The William T. Grant Foundation is pleased to announce the finalists for the William T. Grant Scholars Program Class of 2029. Nine early-career researchers were selected from a pool of 50 applicants after a rigorous review by our staff and Selection Committee.
“Each year, we welcome a group of Scholars’ finalists diverse in terms of their backgrounds and disciplines,” said Program Officer Melissa Wooten. The range of this year’s finalists is particularly varied: They come from the fields of economics, public health, public policy, education, sociology, social work, and ophthalmology. I am particularly pleased that three finalists have proposed to study strategies for improving the use of research evidence. Every individual in this group has the potential to contribute to a body of research that can transform young people’s lives for the better.
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 institutions’ commitment to applicants’ careers.
The nine finalists will be interviewed in February 2024, and four to six Scholars will be announced in March. All Scholars receive $350,000 over five years and participate in annual retreats. 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.
William T. Grant Scholars Finalists
Raquel Muniz Castro, J.D., Ph.D.
Department of Educational Leadership & Higher Education, Boston College
Trevion Henderson, Ph.D.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University
Amy Li, Ph.D.
Educational Policy Studies, Florida International University
Shuang Lu, Ph.D.
School of Social Work, University of Central Florida
Julius Oatts, M.D.
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco
Natasha Quadlin, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology, California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles
Amanda Raffoul, Ph.D.
Division of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
Ying Shi, Ph.D.
Public Administration and International Affairs Department, Syracuse University
Ericka Weathers, Ph.D.
Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division, University of Pennsylvania
