{"id":481,"date":"2025-10-08T14:49:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T14:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/?page_id=481"},"modified":"2025-10-15T20:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T20:48:13","slug":"2025-doctoral-dissertation-research-improvement-grantees","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/2025-doctoral-dissertation-research-improvement-grantees\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grantees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>The American Political Science Association is pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (DDRIG) Awardees for 2025. The APSA DDRIG program provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation research in political science. Awards support basic research which is theoretically derived and empirically oriented.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#alkan\"><strong>Oguzhan Alkan<\/strong><\/a>, <em>University of Texas, Austin<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#becker\">Clayton Becker<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of California, Los Angeles<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#borba\"><strong>Lucas Borba<\/strong><\/a>, <em>Vanderbilt University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#chopra\">Akash Chopra<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Boston College<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#daarstad\"><strong>Haley Daarstad<\/strong><\/a>, <em>University of California, Davis<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#deng\">Rex Weiye Deng<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Washington University of St. Louis<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#gencer\">Alper Sukru Gencer<\/a><\/strong>, <em>New York University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#gerot\">Simal Gerot<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of Iowa<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#jones-kerwin\">Natalie Jones-Kerwin<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of Wisconsin, Madison<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#krick\">Benjamin Krick<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Duke University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#langlois\">J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Langlois<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of Wisconsin, Madison<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#luna-diaz\">Francy Luna Diaz<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of Michigan<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#min\"><strong>Jerry Jie Min<\/strong><\/a>, <em>Harvard University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#montini\">Isabella C. Montini,<\/a><\/strong> <em>University of California, Berkeley<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#ozkan\">Emirhan <strong>\u00d6<\/strong>zkan<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Rutgers University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#radner\">Hannah Radner<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Syracuse University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#sarkar\">Aditya Sarkar<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Tufts University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#sichart\">Florian Sichart<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Princeton University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#tasca\">Tiago Tasca<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of California, Santa Cruz<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#verrilli\">Allison Verrilli<\/a><\/strong>, <em>University of Texas, Austin<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#wang\">Jingding Wang<\/a><\/strong>, <em>Syracuse University<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#yadav\">Meghna Yadav<\/a><\/strong>, <em>New York University<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"alkan\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Oguzhan-Alkan.png\" alt=\"Oguzhan Alkan\" class=\"wp-image-485\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Oguzhan Alkan<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from Sabanc\u0131 University and a B.A. in Economics from Bo\u011fazi\u00e7i University, both in Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"becker\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Clayton-Becker.png\" alt=\"Clayton Becker\" class=\"wp-image-486\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Clayton Becker<\/strong> is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Political&nbsp;Science at UCLA. Before beginning his PhD, Clayton received Bachelor&#8217;s Degrees in Political Science-Economics from Columbia University and Social Sciences with a Concentration in Law from SciencesPo Paris as part of their Dual BA Program. In addition to his PhD, he is also pursuing a Master&#8217;s Degree in Statistics through UCLA&#8217;s Department of Statistics and Data Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"borba\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Lucas-Borba.png\" alt=\"Lucas Borba\" class=\"wp-image-489\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Lucas Borba<\/strong> is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Vanderbilt University. He holds a M.A. in political science from the Federal University of Pernambuco and a B.A. in history from the University of Pernambuco, both in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"chopra\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Akash-Chopra.png\" alt=\"Akash Chopra\" class=\"wp-image-491\" style=\"width:150px;height:auto\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Akash Chopra<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Boston College. Akash holds an M.A. in Analytical Political Economy from Duke University and a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Boston University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"daarstad\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Haley-Daarstad.png\" alt=\"Haley Daarstad\" class=\"wp-image-490\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Haley Daarstad<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. Prior to UC Davis, Haley received a B.S. in Political Science and New Media Communications from Oregon State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"deng\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Rex-Weiye-Deng.png\" alt=\"Rex Weiye Deng\" class=\"wp-image-493\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Rex Weiye Deng<\/strong> a PhD candidate at the Department of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to his PhD, he earned a Bachelor of Science in&nbsp;Global China Studies (GCS)&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)&nbsp;and a Bachelor of Art in&nbsp;Economics&nbsp;from&nbsp;Waseda University&nbsp;in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"gencer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Alper-Gencer.png\" alt=\"Alper Sukru Gencer\" class=\"wp-image-494\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Alper Sukru&nbsp;Gencer<\/strong> is a PhD candidate at New York University. He holds a BA in International Relations and Economics from Ko\u00e7 University, T\u00fcrkiye, and an MA in Political Science from Ko\u00e7 University and Washington University in St. Louis. His research has been supported by the NYU George Downs Grant and the Identities &amp; Ideologies (I&amp;I)&nbsp;Research&nbsp;Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"gerot\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Simal-Gerot.png\" alt=\"Simal Gerot\" class=\"wp-image-495\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Simal Gerot<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa. She holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Psychology from Bilkent University and an M.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Ko\u00e7 University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"jones-kerwin\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Natalie-Jones-Kerwin.png\" alt=\"Natalie Jones-Kerwin\" class=\"wp-image-496\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Natalie Jones-Kerwin<\/strong> (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison. &nbsp;She holds a Bachelor of Arts&nbsp;in political science from Iowa State University. Her work has been recognized with numerous fellowships, grants, and national honors, including support from the National Science Foundation, the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, and the American Political Science Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"krick\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Benjamin-Krick.png\" alt=\"Benjamin Krick\" class=\"wp-image-497\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Benjamin Krick<\/strong> is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Duke University. Prior to his PhD, he earned an MS in Political Science from the University of Utah and a BA in Arabic and Middle East Studies from the University of Arkansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"langlois\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Jeremie-Langlois.png\" alt=\"J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Langlois\" class=\"wp-image-498\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Langlois<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison. Prior to UW-Madison, he received an M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University\u2019s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) and a B.A. in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Fordham University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"luna-diaz\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Francy-Luna-Diaz.png\" alt=\"Francy Luna Diaz\" class=\"wp-image-514\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Francy Luna D\u00edaz<\/strong>\u00a0is a doctoral candidate (ABD) in Political Science at the University of Michigan. She holds a B.A. in Law and Political Science from the University of Arizona, where she graduated\u00a0<em>summa cum laude<\/em>\u00a0with the highest honors and received the Robie Gold Medal Award. She also earned an A.A. from Pima Community College. Her research has been supported by prestigious fellowships, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Converse and Miller Fellowship, the Hanes Walton Jr. Fellowship, the Garth Taylor Fellowship in Public Opinion, and the Center for the Education of Women Gutsy Broad Fund Fellowship. Luna D\u00edaz has also received competitive research grants such as the Spring Centennial Grant and the Anti-Racism Graduate Research Grant. She is thankful for the support of the American Political Science Foundation through its Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, which funds the main data collection for her book-style dissertation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"min\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Jerry-Jie-Min.png\" alt=\"Jerry Jie Min\" class=\"wp-image-500\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Jerry Jie Min<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science in the Department of Government and an A.M. candidate in the Department of Statistics at Harvard University. Jerry holds an M.A. from Stanford University and a B.A. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"montini\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Isabella-Montini.png\" alt=\"Isabella Montini\" class=\"wp-image-501\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Isabella C. Montini<\/strong> is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. She holds an MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and a BA in Political Science and Sociology from Humboldt University in Berlin. Her research has been supported by the Berkeley Institute for International Studies, the Department of Global Metropolitan Studies, the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative, the Center for Effective Global Action, the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), the American Political Science Association, and Innovations for Poverty Action\u2019s Peace &amp; Recovery Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"ozkan\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1702\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Emirhan Ozkan\" class=\"wp-image-516\" style=\"width:150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-scaled.jpg 1702w, https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-1021x1536.jpg 1021w, https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/Ozkan_Emirhan-1362x2048.jpg 1362w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Emirhan \u00d6zkan<\/strong> is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers University. In addition to APSA DDRIG, his work is generously&nbsp;supported by the Research in Political Psychology Laboratory at Rutgers, and the Polarization Research Lab. Emirhan holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from \u0130stanbul \u015eehir University, and MA degrees from Sabanci University, and Temple University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"radner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Hannah-Radner.png\" alt=\"Hannah Radner\" class=\"wp-image-512\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Hannah Radner<\/strong> is a PhD Candidate in Political Science at Syracuse University. Prior to pursuing a PhD, Hannah worked in diplomatic training and orientation for six years at the United States Department of State\u2019s National Foreign Affairs Training Center. She earned a B.A. in International Affairs and M.A. in Global Communication from The George Washington University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"sarkar\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Aditya-Sarkar.png\" alt=\"Aditya Sarkar\" class=\"wp-image-503\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Aditya Sarkar<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate at the Fletcher School, at Tufts University. Aditya has an undergraduate degree in law (B.A. LL.B. (Hons)) from the National Law School of India University in Bangalore, India and a M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Aditya is qualified as a lawyer in India and in England and Wales. Prior to beginning his graduate studies, Aditya consulted for the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, and Open Society Foundations, and advised the Governments of Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia on developing National Employment Policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"sichart\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Florian-Sichart.png\" alt=\"Florian Sichart\" class=\"wp-image-504\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Florian Sichart<\/strong> is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Politics Department at Princeton University. Florian\u2019s work is supported by The Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, and the Initiative for Data-Driven Social Science. Prior to Princeton, he completed his BSc at the London School of Economics and Political Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"tasca\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Tiago-Tasca.png\" alt=\"Tiago Tasca\" class=\"wp-image-505\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Tiago Tasca<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in Politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Tiago received his B.A. in International Relations from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (Brazil) and his M.A. in International Relations from the Universidade de Bras\u00edlia (Brazil).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"verrilli\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Allison-Verrilli.png\" alt=\"Allison Verrilli\" class=\"wp-image-506\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Allison Verrilli<\/strong> is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to her doctoral studies, Allison earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame and worked as a paralegal at a civil rights law firm in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"wang\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Jingding-Wang.png\" alt=\"Jingding Wang\" class=\"wp-image-507\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Jingding Wang<\/strong> is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Syracuse University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yunnan University and a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\" id=\"yadav\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"207\" height=\"294\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/106\/2025\/10\/2025-APSA-DDRIG-Meghna-Yadav.png\" alt=\"Meghna Yadav\" class=\"wp-image-508\" style=\"width:150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Meghna Yadav<\/strong> is a PhD candidate in the Department of Politics at New York University. Meghna holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi and an MA in Economics from Delhi School of Economics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:5px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The American Political Science Association is pleased to announce the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant (DDRIG) Awardees for 2025. The APSA DDRIG program provides support to enhance and improve the conduct of doctoral dissertation research in political science. Awards support basic research which is theoretically derived and empirically oriented. Oguzhan Alkan is a Ph.D. candidate in &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/2025-doctoral-dissertation-research-improvement-grantees\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;2025 Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grantees&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65867,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-481","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65867"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/481\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/ddrig\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}