Meier PMRC Doctoral Travel Award

Named for a scholar who spent his career proving that who’s in the room changes the outcome, this award makes sure more people get in the room.

Kenneth J. Meier built a body of research showing that representation inside institutions isn’t a nicety, it’s a predictor of results. It’s fitting, then, that the award bearing his name doesn’t recognize a finished piece of scholarship. It funds the next one. Every year it sends doctoral students who might otherwise not be able to attend, students facing financial hardship, international students from underrepresented backgrounds, students who widen the geographic and demographic range of who shows up at PMRC, to the conference table. It’s the largest award program PMRA runs, by dollars and by headcount, because access is the whole point.

Applications Closed for 2026

Check back January 1, 2027

2026 Winners

The Public Management Research Association is proud to recognize the recipients of this year’s Meier Travel Award, which supports promising doctoral students in their commitment to advancing public management research.

Maham Ali

The Ohio State University

Miyeun Jung

University at Albany, SUNY

Brenda Sciepura

UC Berkeley

Hanvit Kim

University of Central Florida

Ximena Pizarro-Bore

Georgia State University

Marylin D. Rozario

University of Texas at Arlington

Ashraf Haque

Syracuse University

Tipeng Chen

Arizona State University

Seongdeok Oh

The University of Texas at Dallas

Hyunji Kim

Florida State University

Jung Ho Choi

University of Pennsylvania

Shuping Wang

Syracuse University

Guilherme Otaviano Soares

University at Albany, SUNY

Laura McCann

The University of Arizona

Niki Jabbari

University of Missouri

Tasmin Hossain

Florida International University

Sina Jangjoo

Florida State University

Valentine A. Lamar

Rutgers University-Newark

Nicolas Lagos

Rutgers University-Newark

Calaia Jackson

University of Delaware

To be eligible for the Meier Travel Award, applicants must be doctoral students enrolled in a public administration, public policy, or related degree program, be current PMRA members in good standing prior to receiving funds, and be presenting an accepted paper at the Public Management Research Conference (PMRC).

Awards are intended for students who have faced significant barriers or challenges in their academic journey and who face financial barriers to conference attendance. Preference will be given to students enrolled in U.S. institutions.

Applications for the Meier Travel Award will be accepted January 15 through February 10, 2026.

Applicants must submit an electronic application that includes basic personal information such as name, degree program, year in program, institution, and title of the accepted PMRC presentation, as well as a short personal statement. The personal statement should clearly describe the barriers the applicant has faced in their academic journey and any financial challenges related to attending PMRC.

All application materials must be submitted electronically by the posted deadline.

Awards are granted to applicants who demonstrate significant barriers or challenges in their academic journey and financial barriers to conference participation. Preference will be given to students enrolled in U.S. institutions.

Applications are evaluated based on eligibility criteria and the clarity, thoughtfulness, and overall quality of the personal statement.

Awardee Notification:

Applicants selected to receive a Meier Travel Award will be notified by mid-March 2026, allowing sufficient time to finalize travel arrangements for participation in the 2026 Public Management Research Conference.

Award recipients will receive $250 to $1,500 in travel expense reimbursement, with award amounts determined annually based on available resources.

In addition to financial support, recipients will be recognized at the PMRA Annual Business Meeting held during the 2026 Public Management Research Conference, June 4 to 6, 2026, at American University in Washington, D.C. Recognition will include a photo opportunity with the PMRA President and/or Ken Meier, the scholarship funder.

Sebawit Bishu, University of Washington

2025 Meier PMRC Travel Inclusion Award

Emily Mee, Marjorie De La Cruz, Courtney Hahm, Nancy Wu, Jiaxin Wang

2024 Meier PMRC Travel Inclusion Award

Morgan Woodle, University of Oklahoma; Claudia Valencia Uribe, University of California, Irvine; Maíra Souza, São Paulo School of Business Administration at Fundação Getulio Vargas; Derrick Boakye Boadu, Florida International University; Omowonuola Fayemiro, University of Illinois Chicago; Seyed Mohsen Fatemi, University of Kansas; Aubrey Stewart, Florida International University; Kyela Gadi, Georgia State University; Emma Northcott, George Washington University; Wasimon Tosuratana, University of Arizona; Erzuah Nvidah, Florida International University; Soohyun Park, University at Albany; Guimin Zheng, Florida State University; Hyoeun Kim, University at Albany; Jeonghwa Yang, Florida State University; Yiying Chen, Rutgers University-Newark; Shuwen Zhang, University of Illinois Chicago; Faisal Cheema, Indiana University Bloomington; Raul Gutierrez Meave, University of Illinois Chicago; Eliana Sanchez Rangel, North Carolina State University; Karl Santiago, Indiana University, Bloomington; Keunyoung Lee, University of Southern California; Ying Liu, Rutgers University-Newark; Meng Ye, Georgia State University; Jongmin Lee, Indiana University Bloomington; Kyungmin Lee, University of Central Florida; Jaeyeong Nam, Florida State University; In Hae Noh, University at Albany; Seongdeok Oh, University of Texas at Dallas; Jung Won Choi, Georgia Institute of Technology; Hyunji Kim, Florida State University; Hyorim Seo, Rutgers University-Newark; Jeongyoon Yang, Georgia Institute of Technology; Hui Yin, Zhejiang University

2024 Meier PMRC Travel Inclusion Award Recipients, PMRC 2024, Seattle

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