“The interdisciplinary Royster Society of Fellows is enriched immeasurably by Fellows from more than 60 doctoral degree programs. This year, 24 graduating Fellows represent 21 different doctoral programs supported by fellowships named for Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Caroline Royster, and friends of the Royster Society of Fellows.
Fellows, we praise your accomplishments and for representing excellence through your involvement with this signature program through The Graduate School. Congratulations on your outstanding achievements and best wishes for your next steps beyond Carolina!”
— A message from Brian Rybarczyk, Associate Dean for Professional Development and Funding
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Sorin Mitran
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Jamie Bartram
“This has been a great community to be a part of during my time at UNC. Thanks Royster!”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Jayashankar Swaminathan
“Too often in academic research we become siloed in our area of expertise. The Royster Society not only introduced me to research in areas I may have been unaware of otherwise, but also some fantastic folks that have helped broaden my perspective of the sector I’m focused in.”
Lyle V. Jones Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Steve Knotek
“The Royster Society of Fellows allowed me to focus on my dissertation without any financial challenge and provided numerous opportunities.”
Paul Hardin Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Angela Kashuba
“I really enjoyed the fellowship with other Fellows who were outside of my discipline. I have had the ability to meet others, who have different perspectives, and actually provided me further research ideas that I may want to explore as a professor.”
Paul Hardin Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Samuel Lai
“As a Paul Hardin Dissertation Fellow, I received support in the most critical year of my doctoral work. The ability to disseminate my research and receive feedback enabled me to stay focused and optimistic.”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Rune J. Simeonsson
“I benefitted from the Royster Society's professional development supports, whether through organized workshops, or financial reimbursements, or just opportunities forwarded by the Royster professor via email. I also liked how we are given the opportunity to present at internal research seminars - a low stakes opportunity to practice talking about our research. ”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Mark Katz
“I am so grateful for the financial support offered by the Royster Society of Fellows, which made it possible for me to attend UNC, and for the opportunity to join such an enriching, inspiring community of scholars. ”
Lovick P. Corn Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Mimi V. Chapman
“The Royster Society of Fellows gave me the opportunity to connect and engage across the Carolina community. The fellowship has been immensely valuable to me. Without this financial support, I would not have the time to focus on the completion of my dissertation writing and dedicate my energy to the job market.”
Jessie Ball duPont Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Robert A. Hummer
“The Royster Society has been an amazing community to be a part of as I worked on completing my dissertation during a very difficult year. It was legitimately helpful to have some accountability thanks to the research seminars, as well as very encouraging to hear about what others were working on and how they were dealing with staying motivated with everything else going on. Though we did not have a chance to meet in person, I always felt really well supported by the Royster Society.”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Kurt Gray
“It has helped me travel, make new research connections, and publish more papers in the last several years. ”
William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship
Advisor: David Richardson
“Support from the Royster Society of Fellows provided the flexibility to develop a novel and impactful dissertation project from scratch. ”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Nichola Lowe
“I'm very grateful for the exposure to so many smart people and their ideas, and the support that the program provided during my time at UNC. ”
Chancellor's Fellowship
Advisor: Barbara Fredrickson
“Royster's professional development events help me tremendously with my growth as a researcher and a scholar. I also made close friendships with Royster fellows, which makes life much more fulfilling.”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Antoine Bailliard
“UNC is where I fulfilled a longstanding goal to be the first Ph.D. graduate in my family. It is also where I met my soon-to-be wife. The RSOF made it all possible, especially as an international student with limited funding opportunities.”
Carol and Edward Smithwick Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Janelle C. Arthur
“The Royster Society of Fellows has been a supportive community with diverse skills, which has uniquely fostered my research and professional development.”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Sharon James
“I would not have been able to pursue a degree at Carolina without generous funding from the Royster Society.”
Joseph E. Pogue Fellowship
Advisor: Ellen R. Welch; Edward M.J. Nye
“The Royster Society provided for me that important sense of "belonging," which transforms a large state school like UNC and a rigorous, competitive doctoral program into a personal, supportive community. Royster fellows have been more than colleagues; they have been friends and a means to feeling connected to the broader academic community in a meaningful, human way. ”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Vivian Go
“My dissertation research would not have been possible without the generous funding from the Royster fellowship. Being a Royster Fellow has always been a great honor to me, and I have learned a lot from the interdisciplinary group of students receiving the fellowship. ”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Sarah Treul
“The Royster of Society of Fellows allowed me to focus solely on my research during the first and fifth years of my graduate school career, enhancing my educational experience.”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Douglas MacKay
“By providing funding that was not tied to service in my home department, the Royster Society enabled me to do interdisciplinary research that spanned public policy, public health, genetics, and social medicine. The opportunity to design and co-teach a course with other Royster fellows helped me build competence as an instructor and stand out in the job market. Also, some of my closest friends in graduate school were Royster fellows I met during our orientation. ”
Ross and Charlotte Johnson Family Dissertation Fellowship
Advisor: Miguel La Serna
“The Royster Society of Fellows has helped me to stay focused and motivated during the writing of my dissertation. Getting to know the research of other graduate students has been an enriching aspect of being a Royster fellow as well. ”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Lawrence Grossberg
“I have encountered highly interesting work from various disciplines, made friends, and been able to travel as part of the Royster Global program. Membership of the Royster Society has impacted my understanding of the potentials and limitations of different forms of interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity.”
Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship
Advisor: Florence E. Babb
“The Royster Society of Fellows made my graduate degree possible. I am so grateful to the Royster family and am delighted to pay their generosity forward.”
