Research Fellowship

A cohort-based sanctuary for senior changemakers designed to complement core academic training by providing the reflective space, peer network, and tools to hone their scholarly voice and shape public scholarship.

Meet the Inaugural Cohort

LAUNCH PARTNER

NYU Steinhardt Ed.D. in Leadership and Innovation (EDLI)

KEY COLLABORATORS

NYU Changemaker Center
NYU Tandon PhD Hub

SUPPORTED BY

Trefler Foundation

Bridging Academic Training and Social Change Mission

Doctoral research has the potential to solve complex societal challenges, yet translating academic training into actionable, community-centered public scholarship requires specialized scaffolding. While traditional doctoral programs provide strong theoretical and methodological foundations, executive leaders often need dedicated space to align their rigorous academic execution with their real-world social change aspirations. Without this support, talented practitioners feel a deep sense of isolation, self-doubt, and pressure to conform— and our collective ability to solve entrenched social challenges suffers.

The SIRC Research Fellowship was built to serve as that precise structural bridge. Launched in partnership with NYU Steinhardt’s EDLI program and enriched by collaborations across the university's ecosystem, this fellowship provides a structured, supportive environment for senior leaders navigating marginalized topics, alternative methodologies, or equity-centered problems. Through intensive Institutes and collaborative monthly Seminars, we help fellows embrace their unique positionality as a research asset, hone their distinct scholarly voice, and platform their vital perspectives across the social sector.

The core pillars of our fellowship model complement traditional academic training by providing senior changemakers with a rigorous, community-backed space to reflect upon and hone their research practices: evolving their identities, accessing collective accountability, and platforming their research for systemic impact.

What We Cultivate

Scholar-Practitioner Identity Formation

Challenging fellows to deeply interrogate their positionality—who they are, what they value, and how they conceptualize knowledge—so they can step into their research with authentic authority.

Values-Aligned Community & Accountability

Cultivating a powerful, intentional cohort model where fellows break out of academic silos, deepen each other's skills, and provide continuous mutual support as they shape research that reflects their true intentions and communities.

Paths to Public Scholarship

Equipping fellows with the strategies and frameworks required to translate traditional academic outputs into actionable, publicly-available outputs that culminate in our annual research symposium.

What Our Fellows Say

  • On Positionality

    "Each [reading] offered a different lens, which helped me move beyond simply 'checking' my positionality and instead examine it from multiple angles. Together, their perspectives pushed me to think more carefully about how my identity, role, assumptions, and relationship to the research site shape the way I understand the problem."

    — Jesse Berkhoudt, Inaugural Fellow, Professional Education

  • On Community & Accountability

    “I found it very insightful to exchange with a peer reviewer on a human-level, as opposed to simply writing feedback on a document. This humanizes the feedback process…This format of exchange creates a safe intellectual space that reinforces academic growth and discipline.” 

    — Mohammad Hamad, Inaugural Fellow, Community Development

The Inaugural Cohort

Our inaugural fellows are senior leaders undertaking rigorous doctoral studies to bring fresh perspectives to complex problems of practice. Whether they are reimagining philanthropic models or creating neuro-affirming learning spaces, from California to Singapore, our fellows are changemakers and vital voices.

  • Headshot of Amreh Hopkins

    Amreh Hopkins

    SUSTAINABILITY

  • Headshot of Chye Seng Lee

    Chye Seng Lee

    EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

  • Headshot of Damon Williams

    Damon Williams

    HIGHER EDUCATION

  • Headshot of Danelle Go

    Danelle Go

    HIGHER EDUCATION

  • Headshot of Dina Bailey

    Dina Bailey

    ARTS & CULTURE

  • Ebony Tyler

    EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

  • Elizabeth Ensweiler

    HIGHER EDUCATION

  • Hailey Holt

    ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Jesse Berkhoudt

    PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

  • Jessica Castro

    PHILANTHROPY

  • Headshot of Mohammad Hamad

    Mohammad Hamad

    COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

  • Headshot of Nneka Carter Young

    Nneka Carter Young

    WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Partner in Our Mission

Invest in the vital voices shaping the future of the social impact field.

The SIRC Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of foundations, individual donors, and institutional partners committed to equity-centered change. To help us sustain this fellowship and invest in future cohorts, we invite you to donate to support our mission. For inquiries regarding targeted institutional engagements, please contact us.

Donate & Support Our Mission
Contact Us

Join a Future Fellowship Cohort

Expanding our footprint across schools and disciplines.

While our inaugural cohort was launched exclusively with NYU Steinhardt, SIRC is actively expanding. Future fellowship cohorts will be cross-institutional, bringing together diverse scholar-practitioners across the social sector.

Join our waitlist to receive upcoming application timelines, eligibility criteria, and exclusive insights from our fellows.