Semester Dissertation Fellowships - Wylie and Lee Thornton

The Graduate School's Semester Dissertation Fellowship program includes the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship and the Lee Thornton Endowed Fellowship. Dissertation fellowships provide full-time support to University of Maryland doctoral candidates who are in the latter stages of writing their dissertations. Awarded students for AY 26-27 can choose to use the fellowship in either Fall 2026 or Spring 2027. Fellowship benefits include a $15,000 Stipend, a Candidacy Tuition award (899 only), a credit for mandatory fees associated with 899 registration, and reimbursement for the purchase of an individual student health insurance plan for the semester.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: Noon, Wednesday, February 10, 2027
Students, please consult with their department about the internal selection process and deadlines.

In 2005, the Graduate School inaugurated the Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship program. The Wylie Dissertation Fellowship is a full-time semester-long fellowship which can be used in Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 semester. Approximately 40 Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships will be awarded for AY 27-28.

In 2013, Dr. Lee Thornton established this endowed fund to support the writing of dissertations at the University of Maryland that serve the public good. This might include scholarship that addresses issues related to society’s present and future needs, or research that produces findings applicable to those needs. The Lee Thornton Fellowship is a full-time semester-long fellowship which can be used in Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 semester. One Lee Thornton Endowed Dissertation Fellowship will be awarded for AY 27-28.

Dr. Lee Thornton was one of the nation's most distinguished broadcast journalists and worked at the
University of Maryland from 1997 - 2013. Professor Thornton held the Richard Eaton Chair in
Broadcast News at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, a first of its kind for the campus and the
nation. In 2008, she became interim Dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, the first woman
dean of color on the campus. Later, she served as Associate Provost and Ombuds Officer for the
Graduate School. A dedicated campus citizen, Professor Thornton was named Outstanding Woman of
the Year in 2011 by the President's Commission on Women's Issues.

Eligible candidates are University of Maryland doctoral students enrolled full time in a doctoral degree program. Candidates must have excellent qualifications and in the latter stages of writing their dissertations.

Eligible candidates must be advanced to candidacy by June 1, 2027, AND expect to graduate by August 2028.

Students holding the Semester Dissertation Fellowship agree not to accept an assistantship, other full-time fellowship, or employment of $2,000 or more during the period of the Fellowship. Supplemental fellowships may be accepted.

Students may receive the Semester Dissertation Fellowship only once. Fellowships may not be deferred.

Semester Dissertation Fellows will receive a $15,000 stipend, a Candidacy Tuition Award (dissertation 899 credits only), a credit for the student’s mandatory fees associated with 899 enrollment, and reimbursement of up to $1,500 for the cost of an individual health insurance plan while on fellowship

Health Insurance

Dissertation Fellows must be off payroll to receive the fellowship stipend, which also means the state health insurance benefits will not be available to Fellows. Wylie Fellows are eligible to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). For more Information about securing health insurance while on the Dissertation Fellowship, please use https://gradschool.umd.edu/health-insurance/Wylie-Fellows as a resource. To request reimbursement for the cost of an individual student health insurance (up to $1500), complete the Health Insurance Reimbursement Request Form. Health insurance for dependents is not reimbursed.

Nomination Packages

Programs must gather the needed materials and submit by the nomination deadline.

Nominee Cover Sheet
A Student written Proposal (abstract & one-page statement).
** Students are required to write for a non-specialist audience.
a) Abstract: Students prepare an abstract (500 word maximum). The abstract should include a) the title; b) a description of the study; c) the significance of the study; and d) sources of information or data, if applicable.
b) One-page statement: Students prepare a statement of: a) work completed; b) work remaining; c) timeline; and d) expected completion date.
The student’s curriculum vitae (two page maximum)
A letter from the student’s advisor describing the quality and accomplishments of the student, the significance of the student’s dissertation project, and an account of how this fellowship would have an impact on the student’s ability to progress toward their degree by August 2027.
The DGS Questionnaire: We ask the Director of Graduate Studies to complete the DGS Questionnaire in order to better inform the committee about disciplinary and programmatic differences. (If the student’s advisor is also the Director of Graduate Studies, the Program/Department Chair should complete the questionnaire).

Programs must gather the above materials, then submit the five (5) files to the Graduate School Awards Portal by the deadline. (Do not combine the files.) Submit nomination materials by going to the Awards Portal at terpengage.umd.edu/gsawards/s/.

The Graduate School appoints a multi-disciplinary faculty panel to review all of Semester Dissertation Fellowship proposals. Because the panel may not include faculty from their field of study, students should write for a general audience. Committee members will be instructed to evaluate the proposals based on:

the student’s achievements and promise;
the excellence of the research proposal and the student’s ability to write for a non-specialist audience;
work done on the project to date (if any);
the potential importance of the dissertation to the student’s field of research; and
the likelihood of the student’s ability to complete the dissertation during the fellowship year and graduate by August 2027.

It is expected that the cohort of awardees will represent university values.

At the end of the semester, the student will submit a brief but specific report.

Please direct all questions to Program Director Robyn Kotzker for the Office of Funding Opportunities (rkotzker@umd.edu, 301.405.0281)

Semester Dissertation Fellows

College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences
Shuyi Feng, Food Science
Akanksha Hada, Animal Sciences
Caroline Halmi, Animal Sciences
Claire Hudson, Plant Science
Qianyao Si, Environmental Science and Technology

School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Alibi Shokputov, Urban and Regional Planning and Design

College of Arts and Humanities
Atiya Dorsey, Theatre and Performance Studies
Jin Choi, Communication
Alexander Dunphy, History
Joseph Gurrola, Philosophy
Hannah Nolan, History
Nan Zhong, Art History

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Flávia Batista da Silva, Government and Politics
Jade Dunstan, Psychology
Valerie Hall, Anthropology
Hyejin Jeon, Sociology
Sean Maulhardt, Psychology
Anna Packy, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
Deena Shariq, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
Shuo Xu, Geographical Sciences

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Akashnathan Aranganathan, Biophysics
Ayona Goswami, Chemistry
Nolan Coble, Computer Science
Brendan Randall, Entomology
Smrithan Ravichandran, Chemical Physics
Sahana Kumar, Biological Sciences
Jhayron Perez Carrasquilla, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Qihang Li, Mathematics
Sydney Shelton, Geology
Asan Turdiev, Biological Sciences
Yanyu Wang, Marine, Estuarine, & Environmental Sciences
Jens Wira, Marine, Estuarine, & Environmental Sciences

College of Education
Stephanie Cerrato, School Psychology
Youngjin Han, Quantitative Methodology: Measurement and Statistics
Elise Kaufman, Human Development
Ami Patel, School Psychology

College of Information Studies
Sunyup Park, Information Studies
Yongle Zhang, Information Studies

Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Mohammed Ademo, Journalism Studies

A. James Clark School of Engineering
Sagnik Bhattacharya, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Liuxin Gu, Materials Science and Engineering
Faisal Hamman, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Raashiq Ishraaq, Mechanical Engineering
Yi-Ming Kao, Mechanical Engineering
Emily Powsner, Bioengineering
Narayan Pillai, Aerospace Engineering
Haochen Yang, Chemical Engineering

School of Public Health
Ibiyinka Amokeodo, Environmental Health Sciences
Caitlin Blanco, Epidemiology
Chiti Bwalya, Behavioral and Community Health

School of Public Policy
Emily Dobson, Public Policy
Kasey Vangelov, Public Policy

College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences
Edmund Benefo, Nutrition and Food Science
Biwek Gairhe, Environmental Science and Technology
Xiaoxue Jia, Nutrition and Food Science
Fatima Najeeb, Agriculture and Resource Economics
Samnhita Raychaudhuri, Nutrition and Food Science
Chuan-Wei Tung, Animal and Avian Sciences

School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Nohely Alvarez, Urban and Regional Planning and Design
Hannah Cameron, Urban and Regional Planning and Design

College of Arts and Humanities
Lauren Cain, History
Fernando Duran, English
Max Erdemandi, Communication
Ligia Gonzalez, Spanish and Portuguese
Alise Hardy, Communication
Marco Juarez Cruz, Art History
Kristopher Pourzal, Theater and Performance Studies
Sarah Scriven, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Kader Smail, History

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Layne Amerikaner, Sociology
Allison Bredder, Geographical Sciences
Richard Hahn, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Raquel Hernandez, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Luis Jaramillo, Economics
Hyung Kim, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
Weizheng Lai, Economics
Seongsil Lee, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Hongyu Lin, Psychology
Angelica Loblack, Sociology
Aryn Schriner, Anthropology
Anne Tinnemore, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
Charles Walker, Anthropology

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Solomon Attionu, Chemistry
Kathleen Evans, Entomology
Miranda Judd, Marine-Estuarine Environmental Sciences
Benjamin Lanham, Biochemistry
Joseph Mack, Biological Sciences
Vlasios Mastrantonis, Mathematics
Shams Medhi, Biophysics
Mazda Moayeri, Computer Science
Bowen Shen, Chemistry
Gowthami Somepalli, Computer Science
Jiayang Sun, Geology
Jiaqi Wang, Applied Mathematics and Statistics, and Scientific Computation

College of Education
Sion Collier-Murayama, International Education Policy
Katherine Luken Raz, Human Development
Jinglei Ren, Human Development
Nancy Wong, Student Affairs

A. James Clark School of Engineering
Levi Burner, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Sean Carey, Bioengineering
Ching-En Ku, Chemical Engineering
Zachary Lazri, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mohamed Mohamed Jaffar, Aerospace Engineering

School of Public Health
Emily Blake, Kinesiology
Alana Ewen, Behavioral and Community Health
Samantha Snyder, Kinesiology

College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences
Peixi Chang, Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Yanli Chen, Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Si Fan, Nutrition and Food Science
Margaret Anne Hines, Animal Sciences
Sarah Emily Rothman, Environmental Science and Technology

School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Bi’Anncha T Andrews, Urban and Regional Planning and Design

College of Arts and Humanities
Saban Agalar, History
Zachary Johnson, American Studies
Lenora Renee Knowles, Women’s Studies
Adreanna D Nattiel, Women’s Studies
Valentina Belen Rosales, Comparative Literature
Shalom Rosenberg, Comparative Literature
Lillian Thomas Wies, Art History and Archaeology

College of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Devin Butler, Psychology
Arynn Simone Byrd, Hearing and Speech Sciences
Xueyuan Gao, Geographical Sciences
Constanza Hurtado, Sociology
Ruohan Li, Geographical Sciences
Jingwen Liu, Sociology
Samantha Jordan Primiano, Anthropology
Elisabeth B Powell, Geographical Sciences
Alvaro Nicolas Silva Uribe, Economics
Rachel M Thompson, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science
Erin Elizabeth Tinney, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Daniela Vazquez, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences
Daniel Birtles, Biochemistry
Renee Ti Chou, Biological Sciences
Danyon Miles Fischbach, Chemistry
Nakul Garg, Computer Science
Nora David Hamovit, Biological Sciences
Emily Katherine Hockey, Chemistry
Chenzi Jin, Mathematics
Shoken Eckhart Kaneko, Computer Science
Bo Nan, Chemistry
Akshay Jitendrakumer Patel, Biological Sciences
Spandan Pathak, Biophysics
Katie Kolb Reding, Entomology
Dedi Wang, Biophysics
Shuo Yan, Mathematics
Haipeng Zhang, Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
Jinyi Zhu, Biological Sciences

College of Education
Cameron Joseph Busacca, International Education Policy

A. James Clark School of Engineering
Faraz Ahmed Burni, Chemical Engineering
Victoria Castagna Ferrari, Materials Science and Engineering
Romanus Joshua Hutchins, Bioengineering
Daniel Henry Levy, Bioengineering
Shuke Li, Materials Science and Engineering
Lu Liu, Chemical Engineering
Maria Jose Rodriguez, Civil Engineering
Adarsh Jagan Sathyamoorthy, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Guangyao Shi, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Nariman Torkzaban, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Zeyi Wang, Chemical Engineering
Weidi Yin, Mechanical Engineering
Weiran Zhang, Materials Science and Engineering

Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Dinfin Koyonjo Mulupi, Journalism Studies

Robert H. Smith School of Business
Zhen Ye, Business and Management

School of Information Studies
Utkarsh Dwivedi, Information Studies
Salma Elsayed-Ali, Information Studies
Xin Qian, Information Studies

School of Public Health
Sahra Ibrahimi, Maternal and Child Health
Taehyun Kim, Health Services Research
Nicole Ernestine Sieck, Environmental Health Sciences

2025-26 Jou-Tsen Ou, Chemistry
2024-25 Lindsay Mallick, Maternal and Child Health
2023-24 William Grant Wical, Anthropology
2022-23 Robin Sundaramoorthy, Journalism
2021-22 Izidora Skracic, Family Science
2020-21 Tangere Hoagland, Women’s Studies
2019-20 Tracy Jenkins, Anthropology
2018-19 Leila Duman, Chemistry
2017-18 Rianna Murray, Toxicology
2016-17 Jie Zhang, Geographical Sciences
2015-16 Miao Guo, Nutrition and Food Science
2014-15 Michael Roller, Anthropology

Note: This page lists Wylie Fellowship recipients from AY 2023–2026. For information on recipients from earlier years, please contact Program Director Robyn Kotzker (rkotzker@umd.edu / 5-0281).