Doctoral Fellowships

DOCTORAL RESEARCH SUPPORT STIPENDS

Beginning in 2026, the Hammill Institute on Disabilities awards annual Doctoral Research Support Stipends to support doctoral students whose work benefits the field of special education and related disciplines. Each stipend provides $3,000 to help offset the costs of conference travel, research materials, and other professional development activities. Recipients are selected through a competitive application process.

The following is a list of Hammill Institute on Disabilities Doctoral Research Support Stipend recipients along with their supervising professors.

Recipient Award Year Advisor University
Tyler-Curtis C. Elliott 2026 Kevin M. Ayres University of Georgia
Amanda Eiser Hess 2026 Bryan Cook University of Virginia
Sheena Jennings 2026 Laura McCorkle UNC Charlotte
Jacqueline Little 2026 Kristen Beach UNC Charlotte
Gianna Marshall 2026 Allison Lombardi University of Wisconsin-Madison
Natalie Morris 2026 Kevin M. Ayres University of Georgia
Martin Odima Jr. 2026 Sam Choo University of Minnesota
Gwendolyn H. Stout 2026 Douglas Petersen Baylor University
Rossana Torres 2026 Sloane Burgess Kent State University
Rebecca Townsend 2026 Karrie Shogren University of Kansas

DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS (2017-2025)

From 2017 through 2025, the Hammill Institute on Disabilities awarded Doctoral Fellowships to students enrolled in doctoral programs benefiting the field of special education. Fellows were nominated by faculty members identified by the Institute’s Board of Directors and received multi-year financial support for their doctoral work.

The following is a list of Hammill Institute on Disabilities Doctoral Fellowship recipients along with their faculty advisors.

Recipient Award Year Advisor University
Julie Danielle Atwood 2025 Brittany L. Hott University of Oklahoma
Christy Flanagan Conway 2025 Moira Konrad The Ohio State University
Jennifer Lee McKinney 2025 Michael S. Matthews University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Kimberly McFadden 2024 Esther Lindström Lehigh University
Travis Hammond 2024 Catharine Lory University of Nevada, Los Vegas
Kira Alexander 2021 John Murphy University of Central Arkansas
Allison Hancock 2021 Ronald Gillam Utah State University
Zaira Jimenez 2021 Michael Solis University of California, Riverside
Aya Shhub 2021 Michael Solis University of California, Riverside
Frankie Norris 2020 Bertina Combes University of North Texas
Virginia McClurg 2020 R. Steve McCallum The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Lydia Sollenberger 2020 John Hoover University of Colorado Boulder
Alexcia Moore 2019 Margaret Flores Auburn University
Fatmana Kara Deniz 2019 Kyle Higgins University of Neveda, Las Vegas
Monique Matute-Chavarria 2019 Kyle Higgins University of Neveda, Las Vegas
Heather Francis 2019 David Scanlon Boston College
Lori Dunn 2019 David Scanlon Boston College
Brenda de la Garza 2018 Steve Chamberlain UT Rio Grande Valley
Leah M. Zimmermann 2018 Deborah Reed University of Iowa
Tamla Lee 2017 Joe Boyle Temple University