The William T. Grant Foundation is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2021 William T. Grant Scholars Program. Ten early-career researchers were selected from a pool of 44 applicants after a rigorous review by our staff and Selection Committee.
Fabienne Doucet, the program officer overseeing the program, said of the finalists, “This year’s finalists are an outstanding group of early career researchers. We are at an inflection point, not just in the U.S., but around the world. As we emerge from a devastating pandemic, each of these researchers will be expanding their expertise in new and significant ways that will also make a difference for young people.”
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 2021 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 finalists are:
Riana Elyse Anderson, Ph.D.
School of Public Health, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan
Alison Culyba, M.D., Ph.D.
Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
Denisa Gandara, Ph.D.
Department of Education Policy & Leadership, Southern Methodist University
Adam Haber, Ph.D.
School of Public Health, Harvard University
Elma L. Lorenzo-Blanco, Ph.D.
Human Development and Family Science, University of Texas at Austin
Emily Penner, Ph.D.
School of Education, University of California, Irvine
Emily Phillips Galloway, Ed.D.
Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University
Gabriela T. Richard, Ph.D.
Learning and Performance Systems, The Pennsylvania State University
Goleen Samari, Ph.D.
Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University
William Schneider, Ph.D.
School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Learn more about the Scholars Program >.
