2019-20 Doctoral Research Fellows
 | Sifat Adiya Economics Advisor: Donna Ginther (IPSR, Economics) My primary research interest is in Economics of Education, particularly examining policies that are intended to increase affordability of college education amongst the masses. The hope is to understand what aspects of a policy can be modified so as to increase education attainment and what benefits accrue to a society from public funds invested in higher education. My secondary interest lies in identifying negative consequences of tax cuts, by investigating reduction in budget allocations and the ensuing decline of public welfare. |
 | Daniel Bagheri-Sarvestani Anthropology Advisor: Brent Metz (IPSR, Anthropology) Daniel Bagheri Sarvestani, is a PhD student at the University of Kansas, and a Canadian Human Rights advisor. He has been volunteering and working internationally for the better part of the past 7 years. Through his field work, Daniel has developed connections with tribal indigenous communities in Western Asia (Iran), Central America (Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras) and North America (Canada). His work currently focuses on the application of Indigenous Peoples Rights Discourses in the context of the Maya Ch’orti communities of North-Western Honduras, under the supervision of Professor Brent Metz (University of Kansas). |
 | Morgan Farnworth School of Public Affairs & Administration Advisor: Rachel Krause (IPSR, School of Public Affairs & Administration) Morgan’s research focuses on governmental responses to public health crises and the persistence of spatial, racial, and socioeconomic disparities at the community level. Her current research projects explore regional collaboration around the opioid epidemic through social network analysis and examine race-based disparities (and their determinants) in opioid mortality at the county-level. Additional scholarly interests and ongoing research include the role of state policies in exacerbating evictions in minority neighborhoods and race-based disparities in the use of exclusionary discipline. |
 | Elise Higgins Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Advisor: Alesha Doan (IPSR, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies ) Elise's research focuses on the social construction of women during state legislative debates over reproductive rights and justice policy. Her current work analyzes legislation, interest group testimony, and legislator speech to better understand the racial motivations for and implications of abortion restrictions in the Midwest and South. |
 | Grace Leu Special Education, School of Education Advisor: Elizabeth Kozleski (IPSR, Special Education) Grace is currently exploring ways to create spaces within general education classrooms to reach students that have traditionally struggled to learn in this setting. In particular, she works with teachers to build a classroom community of diverse learners as a channel from which students gain skills to look consciously and critically at the inequalities in their worlds. |
 | Courtney McDaniel Communication Studies Advisor: Adrianne Kunkel (IPSR, Communication Studies) Courtney's research focuses on interpersonal aspects of communication and the use of social support and deception in tandem within close relationships. Specifically, Courtney investigates how supportive messages can often be used to deceive, and how such forms of communication function in personal relationships, as well as broader contexts, such as nonprofit organizations. |
 | Haruka Nagao Political Science Advisor: John Kennedy (IPSR, Political Science) Haruka’s research focuses on the effects of social capital on citizens’ access to public services. Her current research examines the influence of women’s social capital on their access to prenatal care services in China. |
 | Justin Preddie Social Psychology Advisor: Ludwin Molina (IPSR, Psychology) Justin's research focuses on how the intersection of multiple stigmatized identities (e.g. race, gender and sexual orientation) shapes how we perceive and form impressions of others. A secondary interest of his is examining the relationship between constructions of national identity and support for restrictive immigration policy. |
 | Scott Tuttle Sociology Advisor: ChangHwan Kim (IPSR, Sociology) Scott's research is primarily focused on labor market inequalities based on race, gender, and immigration status with an emphasis on social barriers to upward mobility within firms post-hiring. His current work analyzes the experiences of advanced degree holders including individuals with PhDs and JDs. |
Click here to view past IPSR Doctoral Research Fellows.
Links on this page:
- ipsr@ku.edu