The Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant project provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation research in political science. Awards will support basic research which is theoretically derived and empirically oriented. The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant program will award up to twenty grants yearly of between $10,000 and $15,000 to support doctoral dissertation research that advances knowledge and understanding of citizenship, government, and politics. The 2021 cycle of APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants will open in spring 2021.
The program will also connect awardees to APSA’s extensive professional development and public engagement networks and resources, to amplify the effect of the award on the awardee’s career and on the impact of their work as they explore solutions to a wide range of institutional, political, and social challenges. In addition, it will support the advancement of national health, prosperity, and welfare, by supporting projects that identify ways to use knowledge of citizenship, government, and politics to benefit society. The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants was funded under NSF award number 2000500.
Advancing diversity and inclusion in the profession is a key priority of the association and the APSA Strategic Plan. As such, APSA is committed to identifying and supporting especially promising doctoral dissertation research, particularly research by scholars from groups, institutions, and geographic areas that are underrepresented in political science. The APSA Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants Program is dedicated to recruiting diverse applicant and reviewer pools to fund doctoral students from diverse groups and institutions, and ultimately support increased participation of women and underrepresented minorities in political science research.