Fellowships & Awards

 

Our Institute offers fellowships and awards that support original, cross-disciplinary research by students at every level — from undergraduates to doctoral candidates — as well as post-doctoral researchers and faculty at Texas Tech. The opportunities below recur on an annual or periodic basis; specific deadlines and award amounts are announced with each cycle.

For questions about any program, please contact the Institute's director, Dr. Elize Bisanz.

---

Charles S. Peirce Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship

The Institute's flagship award for doctoral students, the Charles S. Peirce Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship supports young researchers across every doctoral program and discipline at Texas Tech University. Named for the polymath whose work bridged the sciences and the humanities, the fellowship is designed to help graduate students deepen and extend the interdisciplinary character of their research.

Fellows carry out original work in their registered field, take an active part in the intellectual life of the Institute, and submit a written report at the close of their appointment. The award provides financial support of up to $5,000 per academic year toward living, study, and subsistence costs, with the duration and timing of tenure arranged individually with the Institute.

• Eligibility: doctoral students who have completed at least one year of their program
• Value: up to $5,000 per academic year
• Apply with: CV, research project description, statement on interdisciplinary approach, financial plan, letter of intent, and an advisor's recommendation
• Contact: elize.bisanz@ttu.edu

Call for Applications  |  Fellowship Details

---

The Charles S. Peirce Student Inventor Award

The Student Inventor Award recognizes original projects that cross disciplinary lines, solve a real problem in a genuinely new way, or surface a connection others have missed.

The invention may take almost any form: a device or prototype, a process or method, software or an algorithm, an experimental design, a musical composition, an artistic expression, or something else entirely. What matters is that the work is the student's own, that it is new, and that the student can explain clearly what it does and why it matters.

A single recipient receives a $3,000 award named for a pioneer.

• Eligibility: Texas Tech students
• Award: $3,000
• Apply with: a brief description of the invention (up to 5 pages), supporting materials as appropriate (drawings, code, prototypes, data), and a short statement of what motivated the work
• Contact: pragmaticism@ttu.edu

---

Cross-Disciplinary Faculty Research Excellence Awards

Part of the Institute's Cross-Disciplinary Faculty Initiative, the Faculty Research Excellence Awards fund project proposals that generate genuine synergy across diverse disciplines and advance innovative research aligned with Texas Tech's strategic priorities. The program rests on the conviction that the most pressing challenges — from climate resilience to sustainable energy and cybersecurity — cannot be solved within a single discipline, and that the arts and humanities are essential partners in framing their cultural, ethical, and human dimensions. Proposals are judged on the strength of the collaboration, which must reflect an equitable contribution from each partner, and awards are offered in distinct tracks to support both ambitious breakthrough projects and earlier-stage exploratory work.

• Eligibility: Texas Tech faculty
• Format: collaborative project proposals with equitable partner contribution
• Cycle: proposals announced and due each cycle
• Contact: elize.bisanz@ttu.edu

Call for Proposals  |  Cross-Disciplinary Faculty Initiative

---

Cross-Disciplinary Graduate and Post-Doc Project Poster Award

Also part of the Cross-Disciplinary Faculty Initiative, the Graduate and Post-Doc Project Poster Award invites graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to present cross-disciplinary projects in poster form and recognizes the most compelling contributions. The award gives early-career researchers a venue to share work that bridges fields, to gather feedback from a cross-disciplinary audience, and to gain visibility for collaborative projects that might otherwise fall between traditional disciplinary boundaries. Applicants submit a proposal abstract by the announced deadline.

• Eligibility: graduate students and post-doctoral researchers at Texas Tech
• Format: poster proposal (abstract submission)
• Contact:elize.bisanz@ttu.edu

Call for Proposals  |  Cross-Disciplinary Faculty Initiative

---

Student Travel Awards for the Summer Workshop

The Student Travel Awards help students offset the cost of attending conferences.

• Eligibility: students attending conferences
• Support: travel matching costs
• Contact: elize.bisanz@ttu.edu

---

Best Doctoral Graduate Research Award

Alongside these funded opportunities, the Institute recognizes outstanding doctoral work through the Cross-Disciplinary Best Doctoral Graduate Research Award, presented in connection with its Cross-Disciplinary Graduate Conference. The award honors doctoral research that exemplifies the interdisciplinary spirit at the heart of the Institute's mission.

• Eligibility: students presenting at the doctoral conference
• Contact: elize.bisanz@ttu.edu