Rutgers Democracy Lab Supports Inaugural PhD Fellows, Offers New Funding Opportunities for Faculty and Staff

June 29, 2026

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,

I am pleased to announce that the Rutgers Democracy Lab has launched its inaugural Democracy Summer Research Fellowship. This fellowship funds 25 projects led by doctoral students representing 15 academic disciplines across Rutgers–New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark. Seed Fellowships ($2,000) and Democracy Catalyst Fellowships ($8,000) support dissertation or co-authored research projects on deliberative dialogue, artificial intelligence and democracy, democratic innovation, or topics aligned with the Rutgers Democracy Lab’s mission to strengthen American democracy. This cohort demonstrates how Rutgers researchers are pushing conversations about democracy in new and creative directions.

As we celebrate the work of our graduate students, I also want to call your attention to two new funding and partnership opportunities from the Rutgers Democracy Lab for faculty and staff.

• Apply to the Democracy in Action Fund, which provides up to $5,000 to support interactive democracy activities and prioritizes participatory, creative, and action‑oriented formats that invite students, faculty, staff, and community members to collectively explore problems. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
• Apply to be a Faculty/Staff Democracy Fellow, which provides up to $30,000 for an intensive fellowship experience with the Rutgers Democracy Lab. The Fellowship is designed to foster interdisciplinary exchange, provide structured support for project development, and cultivate a campus-wide community of democratic practice. Project abstracts are due July 31. 

I encourage you to consider these new opportunities for collaboration with the Rutgers Democracy Lab. In the meantime, please join me in congratulating the following students:

1. Rachel M. Acosta, Communication, School of Communication and Information
2. Muhammad Ammar & Chia-Lin Kao, Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences
3. Zachary Baum, Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences
4. Anderson de Andrade, Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences
5. Samantha G. Deane, Industrial Relations and Human Resources, School of Management and Labor Relations
6. Bridget C. Fisher, Planning and Public Policy, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
7. William Foley, Industrial Relations and Human Resources, School of Management and Labor Relations
8. Sudhamshu Hosamane, Library and Information Science, School of Communication and Information
9. Duhui Lee, Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences
10. Ashley Y. Lipscomb, Education, Graduate School of Education
11. Kristine Maassen, Anthropology, School of Arts and Sciences
12. Lina Moe, Planning and Public Policy, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
13. Sarah Mughal, Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences
14. Mahsun Oti, Anthropology, School of Arts and Sciences
15. George Quinn, Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences
16. Stephanie A. Rodríguez, Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition, (Department of Spanish and Portuguese), School of Arts and Sciences
17. Michellepreet Sanghera, Political Science, School of Arts and Sciences
18. Safiyeh Tayebi, Geography, School of Arts and Sciences
19. Sara M. Thomas, Social Work, School of Social Work
20. Wenzhe Xu, Library and Information Science, School of Communication and Information
21. Yi Zhao & S. M. Mehedi Zaman, Communication & Library and Information Science, School of Communication and Information

Sincerely,

Jason Geary, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Rutgers–New Brunswick