apa dissertation award

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APA Science Directorate Awards

Apa dissertation research award.

The Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association sponsors an annual competition for dissertation research funding. The purpose of the Dissertation Research Award program is to assist science-oriented doctoral students of psychology with research costs. The current program includes offers 3 grants of $10,000 and 7 grants of $5,000 to students whose dissertation research reflects excellence in scientific psychology.

APA Summer Undergraduate Psychology Experience in Research

The Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association will offer up to 25 fellowships to college students from underrepresented groups to conduct summer research in a psychological science laboratory. The purpose of this fellowship program is to promote diversity among psychology undergraduates considering research as a career by expanding access to laboratory training and mentorship.

Projects must be student-driven and supervised by a faculty member with sufficient resources to support the proposed work, although collaboration with postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other research staff is encouraged. The applicant and mentor should work together to develop a research plan, and students are expected to spend at least nine weeks in the laboratory at a minimum of 20 hours/week.

APA will pay a stipend of $4,000 directly to the student and $1,000 directly to the student’s summer faculty host.

For more information about the program and how to apply please refer to the 2024 Frequently Asked Questions resource and SUPER Fellowship page.

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APA Dissertation Research Award

The Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association sponsors an annual competition for dissertation research funding. The purpose of the Dissertation Research Award program is to assist science-oriented doctoral students of psychology with research costs. The current program offers three grants of $10,000 and seven grants of $5,000 to students whose dissertation research reflects excellence in scientific psychology. Awardees will also receive travel funds of up to $1,500 to present their work at the APA convention.

Deadline: March 1, 2024

Applicants must have psychology as the primary focus of their graduate studies (even if they are receiving training in other fields as well).

Applicants must be in good standing in their graduate programs.

Applicants must be enrolled full-time or working on their dissertation research for an equivalent of full-time enrollment regardless of actual registration status.

Applicants may be citizens or residents of any country and their institutions may be located and accredited/recognized in any country.

Applicants must be graduate student members of the American Psychological Association. Applicants who are not members must apply for  APA Graduate Student membership  when submitting materials for the Dissertation Research Award. If you are newly applying, please include a copy of the confirmation page receipt with your award application.

Applicants must have had their dissertation proposals approved by their dissertation committees prior to application.

• Applicants must have not yet successfully defended their dissertations at the time of the application deadline.  
• Each psychology department (i.e., not individual programs within a department) may endorse no more than three (3) students per year for the APA Dissertation Research Award. If more than three students from a department wish to apply for these funds, the department must perform an initial screening and forward only three applications.

Students in graduate departments other than psychology are eligible to apply for the Dissertation Research Award only if they demonstrate that they are writing a psychological science dissertation and their graduate course of study has been primarily psychological in nature.

2021 APA Dissertation Research Award Winner

Congratulations to Ashley Walters , social psychology graduate student at the University of Minnesota,  for being selected as a recipient of the 2021 APA Dissertation Research Award for her dissertation, “Masculine culture, gender roles, and the underrepresentation of women in STEM.” The purpose of this $1,000 award is to assist science-oriented psychology graduate student researchers. 

View past recipients on APA’s website.

Composed by Flora Pollack, communications assistant.

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Dissertation Research Awards

Applications Due June 30, 2023

Division 15 invites graduate students who are members or affiliates of the division to apply for a Dissertation Research Grant. The purpose of the grant is to provide financial support for educational psychology doctoral students preparing to collect their dissertation data. Two grants will be awarded, each including a $1,500 stipend to be applied toward the student’s dissertation research. 

To be eligible, applicants must be current graduate students who are members or student affiliates of Division 15. Applicants must have submitted or defended a dissertation proposal to their committee but must have not yet collected dissertation data.

Submissions will be evaluated based on the importance of the research question, match with Division 15 goals, and quality of the proposed methodology.

The 2023 Call for Applications

Past research grant winners, daniel l. dinsmore co-chair.

University of North Florida Email:  [email protected]

Heather Haverback, Co-Chair

Towson University Email:  [email protected]

Division 16 Call for 2024 Award Nominations & Applications

Feb 15, 2024 | All , Awards

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:  OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents an Outstanding Dissertation in School Psychology Award to a school psychology scholar who has completed a dissertation that merits special recognition because of its potential to contribute to the science and/or practice of school psychology.

Nominees must meet the following criteria:

• Successfully completed their dissertation defense between January 1 – December 31, 2023.
• Be a member of Division 16.

Application Process:  The following materials must be submitted using the following form for each nominee.

1) The nominee’s CV (required); 3) The dissertation (required); 4) Up to three supporting letters (At least one should be from a member of the dissertation committee).

Nominations should be submitted by 11:59PM EST on  April 1, 2024  via  this form .  Please contact the Committee Chair, Garret Hall, at  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon, at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:  LIGHTNER WITMER AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents the Lightner Witmer Award to early career professional and academic school psychologists who have demonstrated scholarship that merits special recognition. Sustained scholarship, rather than a thesis or dissertation alone, is the primary consideration in making the award.  While a specific scholarly work may be salient in the evaluation of a nominee, it is not likely that a single work will be of such exceptional character that it would be the basis of the award. Similarly, the number of papers, articles, etc., will not by themselves be a sufficient basis for the award. Instead, the Lightner Witmer Award will be given for scholarly activity and contributions that have nourished school psychology to grow as a discipline and profession within the current context. This might include systematic and imaginative use of psychological theory and research in furthering the development of professional practice, or unusual scientific contributions and/or foundational studies of important research questions that bear on the quality of school psychological training and/or practice; and/or scholarly activity that advances educational equity and social justice within the field. In addition, there should be evidence of continued potential and promise to impact and advance school psychology into the future.  Self-nominations are welcome.

Nominees must meet the following two criteria:

• Be within seven years of receiving the doctoral degree as of September 1, 2024.
• A Division 16 member.

Application Process.  The following materials are requested for each nominee:

1) A copy of the nominee’s CV (required);

2) A 1-2 page personal statement from the nominee describing their scholarly activity and its impact on the field (optional but encouraged);

3) Up to three examples of representative scholarship (e.g., peer-reviewed articles);

4) Up to three letters of support from community partners and/or colleagues that describe the impact of the nominee’s scholarship.

Nominations should be submitted electronically by 11:59PM EST on  April 1, 2024  via  this form . Please contact the Committee Chair, Stacy-Ann January, at  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon, at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:   TOM OAKLAND MID-CAREER SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents an award in honor of Tom Oakland whose extraordinary scholarly pursuits significantly contributed to the field of school psychology. The Tom Oakland Mid-Career Scholarship Award is given to a mid-career school psychologist (7 to 20 years post-graduation) who throughout their career has demonstrated exceptional scholarly activity that merit special recognition. While a specific scholarly work may be salient in the evaluation of a nominee, it is not likely that a single work will be of such exceptional character that it would be the basis of the award. Similarly, the number of papers, articles, etc., will not by themselves be a sufficient basis for the award. Instead, the Tom Oakland Award will be given for scholarly activity and contributions that have nourished school psychology to grow as a discipline and profession within the current context. This might include systematic and imaginative use of psychological theory and research in furthering the development of professional practice, or unusual scientific contributions and/or foundational studies of important research questions that bear on the quality of school psychological training and/or practice, or scholarly activity that advances educational equity and social justice within the field. In addition, there should be evidence that the scholarly activity has begun to influence other research in the field, as well as continued potential and promise to impact and advance school psychology into the future.  Self-nominations are welcome.

• Be between seven and 20 years of receiving the doctoral degree as of September 1, 2024.

Nominations should be submitted electronically by 11:59PM EST on  April 1, 2024  via  this form . Please contact the Committee Chair, Laura Lee McIntyre, at  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon, at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:  SENIOR SCIENTIST IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents the Senior Scientist in School Psychology Award to a scholar who has demonstrated a program of research that merits special recognition. A sustained program of scholarship of exceptional quality throughout one’s career is the primary consideration in making the award. The award recipient’s program of work should reflect systematic and imaginative use of psychological theory and research in furthering the development of professional practice and/or consistent empirical inquiry that bears on the quality of school psychology training and practice. The program of scholarly work should be of exceptional quality in its contribution to the scientific knowledge base of school psychology training/practice.  Self-nominations are welcome.

Nominees must meet both of the following criteria:

• Be past 20 years of receiving the doctoral degree as of September 1, 2024.

Application Process:  The following materials must be submitted electronically for each nominee:

All nominations and related materials must be submitted by 11:59PM EST on  April 1,   2024  via  this form .  Please contact the Committee Chair, Steven Evans, at  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon, at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: OUTSTANDING COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACISM AWARDS

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) honors those who are making significant contributions in the advancement of anti-racism scholarship, service, and/or practice in school psychology. The award recognizes a student, early career, and mid/late career school psychologist who identify as a member of a racially/ethnically minoritized group and has contributed to the advancement of anti-racism scholarship, practice, and/or service.  Self-nominations are welcome.

Application Process:  The following materials must be submitted electronically for each nominee:

1) A copy of the nominee’s vita (required)

2) a 1-2 page personal statement from the nominee describing their commitment to anti-racism and the impact/potential impact of their work on the field (optional);

3) Up to three reprints of major papers or articles or other evidence of impact; 4) Up to three letters of support from community partners and/or peers/colleagues to demonstrate impact of anti-racism work.

Student Award  will be given to a graduate student who has demonstrated commitment to benefiting minoritized populations and potential for significant contributions in scholarship, practice, or service in the future.

Nominees should meet all of these criteria:

• Be a graduate student in a school psychology program;
• Identify as a member of a racially/ethnically minoritized group;
• Be a member of Division 16

All nominations and related materials must be submitted by 11:59PM on  April 1,   2024  via   this form .

Emerging Professional Aw ard will be given to an early career professional who is 10 years or less post-doctorate and has significantly advanced scholarship, practice, or service for minoritized communities; and demonstrates potential for sustained contributions over time.

•  Be within 10 years of receiving their doctoral degree in school psychology as of September  1, 2024.
•  Identify as a member of a racially/ethnically minoritized group;
•  Be a member of Division 16

Committed Professional Award  will be given to a professional who is past 10 years post-doctorate. This professional will have demonstrated sustained commitment and significant contributions over time in advancing scholarship, practice, or service for minoritized communities.

•  Be more than 10 years from receiving their doctoral degree in school psychology as of September 1, 2024.

Please contact Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:  Jean Baker Mid-Career Service Award  

Each year, the Division of School Psychology presents an annual award in honor of Jean Baker whose extraordinary professional service and scholarly activity significantly contributed to the field of school psychology. The Jean Baker Mid-Career Service Award is awarded to professional and academic school psychologists, from 7 to 20 years post-graduation, who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to the field of school psychology through programs of sustained and impactful service. Examples of such contributions include: major leadership in the administration of psychological service in the schools; major contributions in the development and implementation of policy leading to psychologically and socially sound training and practice in school psychology; sustained direction or participation in research that has contributed to more effective practice in school psychology; or the inauguration or development of training programs for new school psychologists or for the systematic nurturance of in-service training for psychologists engaged in the practice of school psychology.  Self-nominations are welcome.

Nominees should meet both of these criteria:

• Be a Division 16 member.

Application Process:

The following materials must be submitted for each nominee:

1) A copy of the nominee’s CV (required)

2) a 1-2 page personal statement from the nominee describing their commitment to and impact of their service to the field (optional); 3) Up to three letters of support from community partners and/or peers/colleagues to demonstrate impact of service.

All nominations and related materials must be submitted by 11:59PM on  April 1,   2024  via   this form . Please contact Committee Chair, Sam Song at  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:  JACK BARDON DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents an award in honor of Jack Bardon, who helped bring the profession to maturity during a major expansion period. The Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award is given to   mature professional and academic school psychologists who have continued this important work through voluntary professional service that goes above and beyond the requirements of the position the person holds and who has demonstrated an exceptional program of service across a career that merits special recognition . A sustained program of service  to the   profession of school psychology throughout one’s career is the primary consideration in making the award.  Self-nominations welcome.

The recipient of the Jack Bardon award is a distinguished figure within the profession with a history of sustained contributions and accomplishments.  Nominees should meet the following criteria:

• Major leadership in the development, delivery or administration of innovative psychological services or development and implementation of policy leading to psychologically and socially sound preservice and/or training and practice in school psychology; and sound evaluation of such training and service delivery models and policies.
• Sustained professional organization contributions including holding offices and committee memberships in state and national professional organizations such as Division 16 and significant products from those contributions that further the profession of school psychology.  Examples include creation of and revisions to policy and practice manuals based on innovative guidance; guiding major policy or legislative initiatives; mentoring of new professionals into organizational contributions; administering dissemination of professional materials through such publication editing or convention programming; and representing psychology to the public and government through service on boards and commissions. The Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award is to be given for sustained service to the profession across a number of years and not for service in one office or major task force.
• Be 20 years past the granting of their doctoral degree as of September 1, 2024.
• Be a Fellow or Member of Division 16.

Application Process

1) A copy of the nominee’s CV (required)

2) A 1-2 page personal statement from the nominee describing their commitment to and impact of their service to the field (optional but encouraged)

3) Up to three letters of support from community partners and/or peers/colleagues to demonstrate impact of service.

All nominations and related materials must be submitted by  April 1,   2024  via  this form . Please contact Committee Chair, Philip Lazarus,  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon at  [email protected]  with questions.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:   CONTRIBUTIONS TO PRACTICE  AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents the Outstanding Contributions to Practice Award. The award is given to school psychologists who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to the field of school psychology through innovations in practice.  Self-nominations are welcome.

Nominees should:

• Demonstrate significant contributions to the field of school psychology in the domain of practice.  Examples include : creation and dissemination of assessments, interventions, or practice models; encouraging best practices through advocacy, policy, and legislative work; development of innovative preservice or inservice training or supervision programs.
• Be a Member of Division 16.

1) A copy of the nominee’s CV (required);

2) A 1-2 page personal statement from the nominee describing their commitment to and impact of their practice to the field (optional but encouraged);

3) Up to three letters of support from community partners and/or peers/colleagues to demonstrate impact of practice contributions.

All nominations and related materials must be submitted by 11:59PM EST on  April 1,   2024  via  this form . Please contact Committee Chair,   Steve McCallum, at  [email protected]  or Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon at  [email protected]  with questions.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO MENTORSHIP  AWARD

Each year, APA’s Division of School Psychology (Division 16) presents the Outstanding Contributions to Mentorship Award. The award is given to a school psychologist professional (e.g., university trainer, field supervisor) who has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to mentoring trainees. Their mentorship has been outstanding and sustained, creating access and opportunity for mentees to provide outstanding school psychological services to clients or to advance the science of school psychology.  Self-nominations are welcome.

Nominees should meet both criteria 1 and 2.

• Significant contributions in the area of mentorship
• Member of Division 16

2) An 1-2 page personal statement from the nominee describing their approach to mentorship, why they mentor, and the impact of their mentorship (optional but encouraged);

3) Up to three letters of support from mentees and/or colleagues to demonstrate the impact of the nominee’s mentorship.

All nominations and related materials must be submitted by 11:59PM EST on  April 1,   2024  via   this form . Please contact Division 16’s Vice President for Education, Training and Scientific Affairs (VP-ETSA), Lindsay Fallon, at  [email protected]  with questions.

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Department of Cognitive Science

Student receives apa dissertation award.

Congratulations to Grusha Prasad for receiving an American Psychological Association (APA) Dissertation Research Award ! The title of the dissertation is “Using priming in humans and neural networks to evaluate predictions from syntactic analyses”. Very well deserved!

Project Summary

How do people represent sentences? Structural priming has been used widely in psycholinguistics to study this question. The logic underlying this paradigm is as follows: for two sentences, a prime and a target, which share some properties, if the processing or production of the target is facilitated by the prime, we can infer that people’s sentence representations are sensitive to at least one of the properties shared by the two sentences. Prior work has drawn on representational assumptions made by theories in syntax, a branch of linguistics studying the structure of sentences, to generate verbal hypotheses about structural properties mental representations of sentences are expected to be sensitive to and then tested these hypotheses by carefully controlling the properties shared between the prime and target. While this body of work has has revealed whether mental representations are sensitive to specific structural properties, it has not been able to directly evaluate the holistic predictions made by representational systems hypothesized by different theories in syntax. Building on this work, in my dissertation I propose a method to directly compare the psychological plausibility of the representational assumptions of different syntactic theories by generating quantitative predictions about the extent to which sentences are expected to prime each other under each of these theories. I propose to then test these predictions using a novel online behavioral paradigm.

Department of Psychology

You are here, michelle worthington selected as a recipient of the 2023 apa dissertation research award.

Graduate student Michelle Worthington has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) Dissertation Research Award .  

Congratulations Michelle!  

Published Dissertation or Thesis References

This page contains reference examples for published dissertations or theses.

Kabir, J. M. (2016). Factors influencing customer satisfaction at a fast food hamburger chain: The relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (Publication No. 10169573) [Doctoral dissertation, Wilmington University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Miranda, C. (2019). Exploring the lived experiences of foster youth who obtained graduate level degrees: Self-efficacy, resilience, and the impact on identity development (Publication No. 27542827) [Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University]. PQDT Open. https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/2309521814.html?FMT=AI

Zambrano-Vazquez, L. (2016). The interaction of state and trait worry on response monitoring in those with worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms [Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona]. UA Campus Repository. https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/620615

• Parenthetical citations : (Kabir, 2016; Miranda, 2019; Zambrano-Vazquez, 2016)
• Narrative citations : Kabir (2016), Miranda (2019), and Zambrano-Vazquez (2016)
• A dissertation or thesis is considered published when it is available from a database such as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global or PDQT Open, an institutional repository, or an archive.
• If the database assigns publication numbers to dissertations and theses, include the publication number in parentheses after the title of the dissertation or thesis without italics.
• Include the description “Doctoral dissertation” or “Master’s thesis” followed by a comma and the name of the institution that awarded the degree. Place this information in square brackets after the dissertation or thesis title and any publication number.
• In the source element of the reference, provide the name of the database, repository, or archive.
• The same format can be adapted for other published theses, including undergraduate theses, by changing the wording of the bracketed description as appropriate (e.g., “Undergraduate honors thesis”).
• Include a URL for the dissertation or thesis if the URL will resolve for readers (as shown in the Miranda and Zambrano-Vazquez examples).
• If the database or archive requires users to log in before they can view the dissertation or thesis, meaning the URL will not work for readers, end the reference with the database name (as in the Kabir example).

Published dissertation or thesis references are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 10.6 and the Concise Guide Section 10.5

CGP Outstanding Dissertation Award

The committee sponsors an award for the most outstanding psychology dissertation on international and global communities.

Deadline: August 9, 2024

Sponsor: Committee for Global Psychology (CGP)

• Description
• Eligibility
• How to Apply

CGP strives to foster an international and global perspective within APA and within the psychology community in the United States. It facilitates exchanges between psychologists in the U.S. and colleagues abroad, promotes an international and global perspective within psychology and encourages involvement of psychology in international program, policy and educational settings. 

To this end, CGP sponsors an award for the most outstanding psychology dissertation on international and global communities.

Potential awardees must be nominated by a faculty member/mentor who is familiar with the nominee’s dissertation work. CGP welcomes nominations for individuals who are from U.S.-based programs and APA members/student affiliates who have completed and defended their dissertations in 2021, 2022, or in 2023 before the August 9 deadline.

• contributions that foster international perspectives and enhance the understanding of international and global communities (e.g., immigrants, refugees);
• contributions that focus on the enhancement of psychological service delivery systems to international and global communities;
• development of new concepts and/or theories relevant to international or global communities;
• development of new and creative methodological paradigms that promote more effective research on and for international or global communities;
• creative approaches in methodology sensitive to the unique values, beliefs, and needs of international and global communities.

Awardees are selected by a CGP-appointed dissertation award selection subcommittee made up of at least one current CGP member and two CGP alumni. The awardee may be invited to serve on a subsequent Dissertation Award Selection Committee. The selection process will occur via a masked review process. Evaluation of abstracts and dissertations will be based on the following criteria:

• potential impact on international/global populations
• completeness and clarity of abstract/dissertation
• creativity/innovativeness of project
• effectiveness of research design

One award will be given during a particular year. The recipient will receive an award certificate and will be invited to write a column about their project in the APA international newsletter, Global Insights . Applicants are required to be an APA member/student affiliate at time of application.

Nominations must be submitted electronically no later than August 9, 2024. 

All files should be in PDF format. Nominations should include:

• cover letter indicating contact information for the nominee; a 50-word abstract of the dissertation topic; a statement that the dissertation is original work; and a statement documenting IRB approval;
• summary of the dissertation (maximum three pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margin, about 750 words);
• nominee’s current curriculum vitae; and
• nomination letter: The letter from the nominator/mentor should explain why the dissertation merits the award. Please bear in mind that most dissertations are meritorious; the nomination letter must clarify why the nominated dissertation is unusually noteworthy in terms of the award criteria. Additionally the letter should address the potential contributions of the nominee’s work to the field of international psychology.

Nominations should be sent to Gabriel Twose .

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Funding Opportunities

F.J. McGuigan Dissertation Award

The F. J. McGuigan Dissertation Award, supports dissertation research that addresses any aspect of mental function (e.g., cognition, affect, motivation) and seeks to understand the mind from both a behavioral and neural perspective.

Proposed research should be compatible with McGuigan’s overall goals and may fall within any area of contemporary behavioral or brain science (including more recent forms of cognitive psychology).

Eligibility

APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.

Applicants must:

• have completed doctoral candidacy, including dissertation approval by doctoral committee
• have a demonstrated commitment to stated program goals (Dualistic approaches characteristic of much contemporary cognitive research are specifically ineligible.)

Application Instructions

Application Materials:

• project proposal
• project timeline (not to exceed one page; typically, APF grants are for 1 year)
• detailed budget and justification (not to exceed one page)
• abbreviated CV (not to exceed five pages)
• recommendation letter from academic advisor (requested through application portal)

Evaluation Criteria Applications will be evaluated on:

• conformance with the stated program goals
• quality, viability, and potential impact of the proposed project
• originality, innovation, and contribution to the field
• applicant’s demonstrated competence and capability to execute the proposed work
• allocation of resources and criticality of funding for execution of work (particularly if part of a larger funded effort)

Please be advised that APF does not provide feedback to applicants on their proposals.

Please review our  Program FAQs  for important details on the application process.

Recent Recipient

Rebecca revilla.

University of South Carolina

“Unraveling Neural Mechanisms of Adolescent Prosocial Behaviors: A Brain to Behavior Approach”

Past Recipients

Rebecca Revilla, University of South Carolina “Unraveling Neural Mechanisms of Adolescent Prosocial Behaviors: A Brain to Behavior Approach”

Linlin Fan, University of Texas at Dallas “Neural Stimulation for Reducing Paranoia and   Improving Social Functioning in Schizophrenia”

Kenneth J. Thompson, Alliant International University “Differentiating Two Subtypes of Alexithymia: Internal Deficits Versus External Influences”

Honorary recipient: Kathryn Predergast, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Marta Stojanovic, Washington University in St. Louis

Kaylie Carbine, Brigham Young University

Megan Speer, Rutgers University

Michael Sun, University of California, Los Angeles

Forest Gruss, University of Florida

Rachel K. Bencic Hamilton, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Kathleen Hazlett, Marquette University

Ross MacLean, Pennsylvania State University

Marc Coutanche, University of Pennsylvania

Anna Docherty, University of Missouri, Columbia

Elizabeth Shulman, University of California, Irvine

Lauren M. Bylsma, University of South Florida

Distinguished Dissertation in Qualitative Inquiry Award

Deadline: December 4, 2023

Sponsor: Division 5

• Description
• Eligibility
• How to Apply
• Past Recipients

This award recognizes distinguished dissertations that addressed a topic in the field of qualitative research methods.

Award recipients attending the APA convention will receive the following:

• An invitation to receive the award at the APA Division 5 awards ceremony, with a description of their accomplishments being conveyed by one of their nominators.
• A cash award of $500 to help offset travel expenses to the subsequent APA convention.
• An honorary one-year membership to Division 5.
• An awards plaque and a place in history.

The annual deadline for this award is the first Monday of December.

Questions about the awards, nominations and the review process can be addressed to Qiwei He . The outcome of the review process will be announced each year in March.

Neither the nominator nor nominee need be a current or former member of either the APA or Division 5. Both self-nominations and nominations of others will be considered.

Nominees must have completed dissertation no earlier than three years previous.

Nominees must be willing to participate in the process of selecting winners for their awards in the following year.

Nomination materials should include:

• An abstract of 1,000-2,000 words that (a) summarizes the dissertation, (b) highlights its broader theoretical and/or applied relevance and importance, and (c) clearly describes the qualitative methods or methodology used and the contribution of their methods and methodology to the dissertation. Applicants may wish to refer to the criteria in Qualitative Psychology to obtain a sense of what a clear articulation of method entails.
• A letter of support from the dissertation advisor (or other faculty member from the institution where the dissertation was completed) that describes (a) the significance of the dissertation to the field of psychology and the understanding of the human experience, (b) the implications of the project for future research, (c) the use of methods and methodology and (d) the promise of the nominee for future contributions to research or professional practice.
• The nominee’s current curriculum vitae.
• A PDF version of the dissertation.
• Please send all requested nomination materials to Qiwei He by the first Monday in December. In your email, please use the subject line "APA Division 5 Award Nomination". In addition, please ask for a confirmation that your materials have been received. If you do not receive a confirmation, please follow up to make sure that your materials have been received.

Erin Toolis

Gabriel Velez

Nisha Gupta

James Christopher Head

Heidi Mattila

Jonathan Yahalom William E. Hartmann

Dennis C. Wendt

Shari Goldstein Dusty Johnstone