We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2020 William T. Grant Scholars Program. Ten early-career researchers were selected from a pool of 62 applicants after a rigorous review by our staff and Selection Committee.
Program officer Fabienne Doucet said of the finalists, “this group of early-career researchers represents an exciting range of disciplinary, conceptual, and methodological diversity. They show great promise for advancing their respective fields in significant ways, and we congratulate them on this recognition.”
Applicants for the Scholars Program propose five-year research and mentoring plans designed to expand their skills and knowledge. Applicants are nominated by their institutions and only one applicant can be named from any one major division (e.g., College of Arts and Sciences, medical school, etc.). Nominating institutions must formally agree to support the applicant’s research goals with sufficient resources during the grant period, so the nomination reflects the institution’s serious commitment to the applicant and his or her career.
The ten finalists will be interviewed in February 2019 and four to six Scholars will be announced in March. Selected Scholars will each receive $350,000 over five years and participate in annual meetings. The Scholars Program began in 1982 and has a rich history of supporting the development of early-career researchers in the social, behavioral, and health sciences.
The 2020 William T. Grant Scholars finalists are:
Bianca Baldridge, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Julia Burdick-Will, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and School of Education, Johns Hopkins University
Manasi Deshpande, Ph.D.
Department of Economics, The University of Chicago
Denisa Gandara, Ph.D.
Department of Education Policy & Leadership, Southern Methodist University
Terrance L. Green, Ph.D.
Department of Education Leadership & Policy, The University of Texas at Austin
Sara Heller, Ph.D.
Department of Economics, University of Michigan
Sarah Lipson, Ph.D.
Department of Health Law Policy and Management, Boston University
Jayanti Owens, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology, Brown University
Emily Phillips Galloway, Ed.D.
Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University
Valerie B. Shapiro, Ph.D.
School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley
