The Incite Doctoral Dissertation Grant

Applications are open until March 15, 2024.

 

In keeping with Incite’s intellectual and educational interest in engaging disciplines across the university, we are funding a dissertation research grant for PhD candidates who recently completed their prospectus.

We seek to support students whose projects match Incite’s engagement with producing knowledge both within and outside the university and who can benefit from funds to carry out dissertation-related research activities. We also seek projects that will be enhanced by and contribute to the broader Incite community.

Award amount

  • $5,000 x 10 grants

Eligibilty

  • PhD students in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

  • Prospectus approved between March 2023 and March 2024.

Application materials

  • Cover page with full name, department, date prospectus approved, name of person providing letter of support. Letters of support should be sent by the deadline to incite@columbia.edu with the subject line "Incite Doctoral PhD Grant | Letter of Support | [APPLICANT'S NAME]".

  • No more than 1,000 words that describe the dissertation containing the following six sections:

    • Introduction that overviews your dissertation research question, why it matters, and how it will be answered.

    • Three sections that expand on the three elements of the Introduction.

    • One section on how you intend to spend the funding and how doing so relates to how you will answer your research question. Diverse kinds of expenditures are possible if you make a convincing case for your particular need.

    • Timeline for spending the grant and for completing the dissertation.

    • NOTE: Text should be written so that academics from fields outside yours can understand your argument and research approach.

  • Brief letter of support from faculty advisor/committee member.

Evaluation criteria

  • Quality of articulating research question, why it matters, how it will be answered.

  • Tightness of relationship of funding to completing the dissertation.

  • Strength of letter of support.

  • Quality of relationship to Incite’s interest in cross-disciplinarity and in non-academic expertise.

Conditions for award acceptance

  • Spend grant within two years of receipt.

  • Within these two years, submit to Incite one to two paragraphs on how the money was spent and on how it furthered your dissertation.

  • Within one year of receiving grant, give a 10-15 minute presentation at an Incite lunch on the work you are doing.