IRP conducts a competitive PhD Student Research Fellowship Program at the UW–Madison that offers up to 12 months of research support to advanced graduate students conducting rigorous poverty-related dissertation research at IRP.
Additionally, IRP provides funding for PhD Student Research Fellowships at the four founding U.S. Collaborative of Poverty Centers (CPC) institutions in IRP’s role as the National Poverty Research Center sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The CPC centers, noted below, conduct their own fellowship competitions on their academic timeline.
- Center on Poverty and Social Policy, Columbia University;
- Center on Race and Wealth, Howard University;
- University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research; and
- West Coast Poverty Center, University of Washington.
Current Call
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2021–2022 PhD Student Research Fellows
Lois Miller
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Economics and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Lois Miller is a graduate student in Economics. Her dissertation is entitled: “Effects of Guaranteed Transfer Admission.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Summer 2021
Advisor: Jeff Smith
Twitter: @Lois_Miller
Chiara Packard
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Sociology and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Chiara Packard is a graduate student in Sociology. Her dissertation is entitled: “The Question is, “Should you Charge?”: A Multi-site Case Study Exploring Prosecutor’s Use of Discretion in Wisconsin.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2021–August 2022
Advisor: John Eason
Past (Closed) Calls
2020–2021 PhD Student Research Fellows
Erica Eliason
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Poverty and Social Policy
Columbia University
Erica Eliason is a graduate student in social work. Her dissertation is entitled: “The Effects of Health Insurance Eligibility Policies on Maternal Care Access and Childbirth Outcomes.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 1, 2020–August 31, 2021
Advisor: Heidi Allen
Frank Emeni
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Race and Wealth
Howard University
Frank Emeni is a graduate student in economics. His dissertation is entitled: “The Influence of Wealth and Income in Transition to Homeownership (2000–2015)”.
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: August 2020–May 2021
Advisor: Haydar Kurban
Esther HsuBorger
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Sociology and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Esther HsuBorger is a graduate student in sociology. Her dissertation is entitled “Poverty Line: The Dynamics of State and Scientific Classification.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Summer 2020
Advisor: Jane Collins
Hyein Kang
PhD Student Research Fellow
University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research
Hyein Kang is a graduate student in economics. Her dissertation is entitled: “Essays on Evaluating the Effects of the Child Tax Credit.
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: January 2021
Advisor: James P. Ziliak
Joanna Venator
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Economics and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Joanna Venator is a graduate student in economics. Her dissertation is entitled “Dual-Earner Migration Decisions, Earnings, and Unemployment.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 1, 2020–August 31, 2021
Advisor: John Kennan
2019–2020 PhD Student Research Fellows
Bethel Cole
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Race and Wealth
Howard University
Bethel Cole is a graduate student in economics who focuses on housing inequality. Her dissertation is entitled: “How Did the Recent Increase in Supply of Multifamily Apartments Affect Housing Affordability in Washington, D.C.?”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: August 2019–May 2020
Advisor: Haydar Kurban
Elizabeth Doran
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Poverty and Social Policy
Columbia University
Elizabeth Doran is a graduate student in social policy. Her dissertation is entitled “Childcare (In)stabilty and Household (In)stability Among Low-Income Families.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2019–May 2020
Advisor: Jane Waldfogel
Chloe Haimson
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Sociology and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Chloe Haimson is a graduate student in sociology. Her dissertation is entitled: “Parole Supervision in an Era of Decarceration.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: May 2019–May 2020
Advisor: Pamela Oliver
Grace Reinke
PhD Student Research Fellow
West Coast Poverty Center (WCPC)
University of Washington
Grace Reinke is a graduate student in political science. Her dissertation is entitled “Social Reproduction as Political Resistance: Case Studies from US Politics in an Age of Extraction.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Summer 2020
Kenneth Tester
PhD Student Research Fellow
University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research
Kenneth Tester is a graduate student in economics who focuses on public finance.
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2019–May 2020
Advisor: David Agrawal
Melody Waring
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
School of Social Work and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Melody Waring is a graduate student in social work. Her dissertation is entitled: “Caring for Aging Parents: Stratified Effects on Labor Force Participation.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: May 2019–August 2019
Advisor: Lawrence M. Berger
2018–2019 PhD Student Research Fellows
Howard (Jacob) Carlson
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Sociology and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Jacob Carlson is a graduate student in sociology and an IRP Graduate Research Fellow. His dissertation is entitled: “Gentrification, Urban Context, and the Effects on Low-Income Households.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: May 2018–April 2019
Advisor: Erik Olin Wright
Shiyu Cheng
PhD Student Research Fellow
University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research
Shiyu Cheng is a graduate student in economics. Her research area is the economics of public transfer programs.
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 30, 2018–May 15, 2019
Advisor: James Ziliak
Irene Jacqz
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
Agricultural & Applied Economics and Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Irene Jacqz is a graduate student in agricultural and applied economics and an IRP Graduate Research Fellow. Her dissertation is entitled: “Environmental Inequality and Early Childhood Cognition.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: June 2018–May 2019
Advisor: Jason Fletcher
Kirsten McLeod
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Race and Wealth
Howard University
Kirsten McLeod is a graduate student in economics. Her dissertation is entitled: “Economic Analysis of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Affordable Rental Program: Beneficiaries versus the Target Population.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2018–August 2019
Advisor: Haydar Kurban
Jessica Pac
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Poverty and Social Policy
Columbia University
Jessica Pac is a graduate student in social policy. Her dissertation is entitled: “Preventing Maltreatment in Early Childhood.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2018–August 2019
Advisor:Jane Waldfogel
2017–2018 PhD Student Research Fellows
Sarah Charnes
PhD Student Research Fellow
West Coast Poverty Center
University of Washington
Sarah Charnes is a graduate student at the Evans School of Public Affairs. Her dissertation is entitled “Essays on Food Insecurity and Food and Nutrition Assistance Policy in the United States.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Summer 2018
Adji Diagne
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Race and Wealth
Howard University
Adji Diagne is a graduate student in economics. Her dissertation is entitled: “Are Inclusionary Housing Programs Color-Blind? The Case of Montgomery County MPDU Program.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2017–September 2018
Garrett Grainger
PhD Student Research Fellow
Department of Sociology
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Garret Grainger is a graduate student in sociology. His dissertation is entitled: “Instituting Housing First: Barriers, Strategies, and Outcomes Related to the Implementation of HUD’s Homeless Services Mandate.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Summer 2018
Advisor: Gary Green
Annie McGlynn-Wright
PhD Student Research Fellow
West Coast Poverty Center
University of Washington
Annie McGlynn-Wright is a graduate student in sociology. Her dissertation is entitled “Farm Bill to Table: Pregnancy and the Politics of Food Assistance.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Summer 2018
Emily Parrott
Graduate Research Fellow and PhD Student Research Fellow
School of Human Ecology, Human Development and Family Studies
Institute for Research on Poverty
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Emily Parrott is a graduate student in the School of Human Ecology. Her dissertation is entitled: “College as a Potential Route to Social Mobility.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: June 2017–May 2018
Advisor: Sarah Halpern-Meekin
Rayven Plaza
PhD Student Research Fellow
Center on Poverty and Social Policy
Columbia University
Rayven Plaza is a graduate student in social work. Her dissertation is entitled “The Sunset of School Integration: A National Study of Property Values and Test Score Gaps After Desegregation Plans End.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: Fall 2017 to Spring 2018
Cody Vaughn
PhD Student Research Fellow
University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research
Cody Vaughn is a graduate student in economics. His dissertation is entitled: “Growing Up under TANF: The Children of Welfare Reform.”
Date of PhD Student Research Fellowship: September 2017–May 2018