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Graduate – Awards

Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards

MATTHEW STUART MORRISON AND JAMES MORTON ALEXANDER SUMMER FELLOWSHIP
The goal of the Morrison and Alexander Summer Fellowships is to provide incoming graduate students with a chance to experience the research environment in the Department of Chemistry ahead of their first semester. Any student who has officially accepted our admission offer may apply for this fellowship to work in the laboratory of a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry. The Fellowship provides a monthly stipend during an 8-10 week experience.

To apply for a Matthew Stuart Morrison Summer Fellowship, email Professor Alexander Miller, Director of Graduate Studies the following information: (A) Your name, (B) Name of faculty who has agreed to mentor you over the summer, (C) Your CV/resumé, (D) A short statement (ca. 0.5 page or less) describing what you hope to learn or achieve over the summer. Selections will be made on the basis of available funds, timing of application (priority given to those applications received before March 15th), availability within each laboratory, and a committee review of the CV and application statement.

Please note that working in a lab during the summer does not commit you to join that lab, nor does it commit the faculty member to accepting you as a permanent member of their lab once you officially begin graduate school.

SLAYTON EVANS STUDENT DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (SESDI)
The goal of SESDI is to enhance diversity and create a supportive environment for underrepresented (UR) and first-generation college students. Any incoming chemistry graduate student that self-identifies as an UR/first generation college student is eligible to participate. This program will facilitate the transition into our graduate program during the summer prior to their first year of entry into the Ph.D. program. Programmatic components include a summer research rotation in a research group (8-10 weeks) supported with a stipend sponsored by the Matthew Stuart Morrison and James Morton Alexander funds, mentoring undergraduates enrolled in a summer chemistry course, and workshops, activities, and cohort building activities offered by the Chemistry Department and Graduate School. Throughout the academic year, advising, academic support, and additional cohort building will be offered. Applications are due by April 20. For more information, contact Professors Leslie Hicks and Nita Eskew

EASTMAN FELLOWS
The Eastman Fellows program aims to identify students interested in developing sustainable programs to improve the academic and social support mechanisms needed to allow current and future students from diverse backgrounds to thrive at Carolina. Fellows are provided a stipend during their first year, which is in addition to the stipend provided by the Chemistry Department as a Teaching Assistant.

Fellows work in small groups to tackle self-identified projects that improve the climate and culture within the Chemistry Department, meet monthly to discuss progress, brainstorm new ideas, and solicit feedback and help. Each fellow is paired with a mentor from the Eastman Chemical Company. These mentors will meet with you at Carolina or Eastman yearly, providing advice and information about industrial career paths available to Ph.D. chemists.

The Eastman Fellows program is open to all students with strong organizational skills, who are interested in a leadership position, and value diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI). Applications will be announced and accepted during August 2022. Applicants will be asked to provide a statement indicating past leadership roles, demonstrations of previous commitment to DEI initiatives, and identifying how their perspective and lived experiences will continue to support an inclusive and equitable environment at Carolina. The Eastman Fellows program recognizes all forms of diversity, including but not limited to ethnicity, gender, gender expression, neurotypical status, physical abilities, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status/class.

NIH CHEMISTRY-BIOLOGY INTERFACE TRAINING PROGRAM
The NIH-funded Chemistry–Biology Interface (CBI) Training Program enables trainees at Carolina to obtain the breadth of scientific training essential for modern, mechanistically informed chemical biology. The training program includes a stipend well as (1) common coursework that establishes the basis for research at the chemistry–biology interface, including responsible conduct of research and rigor/reproducibility training, (2) biweekly meetings that alternate between a journal club and professional development, (3) a trainee-organized symposium. Three new fellows are selected at the end of their first year. Please contact the PIs of the program, Professors Jeff Aubé and Marcey Waters, for additional information.

Scholarships and Awards

The Department of Chemistry offers number of Fellowships and Awards to outstanding graduate students. The candidates for the fellowships are typically nominated by the student’s research advisor and the awardee is then selected by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Scholarships currently available include a variety of departmental endowed fellowships such as Bost, Burroughs-Wellcome, Dobbins, Edmister, Eliel, Hiskey, and Ledoux, a Merit Assistantship, and a Board of Governor’s fellowship.

In addition to these departmental awards there are numerous fellowships accessible to graduate students through UNC Graduate School and outside agencies and foundations.

Graduate Students receiving external funding in support of their thesis or dissertation, will be expected to apply for the Graduate Tuition Incentive Scholarship to cover the cost of tuition. Please fill out the form online.

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