November Newsletter

I hope that you are enjoying the fall weather and are looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving break. For this edition of the Graduate School newsletter, I would like to focus on the work of our Fellowship and Awards Coordinator, Jen Barron, who manages internal and external competitions. We are putting increased efforts in this area to provide new professional experiences and additional financial support in response to the IUB 2030 objective of expanding fellowship and internship funding opportunities for graduate students. Some of these include our regular competitions, such as the Distinguished Masters Thesis Award and the Wells Graduate Fellowship, but others include external opportunities, such as those highlighted in this month’s newsletter.

One of these is a unique fellowship program from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Gilliam Fellowship, which provides funding for student-mentor pairs in STEM disciplines to support projects that promote equity and inclusion. The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship is a 3-year fellowship for high achieving and promising scholars in all fields who demonstrate financial need. We are allowed three nominations each year and we have had a successful track record of past Liebmann Fellows. And the Boren Fellowship is for research and language study in critical regions of the world.

In addition to managing these fellowships, we also sponsor and promote graduate experiential programs and internships. One of our newest relationships is with the Indiana Academy of Science and their INSPECT Fellowship program, which provides funding for a 10-week summer internship in a participating Indiana State government agency, to pursue unique research projects that advance the mission of the agency. The deadline will be in early spring, but informational webinars will be held in a few weeks (see below). Other internship programs that we support include the IU Ventures Fellows and the College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Pathways Fellowships.

Finally, for those who have, or will, complete their dissertation this year, I encourage you to consider applying for the Indiana University Distinguished PhD Dissertation Award. Dissertations completed between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024 in the fields of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering or the Social Sciences are eligible for this year’s competition. Next year’s competition will be in the fields of the Humanities and the Biological Sciences.

Find details for these competitions below or visit our website for additional opportunities. I also encourage you to connect with the Grad Grants Center, our incredible group of peer consultants who can help you find, apply for and secure external grants and fellowships.

All the best,



David Daleke
Dean, IUB Graduate School

The campus and university strategic plans have now moved into the implementation phase. Building on the goals established last academic year in the three foundational pillars of the plan (Student Success and Opportunity, Transformative Research and Creativity, Service to our State and Beyond), efforts to implement the objectives that were identified by the plan have begun. Follow progress on the plan.

Deadline: Thursday, December 7, 2023

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellows Program

Student/Adviser Pairs may apply directly to the program.

The Gilliam Fellows Program invests in graduate trainees who are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in science and empowers them as future science leaders. The Fellowship also provides support for the student's thesis adviser to enhance their mentorship skills and act as change-makers to develop more inclusive and healthy scientific training environments.

Each adviser-student pair receives an annual award of $53,000 for up to three years. Fellows join a vibrant community and are offered leadership training, professional development, and opportunities to engage with and learn from peers, program alumni, and HHMI scientists.

Biomedical or life sciences studies-focused students in their second or third year of study are eligible to apply.

Internal Deadline: Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship

The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund was established by the Will of Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Mrs. Liebmann was the daughter of a prominent Armenian intellectual, writer and statesman and was married to one of the owners of a successful American business. She supported students and educational and charitable organizations during her lifetime. Mrs. Liebmann's primary concern, as expressed in her Will, was to attract and support students with outstanding character and ability who hold promise for achievement and distinction in their chosen fields of study.

Fellowships include tuition costs (no fees), and an annual stipend of $18,000. Fellowships can be renewed annually for a maximum of 3 years of funding.

Eligibility: Students who have received a bachelor's degree and are pursuing a graduate degree at a designated institution of higher learning are eligible. The candidate must demonstrate a need for financial assistance and be a U.S. citizen.

Nominations must be submitted by the department using a secure sharing application such as Secure Share. Please contact your department for their internal deadline. Students may not apply directly.

Deadline: Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Boren Graduate Fellowships

Students may apply directly to the program.

Boren Awards fund research and language study proposals by US graduate students in world regions critical to US interests. The award focuses on building proficiency in a foreign language, especially one critical to national security such as Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin, Russian, or Swahili. Applicants must intend to pursue a career in public service through the federal government.

Deadline: TBA

INSPECT Fellowships

Application details will be released in the December newsletter

Hosted by the Indiana Academy of Science, sponsored by the IU Bloomington Graduate School, and supported by Indiana State Agencies, the INSPECT Fellowships provides an opportunity for graduate students to be effective participants in public policy. Fellows serve as nonpartisan, science-policy staff in select state agencies. These paid fellowships require a 10-week commitment beginning on or about May 30 and ending by August 15.

Informational Zoom sessions for potential applicants:
- Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 5:00pm Zoom 
- Friday, December 1, 2023, 4:00pm Zoom 

Internal Deadline: Monday, April 29, 2024

Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award

Is your dissertation ‘truly outstanding’? Students in the fields of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering or the Social Sciences are encouraged to apply to the IU Graduate School Bloomington Distinguished PhD Dissertation Award. In addition to a $5,000 award, winners are nominated for the national competition - the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/PROQUEST Distinguished Dissertation Award.

For the 2024 award, students must have completed doctoral degree requirements and the dissertation between the period of July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2024. The Awards Committee of the Graduate Faculty Council will consider such criteria as originality, documentation, significance, accuracy, organization, and style.

The nomination process includes a nomination form, 3 letters of support, a CV, a brief (1,00-word max) non-technical abstract, a dissertation abstract (not to exceed 10 pages), and an electronic copy of the dissertation (a draft of the dissertation is acceptable for the internal award.)

Nominations must be submitted by the department. Please contact your department for their internal deadline. Students may not apply directly.