SBE awards 23 new postdoctoral fellowships supporting early-career scientists

The U.S. National Science Foundation's Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate (SBE) is supporting highly qualified early-career scientists as they embark on research projects exploring a range of topics critical to daily lives and communities, including human learning and cognition, communication between infants and caregivers, coping with violence and broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. After a rigorous peer review process, 23 new postdoctoral research fellowships across a range of social, behavioral and economic science disciplines have been awarded for 2020.

"We're excited to provide support for the next generation of scholars conducting cutting-edge research," says Josie Welkom, director of SBE's Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF) program. "With the mentorship of top scientists in their fields, the fellows represent the future of the social, behavioral and economic sciences."

In addition to supporting fundamental exploratory research, SBE's Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program also seeks to enhance the participation of underrepresented groups in science while providing an opportunity for advanced training under the guidance of a sponsoring scientist. The fellowships also help prepare doctoral-level scientists for careers in U.S. industry, academia or government.

For additional information, including frequently asked questions and award abstracts, visit the SPRF webpage.

2020 Postdoctoral Research Fellows in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences:

Analia Albuja (Duke University).
Sponsoring scientist: Sarah Gaither.

Sophia Borgias (University of Nevada, Reno).
Sponsoring scientist: Kate Berry.

Anthony DeMattee (Emory University).
Sponsoring scientist: Jeffrey Staton.

Anne Therese Frederiksen (University of California, Irvine).
Sponsoring scientist: Judith Kroll.

Cameron Hecht (The University of Texas at Austin).
Sponsoring scientist: David Yeager.

Catherine Insel (Columbia University).
Sponsoring scientist: Daphna Shohamy.

Natasha Johnson (University of Michigan).
Sponsoring scientist: Riana Anderson.

Jessica Kosie (Princeton University).
Sponsoring scientist: Casey Lew-Williams.

Zuhaib Mahmood (Duke University).
Sponsoring scientist: Kyle Beardsley.

Naomi Martisius (University of Tulsa).
Sponsoring scientist: Danielle A Macdonald.

Tasseli McKay (Cornell University).
Sponsoring scientist: Christopher Wildeman.

Ursula Moffitt (Northwestern University).
Sponsoring scientist: Leoandra Rogers.

Morgan Moyer (Stanford University).
Sponsoring scientist: Judith Degen.

William Nanavati (Portland State University).
Sponsoring scientist: Andres Holz.

Sofía Pacheco-Forés (University of Arizona).
Sponsoring scientist: James Watson.

Corey Pech (University of Michigan).
Sponsoring scientist: Elizabeth Armstrong.

Eric Pelzl (Pennsylvania State University).
Sponsoring scientist: Janet van Hell.

Whitney Polk (University of Pennsylvania).
Sponsoring scientist: Howard Stevenson.

Anastasia Quintana (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Sponsoring scientist: Steven Gaines.

Anna Ragni (California State University, Los Angeles).
Sponsoring scientist: Ashley Heers.

Nestor Tulagan (University of California, Irvine).
Sponsoring scientist: Sandra Simpkins.

Sophia Vinci-Booher (Indiana University Bloomington).
Sponsoring scientist: Franco Pestilli.

Heidi Vuletich (Indiana University Bloomington).
Sponsoring scientist: Amanda Diekman.

Please note that fellowships are awarded directly to each individual, not their institution.