Omaha, Neb. — The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska is accepting applications from advanced doctoral students within the university system for 1- or 2-year fellowships worth up to $25,000 annually. 

The Buffett Early Childhood Institute Graduate Scholars program awards grants to a maximum of four doctoral students every year. The program, which was launched last year, is designed to foster the growth of diverse, exceptional graduate students conducting research about young children and their families, with particular attention to children placed at risk as a consequence of poverty and social and environmental circumstances.

The Buffett Institute Graduate Scholars program is the first financial support program for doctoral students who have reached Ph.D. candidacy at the University of Nebraska that focuses on young children and their development.

“Just as the Buffett Institute is cross-disciplinary and cross-campus, the fellowship program is intended to reach across traditional higher education boundaries to include all those who may have an impact on the lives of young children,” said Samuel J. Meisels, founding executive director of the Buffett Institute. “These projects will further the mission of the Institute while supporting the best scholars and research programs across campuses.”

Meisels said the Buffett Scholars program seeks to support high-quality research from diverse fields that impact young children, including health, education, social work, music, art, the neurosciences, and others. Multidisciplinary research and practice and new methodologies are encouraged.

The Buffett Graduate Scholars will work with their faculty mentors on a dissertation that represents an in-depth exploration of early childhood issues. The Institute will create opportunities for graduate students and mentors to communicate, network, and collaborate with one another.

Three students received grants for 2016-17, the program’s first year: Jon Cavanaugh, a student in the neuroscience and behavior program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska Omaha; Abbey Gregg, a student in health services research and administration in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center; and Amanda Moen, a student in the Department of Educational Psychology and the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Letters of intent from applicants for 2017-18 are due March 15, and full applications must be submitted by April 17. The Buffett Institute’s Greg Welch, associate director of research and evaluation, and Amy Roberts, research specialist, will host a webinar on March 3 to answer questions about the program and the Request for Proposal (RFP). The 2017-18 award winners will be announced by the end of June.

To view the Buffett Institute Graduate Scholars RFP, visit buffettinstitute.nebraska.edu/buffett-scholars.