Predoctoral Fellowship Opportunites

NIA Training Program Support The fellowships carry a 12-month stipend of $20,976; no taxes are withheld but the stipend received is reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Also included are two terms of full-time tuition with some possibility of tuition support in the spring/summer term for required coursework; an allowance for travel to professional meetings; gradcare health insurance coverage; computer access; and office space. These positions are open to U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens.

The fellowship could begin between May 1 and September 1. The fellowship could be coordinated with other fellowships, such as the Rackham Merit Fellowship or Regents Fellowship. For the latter two this fellowship could be considered the departmental match that is necessary for two years of post-candidacy support from Rackham.

Fellowships are awarded for one-year at a time. Annual renewal is anticipated when fellows are making satisfactory progress in the training and doctoral program and when there is an agreement between the fellow and our Program Directors that it would be beneficial for the fellow to continue. A total of four years of funding could be available for a new fellow.

NIA Training Objectives This program's goal is to develop researchers who will contribute to the theoretical and empirical knowledge base for determining policies and programs that can enhance the well-being of aging individuals and the elderly.

NIA Training Program and Responsibilities of Fellows Fellows are expected to participate in a multidisciplinary seminar throughout the period of their appointment and to follow a plan of study that is consistent with the objectives of the training program and meets with the approval of the co-directors of the program, Professors Ruth Dunkle and Berit Ingersoll-Dayton. The dissertation and social work preliminary examination topics are expected to be related to the objectives of the training program. The seminar typically meets weekly during the Fall term and somewhat less frequently during the Winter term. All fellows are expected to be active participants in this seminar.

Fellows are expected to devote full-time to their doctoral studies during the entire period of their appointment. During any appointment period, fellows may not accept any employment or supplementation without obtaining permission in advance from the co-directors of the program. Relevant employment that averages out to a 25% level across each annual fellowship appointment period is assumed to be the maximum level appropriate to the full-time commitment to the training program required by Federal regulations.

Application Procedures for Persons not Currently Enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science

  1. Complete the regular application to the Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science by no later than February 1, 2010. (For information on the Doctoral Program and its application procedures, look at its web site, or contact the Doctoral Office at 734-763-5768 or ssw.phd.info@umich.edu.)
  2. As part of your Personal Statement that accompanies your application to the Doctoral Program, state that you want to be considered for a predoctoral fellowship in Social Research on Applied Issues of Aging; briefly describe your interests in aging and/or the aged and how they fit into this training program; and indicate the ways in which your academic, research, and/or practice experiences and future intellectual and career goals demonstrate these interests.

Application Procedures for Current Students Provide the following information to Ruth Dunkle either by email (redunkle@umich.edu) or in writing. Admissions are rolling until February 15, 2010.

  1. Briefly describe your interests in aging and/or the aged and how they fit into this training program, and indicate the ways in which your academic research, and/or practice experiences and future intellectual and career goals demonstrate these interests.
  2. Provide a Curriculum Vitae.
  3. Describe your status in the doctoral program in relation to the following questions:
    • When did you enter the doctoral program and what is your social science discipline?
    • Do you have your MSW? If not, when do you expect to receive it?
    • Have your completed your research internship? If not, when do you expect to do so?
    • Have you completed your doctoral coursework in SW? If not, when do you expect to complete it?
    • Have you completed your social work preliminary examination? If not, when do you expect to complete it?
    • Have you completed your doctoral coursework in your social science discipline? If not, when do you expect to complete it?
    • Have you completed your social science preliminary examination? If not, when do you expect to complete it?
  4. Indicate if you want to coordinate this fellowship with any other fellowship, and if so, which one.
  5. Give us the name of one U-M faculty member who would be able to provide a reference if we request it.
  6. Indicate the date you would be interested in beginning the fellowship.

We may request an interview with you.