Job Description

The Center for the Study of Ethnicity, Race, and Immigration (CSERI) will offer limited support for graduate conference travel and methods training undertaken during the 2026-2027 academic year and summer sessions. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until April 30.

Students may receive grants of up to $750 for expenses. CSERI research support may be combined with funding from other programs. However, if a student has already received a CSERI grant for conference travel or training, they must wait until the next academic year to apply again.

Examples of conference and training-related activities that may be funded include, but are not limited to:

• Travel to conferences, only if presenting a conference poster or paper.
• Costs associated with methods training courses over the summer.

Qualifications

All full-time Penn graduate students enrolled in any school whose research focuses on social science approaches to race, ethnicity, or immigration in the United States or in other countries are eligible to apply.

Application Instructions

The application for conference travel and methods training must include:

• For a conference: An abstract for the conference paper, a notice of the conference acceptance, and a registration receipt.
• For summer training: A notice of the workshop acceptance and a paid invoice/receipt.
• An itemized budget and brief budget narrative describing expenses, with a list of pending or accepted other funding. [Note: CSERI does not support incidental expenses such as meals or per diems.]
• The applicant's CV.
• A reference letter from the applicant's graduate advisor indicating their approval of and support for the applicant's plans. Please follow the directions in Interfolio for submitting letters confidentially.

Conference grant recipients may present their research at a poster exposition hosted by CSERI at the end of the 2027 Fall semester.

For further information or questions, contact CSERI Administrator Anne Kalbach, akalbach@sas.upenn.edu.

Students conducting projects in the social sciences on race, ethnicity, and immigration in Latin America and/or Latinx politics in the United States can also apply and receive additional advisory support from the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies. For specific information, contact the CLALS program at clals-upenn@sas.upenn.edu.

Students are also encouraged to seek funding in conjunction with Africana Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and other social science units at Penn.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state or local law.