Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award

The Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award provides assistance to a graduate student from an underrepresented background with the cost of conducting research in personality and/or social psychology up to $1,000. A minimum of two student awards are given per year. This award can be given at any stage of a student’s graduate career; that is, the research does not need to be part of the student’s dissertation.

Award Info

About the Award

The award is named in memory of UCLA professor Jenessa Shapiro, who thought it was extremely important to promote diversity and inclusion in her lab, at the university, and in the field more generally. Jenessa took concrete actions to do this in a number of ways, ranging from volunteering for mentorship lunches at professional conferences to serving on committees to address issues of diversity within her departments as well as at the National Institutes of Health. She also engaged in countless other less visible activities to contribute to the goals of diversity, inclusion, and social justice that she never advertised.

Eligibility

Requirements

1. Applicants must be graduate students in personality and/or social psychology in good standing with their university. Applicants must be enrolled full-time (or working on their dissertation research for an equivalent of full-time enrollment regardless of actual registration status).

2. The research may be in any area of social or personality psychology.

3. Applicants must be a member of an underrepresented group in social/personality psychology (these groups include, but are not necessarily limited to, ethnic and racial minorities; first-generation college students; lesbian, gay and bisexual students; transgender students; and students with a physical disability).

4. Applicants cannot have previously won the Jenessa Shapiro Graduate Research Award.

How to Apply

Submission Criteria

A description of the proposed research (no more than 2 pages single-spaced).
One additional paragraph describing the use of funds if awarded.
A current CV
A sentence or two specifying which underrepresented group(s) you consider yourself to be a part of (these groups include, but are not necessarily limited to: ethnic and racial minorities; first-generation college students; lesbian, gay and bisexual students; transgender students; and students with a physical disability). This information is being collected for the purpose of creating a representative group of awardees.

Advisor Recommendation

A letter of recommendation from the applicant’s academic advisor is required to complete the application process. Please note that this letter has a maximum length of (1) page, single-spaced. Please communicate to the faculty member who will write your recommendation letter the importance of adhering to this maximum page limit. In addition, please do not submit more than one letter of recommendation; only one will be forwarded for review. The letter writer will submit his/her letter on-line.