The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College sponsors the annual Dissertation Fellowship Program in the field of retirement or disability research. The program is funded by the U.S. Social Security Administration and provides funding opportunities for doctoral candidates to pursue cutting-edge research on retirement or disability issues. Research focal areas include:
- Trends in disability;
- Determining disability;
- Requirements of work in the modern economy;
- Informing long-term projections and models;
- Improving communication and outreach;
- State and local pensions for non-covered workers;
- Modernizing totalization agreements;
- Economic security of SSA beneficiaries;
- Work-activity retention of disabled beneficiaries with overpayments; and
- Improving service delivery.
Fellowship Awards
Up to three $28,000 fellowships are awarded to doctoral candidates enrolled in an accredited program at a U.S. university. Grant recipients may be required to present their work to the Social Security Administration in Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD.
Submission
The deadline for the 2021 Dissertation Fellowship Program was January 31, 2021.
Download the proposal guidelines and the dissertation committee chair form to prepare for next year. Review sample proposals that received awards: Sample 1, Sample 2.
Contact
Please contact Marina Tsiknis with any questions about the Dissertation Fellowship Program at 617-552-1092 or tsiknis@bc.edu.
Previous Awardees
2021 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2020 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2019 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2018 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2017 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2016 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2015 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2014 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2013 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2012 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2011 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2010 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2009 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2008 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2007 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
Where are they now?
See what our previous awardees have done since receiving their grants.
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