APAGS/Psi Chi Junior Scientist Fellowship

APAGS and Psi Chi are committed to promoting psychological science and the needs of research-oriented students. The Junior Scientist Fellowship provides support for students entering their first year, or the first semester of their second year, of a research-oriented graduate program.

Deadline:

Sponsors: APAGS ; Psi Chiopens in new window

Description

Intent

The intent of the Junior Scientist Fellowship is twofold:

  1. To recognize outstanding research-oriented students who are entering their first year (or first semester of second year) of graduate study and to help them begin successful research programs/projects. Students in research-based psychology and neuroscience graduate programs are eligible to apply. (see eligibility section for further information.)

  2. To provide written feedback to applicants. Many students apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (eligibility requirements for the NSF fellowshipopens in new window) without previous experience applying for a research fellowship. It is our intent to provide feedback to strengthen their NSF graduate fellowship application. 

Funds

This fellowship provides $1,000 that must be used to support direct research costs. These funds can be used to pay participants, purchase essential equipment or software, acquire books or instruction manuals critical to one's line of research, or for other direct research costs. The funds cannot be used for indirect costs such as salary/stipend, travel, personal computers, or class textbooks. 

The funds can be used in a student's first year (or second year, if submitting in the summer following one's first year) of graduate school for projects other than the one discussed in the graduate research plan statement for this application.

The APAGS portion of this grant program would not be possible without the advocacy of allied psychologists and supporters over the years including:

  • Ellin Bloch
  • Kenneth and Mamie Clark
  • Nancy B. Forest
  • L. Michael Honaker
  • Scott Mesh
  • David Pilon
  • Pierre Ritchie
  • Carol Williams-Nickel
Eligibility

Eligibility checklist

  • Be a student entering their first or second year at a research-based psychology or neuroscience graduate program. This means the student has not completed more than 1 academic year in a graduate degree-granting program, unless returning to graduate study after an interruption of 2 or more consecutive years immediately preceding the application deadline.

  • Be both a current member of APA (as a student affiliate or other category) and a member of Psi Chiopens in new window.

    • Students entering their first year of graduate school may have joined Psi Chi as an undergraduate.

    • Students entering their second year of graduate school may have joined Psi Chi as undergraduates or during their second semester of graduate school.

    • Note : Membership in Psi Chi is lifelong, which means that graduate students do not currently need to be at a university that has a Psi Chi chapter if they were previously inducted as an undergraduate.

  • Have never earned a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree in any field

  • Have never been awarded the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowshipopens in new window.

  • Have never been an APAGS committee/subcommittee member, subcommittee chair or task force chair

  • Have never reviewed for the JSF (e.g., as an ad-hoc reviewer)

Students anywhere in the world are eligible provided they meet the above criteria.

Note : APA awards and grants may be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding. Winners will need to complete either IRS form W-9opens in new window or IRS form W-8 BENopens in new window before a check can be issued.

How to Apply

Each application must include the following materials:

  1. Personal, Relevant Background, and Future Goals Statement: Includes professionally relevant background information about the applicant, why the applicant believes they should be awarded the fellowship, the applicant's future career goals, and how graduate school will prepare the applicant for future contribution to science and society.

    This statement should not exceed three (3) single-spaced pages and any references, figures, tables, or appendices must fit within the page limits.

  2. Graduate Research Plan Statement: This statement includes two major components: previous research experience and future directions.

    1. Previous research experience component should demonstrate an understanding of prior research conducted, highlight one's skills and illustrate current development as a scientist.

    2. Future directions component can include either a formal proposal for a specific research project or may more generally address the future direction of one's research.

      This statement should not exceed two (2) single-spaced pages and any references, figures, tables, or appendices must fit within the page limits.

  3. Letter of Recommendation: The reference letter should include comments on the applicant's potential for contributing to a globally-engaged science and engineering workforce, statements about the applicant's academic potential and prior research experiences, statements about the applicant's proposed research, and any other information to enable reviewers to evaluate the application according to the NSF Merit Review Criteriaopens in new window .

    This letter can come from either your undergraduate or graduate research advisor and should not exceed two (2) single-spaced pages.

General formatting requirements for both statements

  • Please include your Psi Chi member number at the end of both statements.

  • 12-point, Times New Roman font

  • 1-inch margins on all sides

  • 10-point font may be used for references, footnotes, figure captions, and text within figures

  • Any references, figures, tables, or appendices must fit within the page limits

  • Do not provide links to web pages within the application, except for reference page DOI links

  • Aside from your Psi Chi member number, do not include any identifying information (i.e., name, institution) in either statement

Upload instructions

  1. Each statement should be uploaded as a separate PDF file with the following naming structure:

    1. Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement : “JSF_PBFS_Your Psi Chi Number.pdf”

    2. Graduate Research Plan Statement : “JSF_GRPS_Your Psi Chi Number.pdf”

  2. The Letter of Recommendation must be provided directly by your referee. By entering the email address of your referee directly through the online application, the system will automatically send a reference request on your behalf. This letter may be a PDF or Word file.

Failure to comply fully with the above formatting and upload requirements will result in the application being rejected without review.

Review criteria

All materials will be assessed according to NSF's intellectual merit and broader impacts criteriaopens in new window.

Submissions

Submit your application through the online portal. Applications will not be accepted by any other means (e.g., email).

The online system will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern time on July 28, 2026. All application materials, including the letter of recommendation, must be submitted by that time. Late applications will not be reviewed.

All applicants will be notified of their status in October.

Past Recipients

2025

  • Carlos Almeida: Pennsylvania State University
  • Isiah Epstein Bagneris: Tulane University
  • Zoe Bair: Marquette University
  • Juliette Bichon: University at Buffalo
  • Katherine Billetdeaux: Pennsylvania State University
  • Margaret Brehm: University of Pittsburgh
  • Georgia Celestin: Northeastern University
  • Christine Chang: University of Washington
  • Brandon Cohen: University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Katherine Craig: Washington State University
  • Xue Fang Deng: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  • Rachel Goldblum: Oregon State University
  • Cassandra Grinstead: Oregon State University
  • Antoinetta Alvarez Hernandez: Northeastern University
  • Isabella Jackson: Vanderbilt University
  • Caimiao Liu: University of Virginia
  • Bram Richmond: Southern Methodist University
  • Chavez Rodriguez: Purdue University
  • Elizabeth Szanton: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  • Helena Towne: University of Wyoming
  • Jade Zack: University of Massachusetts Boston

2024

  • Hoor Ul Ain: University of Nevada Las Vegas

  • Jasmine Bigelow: Indiana University Bloomington

  • Zachary Bricken: University of Kansas

  • Lilla Brody: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

  • Christina Duval: Saint Louis University

  • Margaret Grundy: University of Tulsa

  • Lauren Hall: University of Louisville

  • Margaret Hall: Miami University

  • Tara Kelly: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

  • Candice Koolhaas: University of Massachusetts, Boston

  • Gabriela Lay: Arizona State University

  • Phuc Le: University of California, San Diego

  • Talia Leman: Washington State University

  • Taylor Penwell: University of Montana

  • Meryl Rueppel: Fordham University

  • Matthew Sala: Florida State University

2023

  • Ann Bernhardt: Texas A&M University

  • Marley Billman Miller: Auburn University

  • Rachel Brough: University of Denver

  • Jonathan Doriscar: Northwestern University

  • Eli Halbreich: Texas Tech University

  • Elizabeth Kruse: University of Rochester

  • Brandon Martin: Kent State University

  • Renee McCauley: George Mason University

  • Maggie McCracken: University of Utah

  • Charlie McDonald: Binghamton University (SUNY)

  • Margaret Powers: University of Louisville

  • Krutika Rathod: University of Maine

  • Joseph Slade: Oregon State University

  • Nikhila Udupa: Florida State University

  • Marie Wild: Cornell University

  • Alireza Zareian Jahromi: Fordham University

2022

  • Ei Thinzar: University of North Carolina at Greensboro

  • Kayla Wagler: Oklahoma State

  • Madelyn Harris: Boston College

  • Cristina Nardini: Fordham University

  • Julia Nicholas: University of Louisville

  • Julie Pham: Southern Methodist University

  • Sumaiyah Syed: Southern Methodist University

  • Valerie Wong: Rutgers University

  • Sonakshi Negi: University of Kansas

  • Elizabeth Hoelscher: Texas Tech University

  • Eleanor Schuttenberg: University of Maine

  • Sierra Walters: University of Texas at Austin

2021

  • Mahogany Monette: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Gabrielle Reimann: Vanderbilt University

  • Emily Bibby: Stony Brook University

  • Katharine Chang: University of Rochester

  • Jeffrey Hurst: North Carolina State

  • Hilary Stov: Tulane University

  • Deborah Seok: University of Denver

  • Sarah Gobrial: Southern Methodist University

  • Sydney Wicks: University of Mississippi

  • Chelsea Rapoport: San Diego State University

  • Nicolette Molina: University of Utah

  • Virginia Ulichney: Temple University

2020

  • Michael Slipenkyj: Georgetown University

  • Lisa Lin: University of Rochester

  • Hannah Swerbenski: University of Rochester

  • Gina Paganini: University of Denver

  • Nicola Forbes: Fordham University

  • Emily Presseller: Drexel University

  • Kacey Fang: Oxford University

  • Sarah Paul: Washington University in St. Louis

  • Ameante Payen: University of North Carolina at Charlotte

  • Dominique La Barrie: University of Georgia

  • Savannah Roberts: University of Pittsburgh

  • Laura Janakiefski: Vanderbilt University

Last updated: January 2026Date created: 2020

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