Skip to main content

Duke Graduate Students Receive Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Awards

The U.S. Department of Education has announced its awards under the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) program. Three Duke graduate students were awarded $115,553 in fellowship funds, placing Duke seventh in total awards received (see the complete listing of awards here).

At the 34 institutions receiving DDRA grants, 80 individual fellowships are being awarded to doctoral students to conduct research in modern foreign languages and area studies in other countries for periods of six to 12 months. The goal of the research grants is to deepen knowledge of areas in the world not generally included in U.S. curricula.

Duke's graduate student award winners are Sarah Jones Dickens of the Department of Art, Art History, & Visual Studies, who will travel to Cambodia; Caroline Garriott of the Department of History, who will go to Brazil, Peru, Spain, and Portugal; and McKenzie Johnson, a Ph.D. student in environmental policy, who will work in South Sudan.

"This is great news for Duke," said Gilbert Merkx, director of the Office of Area Studies and International Studies. "It's the payoff in our investment in internationalizing Duke and preparing our students for a globalized and ever more connected world."

In total, the Department of Education granted more than $3 million to 34 institutions of higher education for DDRA grants. The grant money was disbursed before the recent government shutdown and was not affected by the temporary lapse in funding.

"In an interconnected, competitive global economy, the only way to secure our common future is through education," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "These grants will ensure a steady supply of graduates with expertise in world languages and global issues, helping to build stronger and more productive ties with our neighbors and fostering international collaboration."