Dissertation Research Award

Call for Submissions for 2020-2021

Submission Deadline: December 7th and March 15^th by 5pm MST

The Dissertation Award Committee of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families is pleased to announce the second annual competition for student funding for dissertation research. Up to $1,000 per semester will be given for dissertation research proposals that merit special recognition and display strong potential to contribute to the field of family studies and human development. Submissions should be in the dissertation proposal stage (i.e. not completed), and money is to be used for research costs or professional development related to the proposed dissertation project. Students will have one year to use their funds; funds will be non-renewable. Award recipients will be featured in a Family Link newsletter article and recognized at the next Norton School homecoming event. For complete information regarding eligibility criteria, submission guidelines and instructions on how to apply, visit the Dissertation Awards page of the FMI website (https://fmi.arizona.edu). The submission deadlines are December 7th and March 15^th.  Please send all inquiries regarding eligibility requirements and submission content to families@cals.arizona.edu.

Evaluation criteria include the following:

• Quality and feasibility of research proposal (based on significance of the research question, theoretical rationale, methodological appropriateness, and innovation)
• Extent to which the proposed work contributes to the field of family studies and human development.
• Qualifications of the applicant (based on materials in CV, recent annual student evaluation, and recommendations)
• Extent to which the award will contribute significantly to the applicant's professional development and productivity
• Completeness of application; appropriateness of budget

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be active doctoral students in the FSHD program at the University of Arizona and have their dissertation proposals approved by their advisor. Students may apply for the award prior to dissertation committee approval, but funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the dissertation committee.
• Funding is for a dissertation research project. Funding will not be issued until the research project has been approved by the university IRB. Documentation must be provided. IRB approval is not required prior to proposal submission for the dissertation award.
• Applications that do not receive funding may be revised, if needed, and re-submitted if agreed upon by the committee. Revisions must be received within 14 days of receiving feedback.

Process:

1. Please submit application materials electronically as one PDF for the application materials and a separate PDF for the letter of recommendation on or before December 7th or March 15^th at 5 PM MST to families@cals.arizona.edu.
2. Please use APA formatting guidelines (6th edition; 2010) and be prepared to include each of the following when applying online in one PDF file:
   ►Cover letter (1 page maximum, double-spaced): Letter describing your research experience and interests, as well as your career goals
   ►Abstract (1 page maximum, double-spaced)
   ►Project summary (6 pages maximum, double-spaced): Summary of the research project, including background and rationale, an explanation of research design (methods, analyses, etc.), how the project fits your career goals and interests, and other important aspects of the study (references do not count towards page limit).
   ►Budget & Budget Justification (2 pages maximum): Please provide (1) a list of each budget item with (2) an accompanying explanation about how the budget expense (item per item) will be utilized to help with the completion of the dissertation. Be sure to justify all expenses (no minimum, maximum $1,000). Also, please provide (3) a list all other sources of funding for this project, and (4) a signature from your dissertation advisor on this budget page.
   ►►Note regarding budget: Funds may be requested for direct research expenses, that is, expenses incurred as a result of primary data collection, significant amounts of data coding, subject payments, the purchase of data or manuals for secondary data analysis, or other directly incurred expenses. A portion of the budget may go towards mentoring and training if necessary to carry out the research proposal (e.g., consultant fees, travel to trainings/seminars to acquire specialized research skills, and workshop registrations for these trainings/seminars). Funds will not be awarded to pay for living expenses or travel (except to conduct the research).  All expenses must be justified as needed for the completion of the dissertation. Failure to comply with this requirement may disqualify your application from further consideration. Funds will be available for one calendar year, and will be non-renewable.
   ►Timeline (1 page maximum, single-spaced): Timeline for completion of the project.
   ►Curriculum Vitae including research experience, presentations, and scientific publications.
3. A letter of recommendation from your research advisor is also required. This letter should include a statement of support and approval, the feasibility of research study, attest to the student's primary and major contributions to the research field, and explain why the research is worthy of the award. The advisor must comment on the student's academic standing as well as the student's current progress on the dissertation. Letters should be in PDF format and submitted by your advisor to families@cals.arizona.edu December 7th or March 15^th at 5 PM MST.
4. Award recipients will be contacted two weeks after the submission deadlines and recognized at the next Norton School Homecoming Event in the following year. All applicants will be notified of funding decisions.
5. Each award recipient will be asked to complete a brief research status report and feedback form for FMI at the end of the award period. These forms must be co-signed by their research advisor.
6. Award recipients must acknowledge the FMI Dissertation Research Funding Award in any resulting publications from the dissertation project.
7. All application materials must be submitted via email. Incomplete applications and applications exceeding set page limits will not be reviewed. The deadline for submitting complete applications is December 7th or March 15^th at 5 PM.

Please send all inquiries regarding eligibility requirements and submission content to families@cals.arizona.edu.