South SFV Today

Twelve Stanford doctoral students are the newest recipients of Diversity Dissertation Research Opportunity (DDRO) awards from the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE). DDRO awards funding annually to applicants whose doctoral dissertation research engages aspects of diversity, broadly defined to include culture, socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, and life experience.

The funding supports the university’s commitment to supporting diversity-related research. Recipients are selected each year by a review committee composed of Stanford faculty and VPGE campus partners. To date, more than 100 doctoral students from over 25 degree programs across Stanford’s seven schools have received DDRO research grants totaling over $500,000.

The following students received 2024 DDRO awards:

- Noor Amr, Anthropology, School of Humanities and Sciences: "Church Asylum: Religion, Migration, and the Boundaries of Political Belonging"

- Camille DeJarnett, Political Science, School of Humanities and Sciences: "Language Policy Choice and Civic Participation in Sub-Saharan Africa"

- Paula Gaither, Classics, School of Humanities and Sciences: "What Does an Aethiopian Look Like? An Investigation into the Creation, Display, and Function of the Aethiopian-Type in Ancient Roman Art"

- Marina Johnson, Theater and Performance Studies, School of Humanities and Sciences: "On This Land: Disruption in Palestinian Theatre from 2015-2025"

- Rita Kamani-Renedo, Graduate School of Education: "Imagining Ethnic Studies with and for Racialized Multilingual Newcomer Im/migrant Youth"

- Leslie Luqueñno, Graduate School of Education: "College Is a Familia Occasion: How Latinx Immigrant Families Navigate the Transition to College"

- Tamar “Tamri” Matiashvili, Economics; School of Humanities and Sciences: "Does Diversity Matter? Evidence from First Female Physicians"

- Lloyd May; Music; School of Humanities and Sciences: "Centering D/deaf and Disabled Joy in Musical Experiences"

- Westley Montgomery; Theater and Performance Studies; School of Humanities and Sciences: "Vox Ex Machina: Race; Gender; and the Voice in Technology"

- Kenisha Puckett; Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine; School of Medicine: "Exploring Early Implantation Dynamics Using Bioengineered Trophoblast Stem Cells"

- Kia Turner; Graduate School of Education: "Letters of Otherwise Worlds: Composing Abolitionist Legal and Educational Futures Through Black Poetic Praxis"

- Emma Williams-Baron; Sociology; School of Humanities & Sciences: “Explain Yourself: Harnessing Accountability to Disrupt Motherhood Bias in Hiring”