Public Impact Fellowships

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Overview

Public Impact Fellowships highlight and support doctoral students whose current research has the potential for substantial impact in the public sphere. Ideal candidates will be involved in research designed to significantly improve or enrich the lives of Californians and/or national and global communities.

All schools are eligible to nominate students to compete for a total of up to 15 fellowships.  Each of three full awardees from any discipline will receive $10,000 and ten honorable mention awardees will receive $1,000. We are also very pleased to announce two new UCI/Stanley Behrens Public Impact Fellowships in the amount of $20,000. Applicants for this latter award are restricted to specific areas of research.


Award Info

$10,000/$20,000 (full award) or $1,000 (honorable mention award) to be used as a stipend.


Awards are to be used as stipend. Students may choose to accept the award during winter or spring 2013, or over both quarters, at their discretion with the exception of the UCI/Stanley Behrens Public Impact Fellowships, which will be paid over Winter and Spring quarters.

Eligibility

For UC Irvine Public Impact Fellowships, nominees must, at minimum, meet the following criteria:

  1. Maintain UCI GPA of 3.7 or higher through spring quarter 2012.
  2. Be a current, full-time doctoral student who has advanced to candidacy.
  3. Conduct research that has critical public impact. (Examples of relevant research include studies that aim to improve economic opportunity and well-being, health care, social justice, political participation, cultural engagement, and scientific or technical solutions to pressing social issues.)
  4. Be willing to have research spotlighted/featured on both the Graduate Division’s and UCI’s website, brochures and social networks, and be able and available to effectively communicate and discuss their research in lay terms with prospective donors, legislators and/or their staff, and the media sometime during Winter and Spring quarters.
  5. If selected as a finalist, student must be available to give a five-minute presentation to the selection committee, followed by a brief interview, on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 between 9:30 am - 12:30 pm.

For the UCI/Stanley Behrens Public Impact Fellowship, additional criteria apply as follows:

  1. Be a U.S. Citizen
  2. Have financial need
  3. Students must be conducting cutting-edge research in areas that may include: Stem cell research; energy research; water sustainability/conservation; research in endothelial cells for plant-based  nutrition; diabetes treatment; bipolar disorder; schizophrenia; multiple myeloma; multiple sclerosis; the effects of physical and sexual abuse on children; and in the areas of the law and humanities.
  4. In addition to being available for a presentation and interview Tuesday, November 27, 2012 between 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, finalists may also be required to attend a brief interview with the donor(s) at a time to be determined.
  5. Must be willing to be interviewed and/or meet with the donor(s) and provide the donor(s) with periodic, perhaps quarterly, updates.

Application Process

Schools are asked to collect nominations from each department and then forward the most promising nominees, based on merit and the potential public impact of the student's research. There is no limit to the number of nominations each school may submit. The final selection committee will consider several factors when choosing the awardees, including the student's presentation, interview and their ability to convey their research to a broad audience; academic records, letters of recommendation, degree progress since matriculation into the program, and research impact. DEADLINE to submit nominations to the Graduate Division: 12:00 p.m. (noon), Friday, October 26, 2012. Late or incomplete nomination packets will not be reviewed.

  • Student Information Forms (to be completed by the student):
  1. Students may apply via the fillable/savable Microsoft Word form from the Graduate Division Website: Public Impact Fellowship Student Information Form
  2. Students must complete and submit the Student Information form as a Microsoft Word document via e-mail to their department (including the Student Profile and Student Research sections)
    1. Student Information forms must be saved in Microsoft Word as "IMPACT APP - SID#.doc", e.g. "IMPACT APP - 12345678.doc"
    2. Students must also provide the following items to their department:
      1. A printed/signed copy of the Student Information form (including the Student Profile and Student Research sections)
      2. A current, printed curriculum vitae
      3. A letter of recommendation from the student's faculty advisor
      4. Associate Dean letter of recommendation
  • Nomination Forms (to be completed by the department):
  1. Departments will nominate students via the fillable/savable Microsoft Word form from the Graduate Division website: Public Impact Fellowship Nomination Form
  2. Nomination forms should be saved in Microsoft Word as "IMPACT NOM - SID#.doc", e.g. "IMPACT NOM - 12345678.doc"
  3. Print the nomination forms and gather original signatures for each form
  4. Once forms are final with signatures, scan documents to a single PDF file for each nominee in this order:
    1. Nomination form (signed by the Faculty Advisor and Associate Dean)
    2. Student Information form (signed by the student)
    3. Curriculum vitae
    4. Faculty advisor letter of recommendation
    5. Associate Dean letter of recommendation
    6. Save the new PDF file as "IMPACT - SID#.pdf", e.g. "IMPACT - 12345678.pdf"
    7. When all documentation is complete, e-mail the following items separately for each student:
      1. Email to Oana Abrudan:
        1. The original Microsoft Word (.doc) nomination form
        2. The original Microsoft Word (.doc) Student Information form
        3. The PDF file (.pdf) with the packet (to include all items listed above)
    8. DEADLINE to submit nominations to the Graduate Division: 12:00 p.m. (noon), Friday, October 26, 2012
      1. Late or incomplete nomination packets will not be reviewed

Contact Info

Questions should be directed to Ruth Quinnan , x4-5879 or Oana Abrudan, x4-9031.

Deadline

The deadline for e-mail receipt of completed/signed nomination packages is 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Friday, October 26, 2012.

Notes

  • Students who receive the full $10,000/$20,000 awards are not to be appointed as TAs during the period of the fellowship but may be appointed as GSRs.  Students who receive $1,000 honorable mention awards may be appointed as TAs. 
  • For students already receiving financial aid, acceptance of a Public Impact Fellowship may affect his or her overall financial need-based support package.  In such cases, students are encouraged to consult with the UCI Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. 
  • Previous winners (full awardees and honorable mentions) and current ARCS scholars are not eligible for this year’s competition.

Current Fellows

Public Impact Fellows