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 (SSA) 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.
Applicants must demonstrate that their proposal focuses on at least one of SSA’s research focal areas:
- Understanding service needs and improving service delivery;
- Studying causes and inequities of overpayment and underpayment;
- Addressing barriers to disability and SSI programs participation and processes;
- Understanding and improving communication;
- Identifying disparities by race, ethnicity, and sex;
- Examining economic security of program applicants and beneficiaries; and
- Addressing employment barriers for people with disabilities.
Fellowship Awards
Two $28,000 fellowships will be awarded to doctoral candidates enrolled in an accredited program at a U.S. university. Recipients may be required to present their work to SSA in Washington, DC or Baltimore, MD.
“Virtual Office Hours” Service
The CRR offers the opportunity for potential applicants to ask questions about topics, datasets, and research design. The goal of this service is strengthen the quality of the applications and ensure that proposals closely align with SSA’s research focal areas. Please contact CRR Economist Gal Wettstein during the month of November to take advantage of this service.
Submission
The deadline for the 2025 Dissertation Fellowship Program is January 31, 2025.
Download the proposal guidelines and the dissertation committee chair form.
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
2024 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2023 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
2022 Dissertation Fellowship Recipients
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.