes, the scholarship is attached to certain requirements after the completion of a PhD. For instance, to return to the country of origin and work in the national academic system for several years.

Examples of countries providing scholarships to conduct PhD studies in the EU are China, Turkey and Indonesia.

If there is a connection between a PhD topic and a non-academic job, some employers enter a formal arrangement that covers PhD fees. Furthermore, they allow the PhD student to do PhD-related work during some of their ‘regular’ working hours.

Prospective PhD students are very much in charge when it comes to this source of funding. Entering an arrangement between a non-academic employer and an academic institution requires a lot of coordination. All parties have to agree in advance.

While this is not the most common PhD funding arrangement, the construction of a part-time PhD can have many advantages. For example the increased cooperation and knowledge transfer between academia and non-academic research and practice.

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox!

Subscribe and receive Master Academia's quarterly newsletter.

How to disagree with reviewers (with examples!)

Top 20 motivational quotes for phd students, related articles.

How to write a winning motivation letter for a master’s scholarship

Planning your PhD research: A 3-year PhD timeline example

Establishing an all-round academic profile

Funding for your research project

Research that helps us find solutions to the challenges we face as a society requires adequate funding. The European Union has been running for decades programmes that fund research and innovation and help researchers advance in their careers. The EU provides funding for collaborative research projects and also grants for individual projects.

Collaborating with excellent partners around the world, with academia, industry, and civil society, is at the heart of the EuroTech Universities Alliance.

We support our researchers from DTU, EPFL, IP Paris, Technion, TU/e, and TUM in manifold ways for them to be successful in international funding schemes, first and foremost in Horizon Europe, the EU’s 2021-2027 framework programme.

While the support addresses researchers affiliated with a EuroTech University exclusively, in many cases it benefits their non-EuroTech partners, too. So teaming up with our universities pays off! 

Find more information on the following pages:

Horizon Europe

We help EuroTech Universities get funded through the EU’s research and innovation funding programme. Find out more about the programme and our support for applicants.

Marie Curie Actions

Read more about how we help member universities set up and fund fellowships and doctoral networks.

ERC Synergy Grants

Your way to funding for major scientific questions that cannot be addressed by you and your team alone.

EIC Pathfinder & Transition

Got an innovative idea? We support EuroTech researchers in applying for funding for developing new technologies.

EuroTech support

Submitting a proposal? EuroTech researchers can count on practical and financial support.

Successful projects

Some examples of EU-funded projects that have been submitted with EuroTech support.

Further funding schemes for EuroTech researchers and start-ups

Independently from help for acquiring EU funds, we support activities that contribute to creating and deepening collaboration between people affiliated with our universities . Each university has a budget at its disposal for facilitating activities that involve several EuroTech Universities. If you are affiliated with a EuroTech University and have something in mind, feel free to reach out to your Operations Board member or or the corresponding Liaison Officer in the Brussels Office to discuss potential financial and practical support for your plans.

Next to this ad-hoc assistance, we run two dedicated programmes with fixed annual deadlines: the EuroTech Visiting Researcher Programme and the European Venture Programme . Learn more about both programmes on the following pages:

EuroTech Visiting Researcher Programme

We fund 1 to 4-week research stays at other EuroTech Universities. The application process is short and straightforward.

European Venture Programme

Each year, we offer 20 to 25 EuroTech start-ups exclusive access to the entrepreneurship expertise and networking resources available at the six EuroTech Universities.

The EuroTech Universities Alliance is a strategic partnership of leading European universities of science and technology joining forces to build a strong, sustainable, sovereign, and resilient Europe. 

Privacy Overview

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Select your language

Official eu languages.

• slovenščina

Studying abroad

Erasmus+ helps organise student and doctoral candidate exchanges.

These take place

• within countries fully part of the Erasmus+ programme
• to and from countries associated to Erasmus+

Why choose to study abroad

• improve your communication, language and inter-cultural skills
• gain soft skills highly valued by employers
• combine with a traineeship abroad to gain work experience

Quick explainer

Individuals from Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia or Türkiye can participate in most opportunities as these non-EU countries are associated to the Erasmus+ programme .

For individuals from other non-EU countries there are some opportunities, for example  Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees or the international dimension of student and staff exchange (if your university takes part) and youth exchange schemes .

You will need to check the  opportunity pages  for more information, as eligibility varies between opportunities.

There are 2 types of countries where Erasmus+ is active.

EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme

These can fully take part in all the actions of the Erasmus+ Programme. They include all EU countries, members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), candidate EU countries and others. They were previously called Programme countries.

Third countries not associated to the Programme

These can take part in certain Erasmus+ actions . There are many of these, spanning the globe. They were previously called Partner countries.

See the full list of eligible countries

These descriptions determine the countries in which Erasmus+ activities may take place, and which type of activities are possible.

These can fully take part in all the actions of the Erasmus+ Programme. They include all EU countries, members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), candidate EU countries and others.

These can take part in certain Erasmus+ actions . There are many of these, spanning the globe.

How to apply

There's no central application form to study abroad with Erasmus+.

You can reach out to the international or Erasmus+ office of your university or higher education institution to start the process.

Your sending higher education institution is obliged to select applicants in a fair and transparent way.

Who can apply

• students at short-cycle, Bachelor and Master levels
• Doctoral candidates
• registered in a higher education institution that participates in the Erasmus+ programme ( download a list of these institutions )
• enrolled in studies leading to a recognised degree or tertiary-level qualification

Your study period abroad must be

• relevant for your degree-related learning and personal development needs
• part of the study programme that you are following
• long-term mobility: minimum of 2 months to a maximum of 12 months abroad (including blended mobilities with a virtual component)
• short-term mobility: between 5 and 30 days abroad (these must be blended mobilities)
• maximum total duration : 12 months within one study cycle. It is possible to do more than one exchange within that limit.

Please note that only doctoral candidates can do a short-term mobility without a virtual component.

For "one-cycle" courses such as medicine or architecture, you can go abroad with Erasmus+ for as long as 24 months.

"Cycle" refers to the level of study as defined by the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) .

Costs and financial support

Grant agreements are signed by your sending or receiving institution. They apply for funding on behalf of their students.

If you are accepted for a grant, you will sign a participant grant agreement with them.

The amount is a contribution to your travel and daily living costs.

The details of this grant depend on many different conditions, including the

• differences in living costs between your country and the destination country
• number of students applying for a grant
• distance between countries and the availability of other grants

As an Erasmus+ student, you are exempt from fees for tuition, registration, examinations, and charges for access to laboratories or libraries at the receiving institution. Small fees for insurance or student union membership may still apply.

Other support

There is also extra support for students going on a traineeship, students with fewer opportunities or those from outermost regions .

You may also be eligible for additional grants from your institution, government or other sources. 

Visit the European Funding guide or the Study Portals .

Students with physical, mental or health-related conditions

Check with the Erasmus+ coordinator at your sending institution to see if you can apply for additional funding.

Read about inclusion support

Language learning

Access to Erasmus+ Online Language Support can help you learn the language used for your studies.

Recognising your studies

Before your study period abroad, you will sign a “learning agreement for studies” with your sending and receiving institutions. 

• defines how your activities abroad will be recognised
• ensures the preparations are clear for all parties
• sets the rights and responsibilities of the various parties

You will also receive the Erasmus+ Student Charter explaining your rights and obligations.

After your study period abroad

• your receiving institution must give you and your sending institution a transcript of records which confirms completion and results achieved
• your sending institution must recognise the credits (using ECTS credits or an equivalent system) and count them towards your degree, without any other requirements
• your mobility period should be recorded in the Diploma Supplement , depending on where your institution is based

Requirements for participating higher education institutions

The sending institution and the receiving institution must have an inter-institutional agreement .

Both institutions must also hold the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (if they are in EU Member States or third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme). Institutions from third countries not associated to the Erasmus+ programme commit to the principles of the Charter when signing the inter-institutional agreements.

Related links

A dynamic forum for networking, professional development and intercultural exchange

Doctoral candidates can also apply to MSCA to receive EU support for periods of research abroad

Thanks for your feedback

We are happy to see that your experience was positive. Don't forget to share the pages you like with your friends and colleagues.

If you need to ask a question, please contact Europe direct .

• News & Events

We are launching PhD Grants for our PhD Students in Co-tutelle programs!

2023 nov/06.

We are delighted to officially launch a new opportunity for our PhD Students across the Alliance!

In our quality as a transnational European higher education and research alliance, we aim to address global and local challenges by tackling coastal environmental, technical, economic and societal needs. Our EU-CONEXUS PhD Level Joint Actions Team is taking another step in this direction by launching a new Call for Grants for all EU-CONEXUS PhD Students in Co-Tutelle programs in Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability topics with co-supervised theses between two EU-CONEXUS partners.

We invite all eligible students to carefully go through all the information below and to apply!

General objectives of the PhD Grants:

• Boost collaboration between EU-CONEXUS partners by encouraging interdisciplinary work on SmUCS topics by PhD students and supervisors in PhD programs;
• Champion international networking and encourage PhD students to acquire new skills by providing them with mobility opportunities that allow them to study, train, teach, and do research in partner institutions;
• Support the development of new joint, flexible and innovative PhD Co-tutelle programs.

Who is eligible to apply?

• PhD students from EU-CONEXUS partner universities with co-supervised thesis between two EU-CONEXUS partners can apply for funding through the PhD Grants as long as the bilateral Co-tutelle Agreement between the two universities has been signed.

Mandatory requirements:

• Submit an application proposal
• Ensure that the Co-tutelle thesis is within the field of Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS)
• Ensure that the bilateral Co-tutelle Agreement between the two partner universities in EU-CONEXUS is signed prior to the moment of the application
• Both supervisors from EU-CONEXUS partner universities must agree on the application
• The PhD student has to submit the completed application form ( Annex 1 ) via the following email address: [email protected]
• The call is active until July 2026 and the maximum number of grants is 15.

Evaluation criteria:

• Relevance -Relevance of the PhD thesis for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability
• Eligibility criteria – Existence of the bilateral Co-tutelle Agreement between 2 EU-CONEXUS partners duly signed and in forc e – Agreement of the 2 co-supervisors for the application

The EU-CONEXUS Doctoral School working group (WP4 EU-CONEXUS PLUS) will evaluate the application. Approved applications will be sent to EU-CONEXUS Research and Academic Councils for validation.

Applicants will be notified about the outcome of their application no later than 30 days from the submission date.

• The funding/grant is €3000 (VAT included) per student and it is a lump sum. No justification for the spending is required.
• The grant is a personal scholarship awarded to the PhD student in Co-tutelle. It can only be granted once during the Co-tutelle.
• Co-funding from partners’ own funds or from public or private funds is allowed.
• The grant will be awarded to PhD students by EU-CONEXA organization.

For further inquiries or follow-up questions, contact [email protected] .

• Apr 26 2024 SIUE School of Pharmacy Attains Highest Residency Match Rate in Illinois
• Apr 26 2024 RiverBender.com Reports Juneau Associates $25,000 Donation to SIUE
• Apr 26 2024 SIUE Sponsored Regional Business Competition Awardee Holds Grand Opening

All Current News

Our faculty has a wealth of knowledge.

• Find an expert

SIUE Graduate School Presents Research Grants to Outstanding Students

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School is pleased to announce the spring 2024 Research Grants for Graduate Students (RGGS) award recipients.

The awards, valued at up to $500 each, support the research and creative activities of 39 graduate students studying in the College of Arts and Sciences and Schools of Pharmacy, Engineering and Education, Health and Human Behavior.

“By conducting original research and creative activities, graduate students at SIUE learn and demonstrate expertise in their field, “said Jerry Weinberg, PhD, associate provost for research and dean of the Graduate School. “Their projects can be impactful to their field of study as well as benefit communities throughout the region and beyond. The Research Grants for Graduate Students program recognizes the project’s potential contribution and provides the students with necessary resources to conduct the work.”

Faculty advisors oversee the students’ individual research or creative activity. The primary purpose of the RGGS program is to support the graduate students’ work, particularly as it relates to their thesis or final project.

The spring 2024 RGGS projects are listed on the Research Grants webpage . A sampling of projects are listed below.

• Synergistic Effects of Road Salt and Invasive Leaf Litter on Amphibian Community Dynamics (Amanda Montgomery, Biological Sciences; Faculty Advisor: Thomas Anderson, PhD)
• The Relationship between Athletes’ Divergent Thinking and Coaching Style (Mariano Rayon, Kinesiology – Exercise & Sport Psychology; Faculty Advisor: Lindsay Ross-Stewart, PhD)
• Multi-Residue Environmental Antibiotic and Sunscreen Component Analysis via HPLC-MS/MS and HPLC-PDA: Method Optimization and Transfer (Noah Hanratty, Chemistry; Faculty Advisor: Kevin Tucker, PhD)
• Experimental Post-Tensioning Effect on Behavior of Damaged and Undamaged Steel-Concrete Composite Beams under Low and High Cyclic Fatigue (Prakash Gajurel, Civil Engineering; Faculty Advisor: Alaaeldin Elsisi, PhD)
• Time-dependent Vitamin-B12 Blood Analysis of Mice Chronically Treated with Pantoprazole (Praise Ibukunoluwa Fawehinmi, Pharmaceutical Sciences; Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kenneth Witt, PhD)
• Determination of Behavioral and Developmental Toxicity of Perflurooctane Sulfonate on Circadian Rhythm using Fruit Flies and Planarian (Emily Beiler, Environmental Sciences; Faculty Advisor: Kyong-Sup Yoon, PhD)
• Addressing Spatial Resolution Challenges in Microscale Urban Remote Sensing for UHI Green Infrastructure Mapping (Iyanuoluwa Emmanuel Fatunmbi, Geography; Faculty Advisor: Shannon McCarragher, PhD)
• Survivors of Commercial Sex Trafficking: A Case Study of Bangladesh Intertwined with an Ethnographical and Netnographic Portrayal of Poverty (Nataha Israt Kabir, Sociology; Faculty Advisor: Corey Stevens, PhD)
• Analyzing the Impact of Climatic Factors on Predictive Models for Assessing the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease (Akosua Cobbina, Industrial Engineering; Faculty Advisor: Sinan Onal, PhD) PHOTO : Hadis Ghasemi, MS Chemistry student and former recipient of an RGGS award, presents her research at the Graduate School Spring Research Symposium.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is authorized to operate as a postsecondary educational institution by the  Illinois Board of Higher Education .

• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Community & Business Partners

Statistics and Actuarial Science

Graduate funding, awards and scholarships.

Review past award winners .

Awards for statistics students

Henry l. rietz award.

This award is presented to a PhD student if their performance on the PhD Final (Comprehensive) Exam in the past year has been truly outstanding. The decision is made by the PhD Comprehensive Examination Committee. The winner receives a certificate and a plaque. The award may be presented to more than one individual.

Departments award/scholarships

All students who first major is statistics are considered for (3) $500 scholarships which are awarded spring and fall. Students are notified individually and recognized.

Awards for actuarial science students

Taylor awards in actuarial analysis and academic performance.

Mr. Robert H. Taylor wishes to encourage all students in the department (as well as students outside the department) to pursue scholarship in the actuarial profession. Accordingly, Mr. Taylor established this fund to support annual awards to be given to the University of Iowa students who demonstrate excellence in research and academic performance. Students win this award and are recognized at our annual Knowler-Taylor Awards Day in the Spring semester. These awards also include a financial gift.

Knowler Awards for Outstanding Achievement

Professor Lloyd A. Knowler came to the University of Iowa as an undergraduate student in the late 1920s. He completed his PhD in Mathematics here in 1937, and was appointed to a faculty position in the Mathematics Department (actuarial science was taught in the Math Department until 1965). He retired in 1978, but remained active in our department until his death in 1990 at the age of 82. In addition to his interest in actuarial science, he was a founding member of the American Society of Quality Control. Students win this award and are recognized at our annual Knowler-Taylor Awards Day in the spring semester. 

Department-sponsored exam awards

The department has funds from numerous scholarships to give students awards for those who pass CAS Part 1 (SOA Exam P), CAS Part 2 (SOA Exam FM), SOA Exam MLC, CAS Exam 3F (SOA exam MFE) and CAS Part 4 (SOA Exam C). Currently, we are revising how awards information will be collected and processed. Check back for more information at a later date!

Award for graduate teaching assistants (TAs)

Allen t. craig award.

This award is presented to the outstanding teaching assistant of the year. To be eligible, a TA must have taught in the preceding fall semester, or in the current spring semester. The decision is based upon nominating statements, faculty evaluations, and visits to the candidates' classes by members of the Awards Committee. The winner receives a certificate and a plaque. The award may be presented to more than one individual.

Scholarships for actuarial science students

All students admitted to the actuarial science program are considered eligible for the Lloyd Knowler Scholarship, Principal Financial Group Foundation Scholarship, Harold W. Schloss Memorial Scholarship, D. W. Simpson & Company Scholarship, Towers Watson Scholarship and the Transamerica Scholarship. Each scholarship has recommended guidelines that the scholarship committee follows to make these awards. 

Lloyd A. Knowler Scholarship

Professor Lloyd A. Knowler came to the University of Iowa as an undergraduate student in the late 1920s. He completed his PhD in Mathematics here in 1937, and was appointed to a faculty position in the Mathematics Department (actuarial science was taught in the Math Department until 1965). He retired in 1978, but remained active in our department until his death in 1990 at the age of 82. In addition to his interest in Actuarial Science, he was a founding member of the American Society of Quality Control. The fund for this annual $1,000 scholarship was established through the UI Foundation by the American Society for Quality Control, State University of Iowa Section, in the name of Professor Knowler. It is awarded to students in actuarial science and statistics based on academic merit and future promise, as nominated by the department.

Principal Financial Group Foundation Scholarship

The Principal Financial Group Foundation has generously provided a student scholarship to the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science for many years. For the fall, 2012 the student selected will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Based upon current academic record and success on exams, the student recipient will be selected prior to each academic year by the department.  Students must show explicit interest in this scholarship. 

Harold W. Schloss Memorial Scholarship

In November 1984, the Harold W. Schloss Scholarship was established by the Casualty Actuarial Society as a memorial to Mr. Schloss, a past president of the Society. The fund for this annual $500 scholarship stipend was initiated by Mr. Schloss' wife, Frances A. Schloss, and their children. The scholarship is being used to benefit deserving and academically outstanding students in the actuarial program of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at the University of Iowa. The student recipient will be selected each spring by the Trustees of the CAS Trust, based upon the recommendation of the department.

D.W. Simpson & Company Scholarship

D.W. Simpson & Company, Inc. , has established a scholarship program to assist students who are majoring in actuarial science. Based upon current academic record and success on exams, the student recipient will be selected prior to each academic year by the department and receive $1,000.

Towers Watson Scholarship

To assist actuarial science students, Towers Watson has established a scholarship program, not only to represent their commitment to our department and our students, but also to signal their belief that our actuarial science program is among the best in the nation. Based upon current academic record and success on exams, the student recipient will be selected prior to each academic year by the department and receive a $1,500 scholarship.

Transamerica Scholarship

Transamerica (formerly known as AEGON) has established a scholarship program to assist outstanding students who are majoring in Actuarial Science. Based upon current academic record and success on exams, the student recipient will be selected prior to each academic year by the department and receive $3000.

Charles E. and Eleanore G. Wilson Scholarship

This fund was established with numerous gifts from Charles E. and Eleanore G. Wilson. Charles Wilson (BA, 1941) attended the University of Iowa during the Depression only because of a scholarship. He was an actuary for 45 years. He established this fund because he wanted to give future students the same opportunity he had and to help the actuarial profession.  The College of Liberal Arts assists us with the application process.

CIGNA Foundation Scholarship

CIGNA has established a scholarship program to assist outstanding students who are majoring in Actuarial Science. Currently this scholarship has been pending and no awards have been designated.

Casualty Actuarial Society Scholarship

The objective of this scholarship is to further students' interest in the property/casualty actuarial profession and to encourage the pursuit of the CAS designations.

Actuarial Foundation scholarships

The Actuarial Foundation currently supports four scholarships, three of which our students are eligible for: The Actuarial Diversity Scholarship, the Actuary of Tomorrow Stuart A. Robertson Memorial Scholarship, and the Curtis E. Huntington Memorial Scholarship.

The Actuarial Diversity Scholarship

The Actuarial Diversity Scholarship was formed in 1977 as a joint effort by the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Society of Actuaries. The door to the actuarial profession has been opened to hundreds of minority students over the years. In 2008 this Scholarship program was transferred to The Actuarial Foundation to further strengthen, increase and to assure the continuation of a diverse, high quality actuarial candidate pool through awards of the Actuarial Diversity Scholarship. This Scholarship promotes diversity through an annual scholarship program for Black/African American, Hispanic and Native American Indian students recognizing and encouraging academic achievements by awarding scholarships to full time undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree that may lead to a career in the actuarial profession. The 2010 Scholarship Application and Guidelines will be available in the fall. For additional information contact The Actuarial Foundation at: [email protected] .

Actuary of Tomorrow Stuart A. Robertson Memorial Scholarship

Stuart A. Robertson, FSA, MAAA, a distinguished actuary, passed away on Nov. 4, 2005 at the age of 87. Mr. Robertson co-founded the actuarial and consulting firm Milliman & Robertson (now Milliman, Inc.) over 50 years ago, together with Wendell Milliman. Mr. Robertson served as CEO and Chairman of the firm for many years prior to his retirement in 1983. He was also active in the actuarial profession, serving on the Society of Actuaries Board of Governors and in other capacities. A scholarship fund was established in 2006 in Stuart Robertson's name at the Actuarial Foundation to honor his dedication to excellence and to recognize his tremendously positive influence on the professional lives of many colleagues. Funding is being provided by Milliman, Inc. and by several of Mr. Robertson's colleagues and friends. The Actuary of Tomorrow Scholarship recognizes and encourages the academic achievements of undergraduate students pursuing a career in actuarial science. Applicants must be a full-time undergraduate student entering as a sophomore, junior or senior, must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) and must have successfully completed two actuarial exams. The Actuarial Foundation provides an award of $7,500 for education expenses at any accredited U.S. educational institution.

Curtis E. Huntington Memorial

The Curtis E. Huntington Memorial Scholarship (formerly The John Culver Wooddy Scholarship) was established to recognize the remarkably positive impact Huntington had on his students and on the actuarial profession.

Scholarships for all students

The University of Iowa offers more than 1,500 scholarships each year to outstanding students based on financial need, academic merit, or both. Students may receive multiple scholarships. Receiving a UI scholarship will not disqualify you from also receiving need-based grants or loans offered through the UI Office of Student Financial Aid.

• View College of Liberal Arts & Sciences scholarships
• View scholarships for transfer students
• View scholarships for first-year students

To apply for departmental scholarships, please contact Margie Ebert , Academic Service Coordinator, at [email protected] .

The department is often notified of new scholarship opportunities. When these arise, we notify our students so that they can apply for these special awards. If you know of a scholarship for which our students may be interested in applying, please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] .

Additional scholarships for all students

Math lover scholarship.

• Eligibility: All high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate students are eligible to apply.
• Amount: $500
• Application deadline: July 31

Learner Algebra Scholarship

Learner calculus scholarship, learner geometry scholarship, learner sat scholarship.

• Eligibility: All high school seniors

Graduate student scholarships

Aegon transamerica foundation scholarship.

• Fall 2023: Okechukwu Oboh, Ash White
• Spring 2023: Aidan Chaffin, Steven Jiang, Anna Kline, Okechukwu Oboh
• Fall 2022: Mohamed Abdalla, Aidan Chaffin, Anastasia Ellison, Anna Kline, Steven Jiang, Okechukwu Oboh
• Spring 2022: Anastasia Ellison, Steven Jiang
• Fall 2021: Anastasia Ellison, Steven Jiang

Allen T. Craig Scholarship

• 2016-17 25%-time RA appointments to Rui Huang, Jun Tang and Fuli Zhang; $2000 scholarship to Rebecca Rachan.
• 2015-16 25%-time RA appointments to Zhijiang Liu and Jun Tang; $2000 scholarship to Sheng Wang.
• 2014-15 25%-time RA appointments to Zhijiang Liu and Anna Pritchard; $2000 scholarship to Bo Wang.

Required registration and adequate progress to continue support

Students who are receiving financial support from the department are expected to register for a minimum course load each fall and spring semester of their appointment.

• MS students should take 9 hours minimum during their first year, and 7 hours minimum during their second year, in courses suitable for their program of study.
• Pre-Comp PhD students (those who have passed the PhD Candidacy Review) but have not yet taken the PhD Comps should take 7 hours minimum in courses suitable for their program of study.
• Post-Comp PhD students should take at least 4 hours of seminars and/or Reading Research STAT:7990 (22S:299). Recall that Ph.D. students are required to take at least 18 semester hours of STAT:7990 (22S:299).
• All students will receive tuition support for all courses suitable for their program of study, plus at most one semester-credit hour on other courses
• Exceptions may be made with the approval of both the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Adequate progress milestones

Support for year 2.

• Pass SPEAK/ELPT test at grade B or higher before start of second year (international students only).
• Complete at least 18 s.h. the first two semesters with a GPA of at least 3.00, including at least 9 s.h. the first semester with a GPA of at least 3.00

Support for year 3

• PhD Candidacy (official entry into the PhD program) is established upon successful completion of the Graduate Core Examination and the Creative Component. 

Support for year 4

• Pass: Foundations of Probillity I and II, STAT:7300-7301)  22S:203-204 or Advanced Inference I and II, STAT:7100-7101, (22S:253-254), and meet departmental GPA requirements by the end of the first semester of the third year.

Support for year 5

• Pass PhD Final (Comprehensive) Exam by the end of fourth year.
• Within 18 months of passing the PhD Final (Comprehensive) Exam, the PhD candidate should present a written and oral Prospectus to his or her committee. Failure to meet this deadline may result in non-renewal of financial support.

The Graduate College

The Graduate College offers a wealth of information about funding for graduate students through additional methods. You can learn more about funding your education on their site:

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Social justice
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Two from MIT awarded 2024 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

MIT graduate student Riyam Al Msari and alumna Francisca Vasconcelos ’20 are among the 30 recipients of this year’s Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. In addition, two Soros winners will begin PhD studies at MIT in the fall: Zijian (William) Niu in computational and systems biology and Russell Legate-Yang in economics.

The P.D. Soros Fellowships for New Americans program recognizes the potential of immigrants to make significant contributions to U.S. society, culture, and academia by providing $90,000 in graduate school financial support over two years.

Riyam Al Msari

Riyam Al Msari, born in Baghdad, Iraq, faced a turbulent childhood shaped by the 2003 war. At age 8, her life took a traumatic turn when her home was bombed in 2006, leading to her family's displacement to Iraqi Kurdistan. Despite experiencing educational and ethnic discriminatory challenges, Al Msari remained undeterred, wholeheartedly embracing her education.

Soon after her father immigrated to the United States to seek political asylum in 2016, Al Msari’s mother was diagnosed with head and neck cancer, leaving Al Msari, at just 18, as her mother’s primary caregiver. Despite her mother’s survival, Al Msari witnessed the limitations and collateral damage caused by standardized cancer therapies, which left her mother in a compromised state. This realization invigorated her determination to pioneer translational cancer-targeted therapies.

In 2018, when Al Msari was 20, she came to the United States and reunited with her father and the rest of her family, who arrived later with significant help from then-senator Kamala Harris’s office. Despite her Iraqi university credits not transferring, Al Msari persevered and continued her education at Houston Community College as a Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) scholar, and then graduated magna cum laude as a Regents Scholar from the University of California at San Diego’s bioengineering program, where she focused on lymphatic-preserving neoadjuvant immunotherapies for head and neck cancers.

As a PhD student in the MIT Department of Biological Engineering, Al Masri conducts research in the Irvine and Wittrup labs to employ engineering strategies for localized immune targeting of cancers. She aspires to establish a startup that bridges preclinical and clinical oncology research, specializing in the development of innovative protein and biomaterial-based translational cancer immunotherapies.

Francisca Vasconcelos ’20

In the early 1990s, Francisca Vasconcelos’s parents emigrated from Portugal to the United States in pursuit of world-class scientific research opportunities. Vasconcelos was born in Boston while her parents were PhD students at MIT and Harvard University. When she was 5, her family relocated to San Diego, when her parents began working at the University of California at San Diego.

Vasconcelos graduated from MIT in 2020 with a BS in electrical engineering, computer science, and physics. As an undergraduate, she performed substantial research involving machine learning and data analysis for quantum computers in the MIT Engineering Quantum Systems Group, under the guidance of Professor William Oliver. Drawing upon her teaching and research experience at MIT, Vasconcelos became the founding academic director of The Coding School nonprofit’s Qubit x Qubit initiative, where she taught thousands of students from different backgrounds about the fundamentals of quantum computation.

In 2020, Vasconcelos was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where she pursued an MSc in statistical sciences and an MSt in philosophy of physics. At Oxford, she performed substantial research on uncertainty quantification of machine learning models for medical imaging in the OxCSML group. She also played for Oxford’s Women’s Blues Football team. 

Now a computer science PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley, Vasconcelos is a member of both the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab and CS Theory Group. Her research interests lie at the intersection of quantum computation and machine learning. She is especially interested in developing efficient classical algorithms to learn about quantum systems, as well as quantum algorithms to improve simulations of quantum processes. In doing so, she hopes to find meaningful ways in which quantum computers can outperform classical computers.

The P.D. Soros Fellowship attracts more than 1,800 applicants annually. MIT students interested in applying may contact Kim Benard, associate dean of distinguished fellowships in Career Advising and Professional Development.

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• P.D. Soros Fellowships for New Americans
• MIT Career Advising and Professional Development

Related Topics

• Awards, honors and fellowships
• Graduate, postdoctoral
• Immigration
• Biological engineering
• Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (eecs)

Related Articles

Six from MIT awarded 2023 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Five MIT students named 2020 Rhodes Scholars

Nine MIT students awarded 2021 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

Exploring the history of data-driven arguments in public life

Read full story →

Three from MIT awarded 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships

A musical life: Carlos Prieto ’59 in conversation and concert

MIT Emerging Talent opens pathways for underserved global learners

The MIT Edgerton Center’s third annual showcase dazzles onlookers

3 Questions: A shared vocabulary for how infectious diseases spread

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

Announcing Summer 2024 Center for Middle East Studies Research Travel Award Recipients

April 25, 2024

Graduate Research Travel

Adel Ben Bella (MCM) Arif Erbil (History) Hosna Salari Sardari  (History of Art and Architecture) Amelle Zerou g (History) Gabriel Zuckerberg (Music) 

Undergraduate Research Travel

Aboud Ashhab ‘25

STUDENT TRAVEL AND RESEARCH FUNDING IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GENEROUS GIFT FROM THE SAMS FAMILY 

Previous recipients.

Fall 2014 MES Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2015 MES Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2016 MES Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2017 MES Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2018 MES Research Travel Award Recipients Fall 2018 MES Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2019 Research Travel Award Recipients Fall 2019 Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2022 Research Travel Award Recipients Spring 2023 Research Travel Award Recipients

ABOUT MIDDLE EAST STUDIES RESEARCH TRAVEL AWARDS

Up to $1,000 for Middle East studies undergraduate concentrators Up to $1,500 for Middle East studies graduate students

• Priority is given to undergraduate students concentrating in Middle East studies using the funds towards research for the senior Capstone or Honors Thesis
• Students in concentrations other than Middle East studies but with Middle East-related research will be considered 
• Graduate applicant support is based on travel focused specifically on conducting research for their dissertations
• Travel is not limited to the Middle East. However, applicants must be conducting research on the Middle East 

MORE INFORMATION ON MIDDLE EAST STUDIES RESEARCH TRAVEL AWARDS

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Job Description:

Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, established by COFAC - Cooperativa de Formação e Animação Cultural. CRL, calls for applications for 4 (four) national research grants and 1 (one) mixed research grant, hereinafter referred to respectively as National Doctoral Research Grant and Mixed Doctoral Research Grant, in the area of Media Arts and Communication Sciences under the FCT Research Grant Regulations (RBI) and the Research Grant Holder Statute (EBI). The grants will be funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the Collaboration Protocol for the Funding of Doctoral Research Fellowships within the European Universities Alliance for Film and Media Arts (FilmEU), signed between FCT and the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias. The work to be carried out under the scope of the grants will be hosted by the R&D Unit - CICANT - Research Centre for Applied Communication, Culture and New Technologies (ref: 5260)

1. Ttype and number of grant(s) to be awarded: 5 (five) Research grants for PhD students, 4 (four) national and 1 (one) mixed, reference COFAC/ULHT/FilmEU-FCT/2022.

2. Scientific field(s): Media Arts and Communication Sciences

3. Funding Source: The grants related to the grant components are funded by FCT under the Collaboration Protocol for the Funding of PhD research grants under the European Universities Alliance for Film and Media Arts (FilmEU), signed between FCT and the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, with funds from the State Budget and, when eligible, with funds from the European Social Fund, to be made available under the PORTUGAL2020, through, namely, the Regional Operational Program of the North (NORTE 2020), the Regional Operational Program of the Center (Centro 2020) and the Regional Operational Program of the Alentejo (Alentejo 2020), or others that may succeed them, in accordance with the regulations established for this purpose

4. Applicants: The PhD Research Grant is intended for candidates already enrolled or candidates who meet the necessary conditions to enroll in one of the following PhD Programs in Media Art and Communication and PhD in Communication Sciences , who intend to develop research activities, leading to the award of a PhD academic degree, in the scope with the scientific work developed at CICANT and FilmEU Alliance .

5. Eligibility of applicants: The following are eligible to apply to this call: National citizens or citizens of other European Union Member States; Citizens of third countries; Stateless persons; Citizens benefiting from political refugee status.

5.1 Candidate Admission Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in the field of studies in communication sciences or arts;
• Master's degree in the study area of communication sciences or arts;
• To live in Portugal permanently and habitually, a requirement applicable to both national and foreign citizens (applicable only to mixed type grants)
• Not to have benefited from a PhD or PhD in companies grant directly funded by FCT, regardless of its duration.

8. Duration of the grant(s):

The duration of the fellowships is, as a rule, annual, renewable up to a maximum of four years (48 months), and no fellowship may be granted for a period of less than 3 consecutive months. In the case of mixed grants, the period of the work plan taking place in a foreign institution may not exceed 24 months.

8.1 Amount of the monthly maintenance allowance:

The amount of the SMM corresponds to the values established for each one of the types of Doctoral Research Scholarships, as per the table of values of the FCT, I.P. grants ( Table of monthly maintenance allowances of the FCT I.P. Research Grants Regulations ).

8.2 Other benefits:

Reimbursement of Voluntary Social Insurance, corresponding to the 1st Step of the contributory base (for grants lasting 6 months or more) and Personal Accident Insurance.

8.3. Exclusive regime:

The performance of functions as a research fellow is carried out on an exclusive basis, under the terms of article 5 of the Research Fellow Statute and applicable research grant regulations.

Please read the full anouncement at  Careers / Opportunities - CICANT Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (ulusofona.pt)

Organisation

Attachments.

The responsibility for the funding offers published on this website, including the funding description, lies entirely with the publishing institutions. The application is handled uniquely by the employer, who is also fully responsible for the recruitment and selection processes.

• Meet the Acting Dean
• Dean's Executive Team
• Sustainability Council
• Vision, Mission, and Goals
• College Org. Chart
• Facts and Figures
• Faculty Honors and Awards
• Science Rankings
• Undergraduate Enrollment
• Climate and Diversity
• Diversity in STEM
• Office of Diversity and Inclusion
• College Guide program
• Rainbow Science Network
• Black in STEM
• Location and Maps
• Instruction and Curricula
• Staff Resources
• Frontiers of Science
• Science Journal
• Program Directory
• Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Department of Biology
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Physics
• Department of Statistics
• Science Major
• Science BS/MBA
• Premedical/Medical (BS/MD)
• Premedicine Major
• Office for Undergraduate Students
• First Year Living Options
• Scholarships
• Admitted Undergraduates
• Schedule a Visit
• Graduate Students
• Advising and Student Services
• Career Development
• Collaborative Learning Center
• Education Abroad
• Financial Aid and Scholarships
• Graduation and Commencement
• Information for Parents
• Student Organizations in Science
• Transfer or Change of Campus Students
• Undergraduate Research
• Commencement
• Interdisciplinary Research Centers
• Office for Innovation
• Funding for Research
• Information for Researchers
• Broader Impacts Resource Center
• Corporate Partners Program
• Empower community growth
• Undergraduate educational experience

Fifteen Eberly students offered graduate funding from National Science Foundation

Fifteen Penn State Eberly College of Science students and alumni pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees have received fellowship offers from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program for the 2024-25 academic year.

The NSF program supports outstanding graduate students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines; those in STEM education and learning research; and those in social and behavioral sciences, who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees.

Eberly students and alumni to receive fellowship offers this year include the following individuals:

• Elizabeth Gonzalez , doctoral student in astronomy and astrophysics
• Christian Robles , doctoral student in astronomy and astrophysics
• Anna R. Tartaglia , doctoral student in astronomy and astrophysics
• Vanessa Raquel Garcia , doctoral student in biology
• Isis P. Carmona-Sepúlveda , doctoral student in chemistry
• Pedro Rafael Trinidad-Pérez , doctoral student in chemistry
• Jo Laura , doctoral student in chemistry

Eberly students and alumni receiving honorable mentions this year include the following individuals:

• Lucas Floyd Brefka , doctoral student in astronomy and astrophysics
• Evan Fitzmaurice , doctoral student in astronomy and astrophysics
• Mei-Ling Liber , doctoral student in biology
• Clancy Andrew McIntyre , doctoral student in biology
• Alicia T. Romero , doctoral student in ecology
• Emma R. van der Heide , doctoral student in ecology
• Tommy Chin , doctoral student in physics
• Destiny S. Wright , Class of 2022 bachelor of science in biology

According to the NSF website, “as the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers.” Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 as well as $12,000 for tuition and fees, to conduct their research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education of their choosing. They also have opportunities for international research and professional development through the program.

The GRFP annual program solicitation was released in July and is available on the NSF website. Applications are accepted via Fastlane, the NSF's official online information and business transaction center. Application deadlines begin in mid-October and vary depending on the field of study.

For additional information on the GRFP, contact the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards Administration at [email protected] .

SIU awards nearly $173K in Green Fund grants, honors students for sustainability

Southern Illinois University | Monday, April 29, 2024

Tactical Navigation

• For the Media
• Experts Guide
• News Archive

Student Sustainable Farms has received Green Fund grants for projects to improve sustainability. (Photo provided)

April 24, 2024

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale celebrated Earth Day this week by awarding almost $173,000 in Green Fund grants to 15 diverse project. The projects run the gamut, from establishing a pawpaw research orchard to creating a multipurpose butterfly garden to adding more water bottle refill stations to improving energy efficiency.

The Green Fund Grant Committee, chaired by a student and including three additional students, a staff member and a faculty member, reviewed 18 proposals, said Aimee Lemrise, sustainability director.

“We look forward to this time of year as we elevate our Imagine 2030 strategic plan and its sustainability pillar,” she said. “We are thankful to all who submitted proposals and were excited to see the interest from those taking action toward the opportunities this Green Fund program offers the campus community in reaching its goals to lead and rank in sustainability achievements. We were very impressed with the number of applications submitted this year as well as the proposals themselves.

“There are many with energy efficiency improvements, research toward capturing energy loss through innovative modeling and a wide range of unique projects, with many involving student engagement. We encourage the campus community to already begin thinking ahead about ideas for creative sustainability changes they can propose for campus and plan to apply for green fund grants in the future.”

Grant recipients

The 2024 projects are receiving a total of $172,994, officials announced on Earth Day, April 22. With the addition of the latest round of funding, the university has now awarded nearly $3.64 million to 340 sustainability projects . The funding for the grants comes from a student Green Fee of about $10 per semester, adopted in 2009 as the result of a student-led initiative.

Sustainability projects chosen for Green Fund grants this spring are:

• Sustainable agriculture collaboration and education initiative, Rachel Miller, Student Sustainable Farm manager/researcher, $39,288. The funding will ensure the farm has year-round management to maintain its educational, functional and collaborative efforts, missions and goals.
• Oxygen generator and natural gas booster system installation/connection, Jiyong Lee , glass program in the School of Art and Design , $31,000. As part of ongoing efforts to make improvements in the operation of the high-energy-use glass-blowing studio, the funds will be used to install an oxygen generator and natural gas booster in the space in the Pulliam Education Building, allowing the glass studio to eliminate the purchase of oxygen and propane gas and delivery and to reduce energy costs.
• Development of sustainable laboratory setups for Robotics and Control Laboratory , Arash Komaee , associate professor in the School of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering , $17,400. Komaee will lead a team including three undergraduate students and a doctoral student in designing a collection of laboratory setups with minimal use of non-eco-friendly materials and to manufacture them with biodegradable 3D printing materials for research and instructional purposes.
• Living wall regeneration, Karen Midden , horticulture professor emerita, and Jennifer Z. Matthews , assistant instructor in interior design , $15,800 to replace the worn living wall system in the Agriculture Building with a new, simpler system. The current wall was created by Midden and installed by students in 2012 as a Green Fund project with guidance from two New York professionals, but the felt-style system needs to be replaced, and the new modular, grid-based tray system will be easier to maintain.
• SIU Bike Fix It additions and repair, Andrew White, geography and environmental resources major , $10,200. The grant will be used to add two new bike repair stations to campus and make repairs at existing stations.
• Simulation of in-campus power distribution network at SIU, Bishal Lamichhane, doctoral student in the School of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering , $10,000. Lamichhane will use a hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation of a medium voltage power distribution network for SIU to access the status of protection coordination and power flows for the distribution lines to identify any potential loss-incurring sections.
• Digital twin model of SIU water distribution system for sustainable water asset management, Sangmin Shin , assistant professor in the School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering , $9,804. The funds will improve the water and energy efficiency at SIU’S Evergreen Terrace water distribution system by mapping and providing a digital twin model to simulate and visualize the system’s performance for water flow, pressure, pipe aging and energy use, thus advancing the information and monitoring capacity of SIU’s Facilities and Energy Management.
• Native pawpaw orchard with living mulch ground cover, Kaitlyn Lamaster , horticulture instructor in the School of Forestry and Horticulture , $9,273. The pawpaw is the largest native fruit in North America, and this grant will fund groundbreaking research and trial work to gauge the potential for commercial productivity via a pawpaw cultivar trial at the SIU Student Sustainable Farm.
• Student Center LED spotlight conversion, Jonathan Newlin, Student Center technical director, $8,549. The grant will allow the replacement of old, inefficient, halogen spotlights in the Student Center ballrooms with new, energy-efficient LED lighting.
• (Sustainable) Saluki Food Pantry , Olivia Stearns, graduate assistant for the food pantry and Master of Public Health student, $7,577. The grant will be used to help the pantry in its goal of addressing food insecurity by creating a more sustainable framework by reducing food waste through increased electronic documentation and promoting the use of reusable bags.
• At the Student Center , four existing traditional water drinking fountains will be upgraded to feature water bottle refill stations, and two refill stations will be placed in the John Corker Lounge, which services the ballrooms, Kent Epplin, Student Center director, $5,790.
• New station in the School of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering , Shannon Oxendine, office manager, $2,400.
• Touch of Nature Outdoor Education Center trail graduate assistant, Erik Oberg , program director of logistics, $3,500. The funding will provide for hiring a graduate student to identify, coordinate and implement sustainable trail maintenance and improvement projects and coordinate volunteer opportunities and projects related to TON trails and programs.
• Sustainable farming and butterfly garden, Students Embracing Nature, Sustainability and the Environment (SENSE) registered student organization , Morgan Schmitt, a senior geography and environmental resources major , and Marsen Fisher, a senior zoology major , $1,575. The Student Sustainable Farm gave SENSE eight raised beds to plant and grow sustainable crops beginning this fall, and the group plans to use the grant to plant a butterfly garden around the beds as well as to increase awareness and education about the ecosystem of sustainable farming.
• Papermaking with recycled materials, Stephanie Dukat, Craft Shop coordinator, $838. The Student Center Craft Shop will use the grant for a papermaking workshop series using recycled materials and the Craft Shop’s Hollander beater and paper press to allow participants to create handmade paper for personal stationery or art making by upcycling materials such as cotton, denim, scrap paper and cardboard.

Additional awards

The sustainability celebration also included the presentation of awards to recognize SIU’s 2024 Environmental Ambassadors. SIU students earn this award by donating at least 30 hours for community service to environment-related endeavors:

• Maelin Abbott-Rinehart, a senior recreation professions major with concentration in therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy from Louisville, Illinois .
• Keyla Aguilar, a master’s degree student in plant, soil and agricultural systems , from Waukegan, Illinois.
• Bharath Chintada, a master’s degree student in electrical and computer engineering , from Hyderabad, India .
• Sarah Depa, a senior zoology major with specialization in animal biology , from Arlington Heights, Illinois.
• Marsden Fisher, a senior zoology /pre-veterinarian major, from Yorkville, Illinois.
• Rockette Jaros, a research graduate assistant at the STEM Education Research Center , from Carbondale, Illinois.
• Olivia Larrison, a junior forestry major with forestry recreation and park management specialization , from Metropolis, Illinois.
• Elizabeth Lewinski, a junior recreation professions major with concentration in therapeutic recreation/recreational therapy , from Rockford, Illinois.
• Ethan Little, a senior recreation professions major , from Murphysboro, Illinois .
• Chaya Rice, a junior geography and environmental resources major , from Huntington Beach, California .
• Santonio Resonno, a senior zoology major with specialization in wildlife biology and conservation , from Louis, Missouri .

SENSE was also honored for its dedication, work and efforts.

In addition, the Sustainability Office recognized several other people from campus and the community for their assistance and efforts to promote SIU “green” efforts:

• Angie Kuehl, Jackson County Health Department recycling coordinator.
• Rachel Miller, SIU Student Sustainable Farm manager/researcher.
• Steve Gariepy, STEM Education Research Center experiential education specialist.
• Elizabeth Donoghue, University Honors Program assistant director.
• Larry Dunlap-Berg, STEM Education Research Center
• Christi Mathis, University Communications and Marketing public information associate.
• Jill Johnson, University Housing culinary worker.

To learn more about SIU’s award-winning commitment to sustainability and green initiatives, visit sustainability.siu.edu .