Royster Graduation Celebration 2024

Andrew Adair, Ph.D.

Mathematics, May-24

Categorification of Braid Group Representations

Paul Hardin Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: David Rose

“The Royster dissertation completion fellowship has definitely allowed me the breathing room in my last year to finish a good dissertation and find a good job. It also inspired me to take a step back and look at my career, ultimately leading me away from traditional academia and into a career that seems like a much better fit.”

Courtney Blackington, Ph.D.

Political Science, May 2024

Polarizing Protests: Democratic Backsliding and Mobilization

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Milada Anna Vachudova

“Being a Royster Fellow has given me a great support network of friends and colleagues at UNC. From the incredibly productive Motivation Mondays to the professional development support, I've benefited professionally and personally from being part of this community.”

Burcu Bozkurt, Ph.D.

Health Policy and Management, December 2023

Three Essays Exploring Black-White Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Sarah Birken

Julia Brom, Ph.D.

Chemistry, May 2024

Dry Proteins and their Protection Assessed by LOVE NMR, Calorimetry, and Catalytic Activity

Carol and Edward Smithwick Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: Gary J. Pielak

“Funding from Royster gave me the space I needed to finish my dissertation while parenting a newborn, and assurance that others were also doing this hard thing. Thank you, Royster!”

Tania Cabello-Hutt, Ph.D.

Sociology, August 2023

A New Dimensions of the Motherhood Penalty: Perceptions of Future Childbearing Risk

Thomas S. and Helen Borda Royster and Snowden and Elspeth Merck Henry Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: Kate Weisshaar

“The Royster Society of Fellows offered me social and academic support which was key in finishing my dissertation. The multiple events to work together, set goals, and feel more motivated were very helpful. Of course, the funding that allowed me to focus on my research and finish all my projects in time to graduate was fundamental. Thank you!”

Herrison Chicas, Ph.D.

Business Administration, May 2024

The Intergenerational Effects Of Phantom Lives: How The Forgone Professional Identities Of Parents Influence The Self-Defeating Behaviors And Burnout Of Their Children At Work

The George Morgan Fellowship

Advisor: Shimul Melwani

“Royster Society of Fellows provided me with a community of awe-inspiring scholars and resources to share my work with the world.”

Youngmin Cho, Ph.D.

Nursing, May 2024

Understanding Functional Decline in Older Adults: An Exploration of Coping, Trajectories of Daily Functioning, and Family Engagement in Care

William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship

Advisor: Anna Beeber

“The Royster Society of Fellows has profoundly impacted my life by providing a supportive community and opportunities that have been instrumental in helping me settle into academic life, sustain my studies, and develop my career.”

Patricia Dawson, Ph.D.

History, August 2023

Our Hearts Are Straight: Cherokee Clothing in Early America

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Kathleen DuVal

“I have loved the support that the Royster Fellows have given me, with so many opportunities to meet people and to learn about awesome research from many different disciplines.”

Emily Duffy, Ph.D.

Nutrition, August 2023

Estimating the Effects of the Shock of the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Fruit and Vegetable Benefit Increase on Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Participants in North Carolina: A Mixed Methods Study

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Lindsey Smith Taillie

“The Royster Society allowed me to make a lot of friends in various disciplines as well as gain exposure to methods and approaches used in other disciplines.”

Samantha Eiffert, Ph.D.

Pharmaceutical Sciences, May 2024

Vaccine Utilization Patterns and Predictors Among Older Adults with a History of Guillain-Barré Syndrome

William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship

Advisor: Betsy Sleath and Til Stürmer

“Royster was the best part of my experience at UNC, and I am so thankful for the community, friendships, and support I received from other fellows and Royster leadership. The interdisciplinary focus exposed me to many other areas of research and encouraged me to consider how methods and analyses from other fields could be applied to my own.”

Alexandria Forte, Ph.D.

Social Work, May 2024

Defining Food Security and Examining its Association with Mental Health Among Black Adolescents

William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship

Advisor: Rainier Masa

“The Royster Society has been an invaluable source of support throughout my time at UNC-CH. Being a fellow has provided me with the knowledge of what other scholars across the campus are engaging in.”

Sarah Godoy, Ph.D.

Social Work, May 2024

A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Commercial Sexual Exploitation Initiated During Early Life Stages in the United States

William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship

Advisor: Mimi Chapman

“Provided resources to engage in research and academic opportunities like national conferences. Enabled me to finish my dissertation without worrying about a research assistantship.”

Peter Hase, Ph.D.

Computer Science, May 2024

Interpretable and Controllable Language Models

William R. Kenan Jr. Fellowship

Advisor: Mohit Bansal

“The Royster fellowship helped bring me to UNC-CH for grad school! And it enabled me to travel to wonderful international conferences for work!”

Samuel Honeycutt, Ph.D.

Cell Biology and Physiology, August 2023

The Role of Stromal Netrin-1 in Kidney Development and Renal Neurovascular Patterning

Ross and Charlotte Johnson Family Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: Lori O'Brien

Emily Hynes, Ph.D.

Musicology, May 2024

The Legacy of Incarceration: How Prison Music Became a Commodity in the Popular Music Industry

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Jocelyn Neal

“The Royster Society of Fellows taught me so much about different disciplines and kept me going in my research (motivation Monday and focused Friday really saved me a few times)! I also really learned a lot from the research seminars and professional development seminars that has prepared me for my professional endeavors in teaching and potential "Alt-Ac" opportunities! And Laura was the coolest, most fun and encouraging person I met on campus - having her in my corner was such a gift.”

Kelsey Martin, Ph.D.

Art History, May 2024

Les Graveuses en Taille-Douce: Professional Women Printmakers in Paris, 1660-1789

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Melissa Hyde

“Without the Royster Society of Fellows and their generous funding, I would not have been able to graduate with a PhD. The Royster community also provided foundational professional and personal relationships for someone new to Chapel Hill.”

Jose Moreno Vega, Ph.D.

History, May 2024

Negotiating Peace Within a Context of Violence: Native Strategies and Colonial Diplomacy in the Borderlands of Northwestern New Spain

Sequoyah Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: Cynthia Radding

“In addition to providing me a much needed sense of community, the Royster Society of Fellows funded my dissertation-writing process for two semesters. I would not have been able to complete and defend my dissertation without the Sequoyah Fellowship. Thank you!”

Camille Morgan, Ph.D.

Epidemiology, May 2024

Spatial and Molecular Epidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Chancellor's Fellowship

Advisor: Michael Emch

“The Royster Society of Fellows has allowed me the opportunity and flexibility to explore numerous research directions, while providing support to conduct advanced work. While the pandemic limited some in-person networking early on, being a member of this program truly created an exceptional graduate experience for me that I can only hope to provide for others in the future. Thank you.”

Rebecca Patterson-Markowitz, Ph.D.

Geography, May 2024

Whose Body, What Score? Analyzing Embodied Geographies of Trauma, Politicized Healing, and Health Justice in the US

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Elizabeth Olson

“I have felt very supported through Royster programming. I have not always been the best at showing up for all the opportunities provided, but the ones I have taken advantage of - from pedagogy workshops, presentation skills, Royster Global at UNC and the opportunity to teach an undergraduate class have all been fantastic. I appreciate all the hard work and care that goes into making sure those of us with this fellowship have community and support.”

Mark Radin, Ph.D.

Environmental Sciences and Engineering, May 2024

Understanding the Costs and Benefits of Community-Led Total Sanitation in Eliminating Open Defecation

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Dale Whittington

“The Royster Society has helped me throughout my PhD experience by providing support and navigating obstacles. They specifically helped me by work through the UNC bureaucracy many times.”

Jamshaid Shahir, Ph.D.

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, August 2023

Unraveling Single-Cell Heterogeneity Through Graph Neural Networks and Multiplexed Imaging

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Jeremy Purvis

“The Royster Society of Fellows has enriched my life by constantly exposing me to different disciplines and subsequently different ways of doing research. It has given me a greater appreciation for the value of scientific communication across disciplines and how it makes one a better researcher and enhances the quality of the research overall.”

Saumitra Sinha, Ph.D.

City and Regional Planning, May 2024

Muddling Through to Uphold the Right to Water? An Examination of Delhi's Free Water Policy

Thomas S. and Helen Borda Royster and Snowden and Elspeth Merck Henry Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: Dale Whittington

“It has been very fulfilling as a Ph.D. student to be part of the Royster Society of Fellows since I have been able to meet many amazing people doing very interesting research into very relevant topics. The social events and seminars throughout the year have been very refreshing and have motivated me to take breaks from doing my own work.”

Riley Vickers, Ph.D.

Environmental Sciences and Engineering, August 2023

Molecular-Scale Analysis of the Morphology, Topology, and Performance Of Crosslinked Aromatic Polyamide Used in Reverse Osmosis Membranes

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Orlando Coronell

“It was an incredible honor to receive the Royster Fellowship, and reliable funding enabled me to focus on my research from my first days at UNC, resulting in successful funding proposals from various sources in addition to Royster.”

Caitlin Williams, Ph.D.

Maternal and Child Health, May 2024

Implementation Sustainability: Institutionalizing Maternal Health Projects through Public Policy in Ghana

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Carolyn Halpern

“Without the Royster Society, there is no way I would have been able to pursue a doctorate and now land my dream job. I am so grateful to the people who have contributed to this Fellowship, and also to the other Fellows for this amazing community!”

Megan Wood, Ph.D.

Communication, August 2023

Dispatches From an Apocalypse: Essays on Political Culture in the Late United States

Lovick P. Corn Dissertation Fellowship

Advisor: Lawrence Grossberg

“Through Royster, I received MUCH needed funding to be able to focus on dissertating, especially helpful as new parent and in the middle of the pandemic (at the time of funding). I also met life long friends through Royster!”

Jennifer Wu, Ph.D.

Art History, December 2023

The Metapictorial Portrait in Early Modern Britain, 1520-1620

Caroline H. and Thomas S. Royster Fellowship

Advisor: Tatiana C. String

“I greatly appreciate the camaraderie and the opportunity to meet colleagues and faculty across the university. The funding also helped my research immensely. I'm so grateful to be a Royster!”