Applications open for the next Gambrell Faculty Fellows cohort

August 13, 2024
Categories: General News

The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute seeks the sixth cohort of faculty fellows to research issues related to economic mobility in the Charlotte region, with support from The Gambrell Foundation.

This year, the Gambrell Faculty Fellows program will fund up to six projects with grants up to $18,000 each. The fellows will join a growing group of researchers contributing to our community’s ongoing search for solutions that could foster greater upward economic mobility and an improved quality of life for residents in our region.

[Find the full program details here. The application materials can be downloaded as a Microsoft Word document here.]

All UNC Charlotte full-time faculty members with the title of assistant professor or higher whose job description includes professional expectations for research may apply for this fellowship. Other key requirements include:

  • The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on Friday, October 4.
  • The fellowships will fund short-term research projects (up to 18 months).
  • The grant period will begin on November 1, 2024.
  • Proposed projects must include a principal focus on issues related to economic mobility and/quality of life. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods projects will be considered.

If you have questions about this process, contact Elaine Jacobs and Lori Thomas at uiresearch@charlotte.edu.

“With a fellowship of 44 strong, we are excited to once again invite our faculty to become a Gambrell Fellow and examine economic mobility in our community, providing actionable information for our community and region,” said Dr. Lori Thomas, executive director of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and the Charlotte Regional Data Trust. “We are grateful to The Gambrell Foundation for funding community engaged research.”

Previous cohorts of Gambrell Faculty Fellows include faculty from seven colleges and 22 different academic disciplines. Fellows are studying issues such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black women, transit and access to jobs, the relationship between rental housing and educational opportunities, Latinx children’s access to early education and the impact of the arts on economic mobility.

In addition to conducting and publishing research, Gambrell Faculty Fellows also participate in conversations about the role of housing, transportation, racial discrimination and more on economic mobility in Charlotte. These serve as a forum to engage the community and highlight fellows’ work.