First Year Research Awards

First Year Research Awards are scholarships designed to match outstanding students with Wittenberg’s award-winning faculty. Students selected for First Year Research awards will work closely with a faculty member while pursuing exciting research opportunities in the first year at Wittenberg.

The First Year Research Awards are for $2,000 ($1,000 per semester) for the student’s first year only. This is a non-renewable award. Students can only receive one First Year Research Award and one will be awarded per area listed below. First Year Research Awards can be combined with other Special Interest Awards.

  • Deadline: February 1

Students must be admitted to Wittenberg prior to submitting a First Year Research Award application. When clicking the link to apply for an award, please log in using your Wittenberg Admission Portal username and password.


Biological and Environmental Sciences, Professor Kunal Chatterjee

Recipient will assist Dr. Kunal Chatterjee in his current research in the area of tRNA nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling and quality control.

Biological and Environmental Sciences, Professor Richard S. Phillips

Recipient will assist Dr. Richard S. Phillips, in consultation with the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, in developing and evaluating survey techniques to document the spotted turtle population numbers at fens in Clark County.

Business and Economics, Professor Ross Jackson

Recipient will assist Dr. Ross Jackson in his current research on management, organizational praxis, power dynamics and resistance, and business language and rhetoric.

Chemistry, Professor Kristin Cline

Recipient will assist Dr. Kristin Cline in her current research in characterizing the presence and identity of microplastics (less than 5 mm particles) in local water sources.

Chemistry, Professor Ray Dudek

Recipient will assist Dr. Ray Dudek in improving a thermodynamics laboratory experiment measuring flame temperatures.

Data Science, Professor Sachith Dassanayaka

Recipient will assist Dr. Sachith Dassanayaka in his current research in the areas analyzing disinformation campaigns on social media using machine learning and NLP, data visualization, machine intelligence, and computer networks and security.

History, Professor Thomas T. Taylor

Recipient will assist Dr. Thomas T. Taylor in his research and in the creation of three databases related to Dr. Taylor’s larger research projects: (1) the residents of Springfield and Clark County in 1850, 1860, and 1870, (2) decisions rendered by the Civil Aeronautics Board from the late 1930s to the 1950s, and (3) the Ku Klux Klan in Ohio in the 1920s.

Physics, Professor Jeremiah Williams

Recipient will assist Dr. Jeremiah Williams in the ongoing research activities of the Wittenberg University Plasma Laboratory (WUPL) focused on understanding the thermal and transport properties of dusty plasmas. The specific project will be determined based on student background and the current research priorities of the laboratory. For more information about the current research activities in the WUPL, please visit jwilliams.wittenberguniversity.org.

Psychology/Cognitive Psychology, Professor Michael Anes

Recipient will assist Dr. Michael Anes in his current research in cognitive psychology in one of the following areas: visual cognition, social cognition or gender, gender stereotypes and objectification.

Psychology, Professor William Davis

Recipient will assist Dr. William Davis in his research in psychology and well-being, including topics such as authenticity and meaning in life. For more information about Dr. Davis’ recent research interests and activities, please visit https://davispsyc.com.

Religion, Professor Travis Proctor

Recipient will assist Dr. Travis Proctor in his research on early Christian depictions of Jesus of Nazareth, as understood through perspectives drawn from religious studies, gender studies, and the environmental humanities.

Center for Civic Engagement/Sociology, Dr. Kim Creasap

Recipient will assist Dr. Kim Creasap in her current research project titled “Small Town Pride: LGBTQ+ Advocacy in the Heartland.”

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