Graduate School Announces 2026 Summer Dissertation Fellows

WACO, Texas — The Graduate School at Baylor University has officially announced its cohort of 2026 Summer Dissertation Fellows.

First established to provide focused support for doctoral students entering the final stretches of their degree programs, the fellowship selects six outstanding doctoral candidates each year. The program is specifically designed for researchers whose dissertations are sufficiently advanced to benefit from concentrated writing time, with the goal of propelling them toward a successful defense within the following 12 months.

The 2026 Cohort

The six doctoral students selected for this year's honor represent a diverse array of academic disciplines across the university:

• Achini Eliyapura – Chemistry

• Savannah Flanagan – History

• Jasmine Kidwell – Geosciences

• Jennifer Laderi – Sociology

• Timothy Rhee – Preaching

• Allie Thrall – Curriculum and Teaching

Fellowship Benefits & Expectations

To support them in making significant writing progress over the summer months, each fellow receives a $400 scholarship and a reserved spot in the Graduate School’s intensive, week-long Dissertation Writing Lab, which kicks off May 18 and runs through May 22, 2026.

In addition to the writing lab, the fellows will participate in a weekly writing support group throughout the summer to maintain momentum, foster peer accountability, and share progress. As part of the fellowship requirements, all recipients remain actively engaged in their writing and enroll in at least one dissertation hour.

The Baylor community congratulates these exceptional doctoral candidates as they dedicate their summer to advancing research that impacts both their respective fields and society at large.

For more details about the program or to view future application requirements, visit the Baylor Summer Dissertation Fellows page.