We are pleased to announce the finalists for the William T. Grant Scholars Program class of 2030. Ten early-career researchers were selected from a pool of 58 applicants after a rigorous review by our staff and Selection Committee.
The ten finalists will be interviewed in February 2025 and four to six Scholars will be approved by the Board of Trustees in March. New this year, selected Scholars will receive $425,000 over the course of the five-year grant—an increase from the program’s previous award of $350,000. This change reflects the Foundation’s continued commitment to supporting the career development of junior scholars.
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. 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 their career.
“This outstanding group of finalists represent a diverse range of disciplines, from occupational therapy to engineering to psychology. Their commitment to stretching their expertise and tackling important questions on ways to improve the lives of young people is remarkable. The Foundation is excited to continue extending its support toward the development of early career researchers,” said Melissa Wooten, the program officer who manages the Scholars program.
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Farzana Adjah
Graduate School of Education, Stanford University
Mollie McQuillan
Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Irene Lo
Department of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University
Trevion Henderson
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University
Nikhil Garg
School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, Cornell University
Melissa Colón
Department of Leadership in Education, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Margaret Thomas
Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago
Allen Mallory
Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University
Kelly Harris
Department of Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Ericka Weathers
Division of Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems, University of Pennsylvania
