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Dissertation Fellowship Program

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. Individuals from historically underserved or underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply.

Research focal areas include:

Disparities by race and ethnicity;
Decline in SSDI and SSI applications;
Improving communication and outreach;
Economic security of SSA beneficiaries;
Improving service delivery;
Return-to-work; and
Informing Trust Fund projections.

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.