By Claire Miller, College of Education and Human Development

Three Georgia State University doctoral students in the College of Education & Human Development (CEHD) have been selected for the American Institutes for Research’s (AIR) Pipeline Partnership Program Fellowship.

AIR is a nonprofit organization that conducts research in social and behavioral sciences. Its fellowship program is designed to reinforce and expand the pipeline of scholars conducting research in those fields.

As fellows, doctoral students Roti Chakraborty, Kristin Hemingway and Alexandria M. Johnson will each receive two-year dissertation grants and a one-year, paid post-doctoral fellowship at AIR.

“We need more diverse perspectives in the behavioral and social sciences,” said Rashawn Ray, vice president and executive director of the AIR Equity Initiative, in a press release. “Through this fellowship, AIR is tackling barriers to dissertation completion, opening career pathways and preparing future leaders in our field to use evidence as a tool for justice and equity.”

Roti Chakraborty is a CEHD Dean’s Doctoral Fellow and a Chan Zuckerberg Fellow in the Department of Educational Policy Studies, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Research, Measurement and Statistics. An international student from Bangladesh, her research focuses on psychometric measurement and assessment fairness to address cross-cultural educational, social and behavioral inequities. She targets advanced measurement and assessment designs to develop instruments and examine the causes and impacts of such disparities. She also collaborates with the Center for Measurement Justice on assessing the needs of minoritized university students to develop tailored solutions and works for The Forum at Georgia State University, a research lab focused on leveraging student feedback to enhance the student experience. She is actively engaged in the university community and mentors early-stage university students. Chakraborty was the Division D Graduate Student Chair at the American Educational Research Association and recently received Georgia State University’s International Graduate Student of the Year Award.

“I am immensely grateful and honored to have been selected for this fellowship. It will expand my knowledge of promoting diversity and equity in behavioral and social research,” she said. “This will empower me to address global inequities through my research expertise in quantitative methodology, measurement and assessment design, ultimately fostering more equitable experiences in different settings across diverse social and cultural contexts.”

Kristin Hemingway is an interdisciplinary educator and researcher committed to advancing equitable learning environments through innovative instructional practices. She earned a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Florida A&M University and an M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology from Georgia State. Her research focuses on empowering early career in-service teachers to implement culturally sustaining pedagogical practices. Hemingway is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Instructional Technology at Georgia State and is a Southern Regional Education Board State Doctoral Scholar, exploring ways to dismantle systemic barriers to learning. She is also a Fulbright Fellow and an advocate for self-care within academia, equipping graduate students with strategies to prioritize well-being throughout their academic journeys.

“As a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate and minoritized early-career scholar, being selected as an AIR Pipeline Partnership Program Fellow is an invaluable opportunity,” Hemingway said. “This prestigious fellowship will enable me to sharpen my skills as a social science researcher, gain mentorship from leading experts in the field and engage in professional development that will open doors for future opportunities in my career.”

Alexandria M. Johnson is a social foundations of education doctoral student in the CEHD’s Department of Educational Policy Studies (EPS). She also serves as the returning president of the EPS Graduate Student Association and a committee member for multiple professional organizations. Her professional experiences include teaching, working with students with disabilities, minority affinity groups and advocacy organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Her research interests include access and retention; leadership; diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; study abroad; and pop culture in higher education. Johnson’s dissertation focuses on improving the study abroad experiences and long-term outcomes of minorities. She currently works as a graduate administrative and research assistant for the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State, where she works on institutional research, helps create a professional certificate program and supports the Technology Enhanced Academic Communication to Help in Math and English (TEACH ME) program.

“AIR piqued my interest years ago when I joined my Ph.D. program, so it has been a dream fulfilled to be able to join them in the incredible work that they do,” Johnson said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to continue contributing to education research and using my degree in a way that I am passionate about. It’s a huge weight off my shoulders to be able to focus on finishing my program and research while knowing that I have a support system and a plan for what’s next.”

For more information on the fellowship, visit https://www.air.org/project/airs-pipeline-partnership-program.

Originally published at the University News Hub here.