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.
IRP releases its call for proposals each year in early January with a late February deadline and late March notification for a fellowship to begin as early as summer.
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.
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.?” Her advisor is Professor Haydar Kurban. Her fellowship runs from August 2019 to May 2020.
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.” Professor Jane Waldfogel is her IRP Affiliate Advisor. Her fellowship runs from September 2019 to May 2020.
Chloe Haimson
PhD Student Research Fellow and Graduate Research Fellow
Institute for Research on Poverty
Chloe Haimson is a graduate student in sociology. Her dissertation is entitled: “Parole Supervision in an Era of Decarceration.” Her IRP Affiliate sponsor is Professor Pamela Oliver. Her fellowship runs from May 2019 to May 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. His Advisor is Professor David Agrawal. His fellowship runs from September 2019 to May 2020.
Melody Waring
PhD Student Research Fellow and Graduate Research Fellow
Institute for Research on Poverty
Melody Waring is a graduate student in social work. Her dissertation is entitled: “Caring for Aging Parents: Stratified Effects on Labor Force Participation.” Her IRP Affiliate sponsor is Professor Lawrence M. Berger. Her fellowship runs from May 2019 to August 2019.
Advisor: Lawrence M. Berger
2018–2019 PhD Student Research Fellows
Howard (Jacob) Carlson
Institute for Research on Poverty
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.” His IRP Affiliate sponsor is Professor Erik Olin Wright. His fellowship runs from May 2018 to April 2019.
Shiyu Cheng
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. Her faculty sponsor is Professor James Ziliak. Her fellowship runs from September 30, 2018 to May 15, 2019.
Irene Jacqz
Graduate Research Fellow
2018–2019 PhD Student Research Fellow
Institute for Research on Poverty
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.” Her IRP Affiliate sponsor is Professor Jason Fletcher. Her fellowship runs from June 2018 to May 2019.
Kirsten McLeod
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.” Her faculty sponsor is Professor Haydar Kurban. Her fellowship runs from September 2018 through August 2019.
Jessica Pac
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.” Her faculty sponsor is Professor Jane Waldfogel. Her fellowship runs from September 2018 to August 2019.