UNMC doctoral students can apply for a $25,000 fellowship to fund research related to early childhood or child development.
The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska is accepting applications for its graduate scholars program, a one-year fellowship annually awarded to a maximum of four University of Nebraska System doctoral students.
Applications for the 2025–26 academic year are due April 25. Learn more about the program and eligibility requirements at this link.
Now in its ninth year, the Buffett Institute program has funded a range of doctoral research projects, including the effects of oxytocin levels on social motivation in early development, the development of early math skills, assessments of autism spectrum disorders, the release of microplastics and nanoplastics from baby products and research on school-based health centers, sleep problems and healthy eating habits.
Six UNMC students have won this fellowship and used it to conduct cutting-edge research:
- 2023-24: Jabeen Taiba, an environmental health student, studied the association between agrichemical mixtures and pediatric health outcomes in Nebraska.
- 2021-22: Morgan Staver, a nursing student, studied the mental health of mothers whose newborns required a stay in a neonatal intensive care unit.
- 2019-20: Alethea Chiappone, a public health student, worked to develop a mobile app to measure the adoption and implementation of healthy eating and active living policies and practices in family child care settings.
- 2019-20: Elizabeth Preas, a psychology student at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, focused on real-time feedback for training caregivers to teach daily living skills to children who are on the autism spectrum.
- 2018-19: Shreya Roy, a student in health services research, administration and policy in the UNMC College of Public Health, examined how Medicaid expansion for adults affects health and educational outcomes for young children.
- 2016-17: Abbey Gregg, a student in health services research and administration in the UNMC College of Public Health, investigated how school-based health centers could deliver primary medical care to children from low-income families.
The program seeks to support high-quality research from a variety of fields, including health, education, social work, music, art, psychology, the neurosciences and others. Multidisciplinary research and new methodologies are encouraged.
Fellowship recipients will be notified by the end of June.