$10,000 Doctoral Research Scholarship

AWIS’s Distinguished Doctoral Research Scholarship will award $10,000 to a female pre-doctoral student in life sciences, physical sciences, behavioral sciences, mathematics, or engineering.

2023 Applications are now closed!

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AWIS Distinguished Doctoral Research Scholarship

Scholarship Overview

Awarded to three AWIS members whose dissertation research project is judged likely to make important and original contributions to their field. This $10,000 award is intended for a pre-doctoral student in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Mathematics or Engineering who is a woman expecting to graduate within 2 years of the application deadline.

Scholarship Requirements

Applicants will need to provide:

Professional Goals Essay addressing the following (500 – 1,500 words):
1. Your background
2. Career goals
3. Impact of the work as it relates to STEM and the AWIS mission
4. How this award will help meet your objectives and goals
Resume/CV
Research synopsis
Recommendation questionnaire from current professor, advisor, dissertation committee member or most recent employer
Recommendation questionnaire from a past professor, past employer, colleague or other professional acquaintance
Program acceptance letter (optional)
Unofficial transcript
Intended use of funds

Previous Scholarship Recipients

Maya C. Schumer

2022 Scholarship Recipient

Maya C. Schumer is a PhD candidate in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she is mentored by Dr. Mary L. Phillips, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Translational Science. Her research uses functional neuroimaging, meta-analysis, and machine learning to detect risk for Bipolar Disorder, with a focus on neural mechanisms underlying emotion-driven impulsivity that predispose young adults to mania, yielding neural markers that can aid earlier risk detection, improve diagnostic accuracy, and inform treatment. Maya is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Society of Biological Psychiatry Predoctoral Scholar Travel Fellowship Award. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied how mindfulness meditation training impacts mental health outcomes. She now serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Neuroscience.

Sarah A. Berlinger

2021 Scholarship Recipient

Sarah A. Berlinger is a PhD candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is co-advised by Professor Bryan D. McCloskey and Dr. Adam Z. Weber (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab). Her research focuses on understanding multi-component interactions between catalyst particles, polymers, and solvents in fuel-cell electrode precursor inks, and how these forces drive electrode microstructure formation. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University where she researched battery charging protocols for capacity recovery and bioelectrochemical fuel production pathways. Sarah is involved with Bay Area Scientists in Schools and mentors undergraduate researchers.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to our featured partners for their support of AWIS and the AWIS Foundation Awards.

We would also like to thank the Scholarship Committee for the administration of these programs.

We are grateful for all AWIS donors and supporters for helping women in science and related STEM fields achieve their dreams and reach their full potential.

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Benefits of AWIS Membership:

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Get recognized for your work in member spotlights on our website, newsletters, and quarterly magazine articles. Members have told us this has helped their career advancement.
Apply for scholarship opportunities and annual awards available only to AWIS members.
Connect with AWIS members locally and nationally using our member directory.
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