Brief Description:

Doi Doctoral Research Fund Application 2025-2026

Introduction
Former Dean of the College of Education James Doi established the Doi Research Fund to "help defray unusual costs associated with the completion of especially worthy doctoral student dissertations." Doi Doctoral Research Fund applications will be reviewed twice per year. The application deadlines for the 2025-2026 academic year are:

November 15, 2025, 11:59 p.m.; and
April 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Applicants will be notified within one month of each application date.

Allowable Costs
It was the intent of Dean Doi to help with “unusual” costs not typical of most dissertations. Examples of unusual costs include:

Mailing costs associated with an extensive survey;
Professional transcription* of extensive interviews;
Short-term licensing of software that's not otherwise available at the UW for student use;
Leasing or purchasing unusual equipment that's not otherwise available at the UW for student check-out and use; or
Gift cards offered as incentive for interview or focus group participation.
Please note that these funds may not be used for the direct purchase of food or drink.

(* There is value and opportunity in transcribing at least some of one's own interviews, in that it creates deep familiarity with the data)

Amount of Award
No specific limits are placed on the potential amount of an award, but limited resources provided by the fund and the anticipated number of awards each year usually result in individual awards of hundred dollars, rather than thousands of dollars. A student may request an award of any amount, but the final award will likely be for some smaller amount. Students are asked to request support only for activities or items that cannot be adequately supported through other means. Students may request additional funds by applying to the next upcoming deadline, but additional justification must be provided.

Review Criteria
Applications will be reviewed and awarded on the basis of the apparent merit of the dissertation research, the strength of the dissertation advisor’s letter of support, and the justification of expenses for which support is requested. When evaluating the justification for expenses, the review committee will consider the importance of supported activities and items to the completion of the dissertation research, the degree to which those expenses can be considered beyond those normally incurred by students in the course of their dissertation research, and the possibility that support for those activities might be more appropriately obtained elsewhere.

Reporting Obligation
Within two years of the award date, or within two months of doctoral degree completion (whichever comes first), recipients of a Doi award must submit an abstract of their completed dissertation and a complete accounting of the uses of the Doi award funds. All receipts for reimbursement must be submitted in this time as well. Specific details and forms for the financial records may be obtained from the College of Education Fiscal Office.

Description:

November 15, 2025, 11:59 p.m.; and
April 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Mailing costs associated with an extensive survey;
Professional transcription* of extensive interviews;
Short-term licensing of software that's not otherwise available at the UW for student use;
Leasing or purchasing unusual equipment that's not otherwise available at the UW for student check-out and use; or
Gift cards offered as incentive for interview or focus group participation.
Please note that these funds may not be used for the direct purchase of food or drink.

(* There is value and opportunity in transcribing at least some of one's own interviews, in that it creates deep familiarity with the data)

Within two years of the award date, or within two months of doctoral degree completion (whichever comes first), recipients of a Doi award must submit an abstract of their completed dissertation and a complete accounting of the uses of the Doi award funds. All receipts for reimbursement must be submitted in this time as well. Specific details and forms for the financial records may be obtained from the College of Education Fiscal Office.

Begin Accepting Applications Date:

7/01/2025

Deadline Date (PST Time Zone):

4/01/2026 11:59 PM