The Margaret K. Keiley Endowed Graduate Research Award supports Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) graduate students in completing their master’s thesis, qualifying exam, or doctoral dissertation.
The awards are made possible due to the generosity of the late Dr. Margaret Keiley (1942-2018). Dr. Keiley was a long-time faculty member in the HDFS Department (2004-2018) and pioneer of the Multiple Family Group Intervention (MFGI). She was a champion of evidence-based intervention and an ardent supporter and champion of graduate professional development and research. Her commitment to both intervention and research lives on in this award, which was her final generous gift to a department she faithfully served.
Auburn University HDFS students are encouraged to apply for funds to support their research endeavors.
To be eligible to apply for this funding, students must have an approved research proposal. This means the proposed study has been formally reviewed and approved by the student’s advisory committee. Additionally students must have a GPA of 3.75 or higher.
Scoring Criteria
Awards are scored on the following criteria:
Priority is given to students with the highest score. Students are permitted to apply more than once for funding across multiple projects (e.g., thesis and dissertation), but those who have not been previously funded will be given priority if there are multiple applications.
Funds must be used to support research-related expenses (see below).
Awards are given annually based on the number of applicants and availability of funds.
Thesis | Qualifying Exam | Dissertation | |
---|---|---|---|
Funding Maximum | $500 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
Currently enrolled graduate students in the HDFS master’s or doctoral program who have an approved thesis, qualifying exam, or dissertation proposal/prospectus may apply by submitting the following materials to Dr. Ben Hinnant, the Graduate Program Officer (GPO):
Applications may be submitted on a rolling basis. Proposals will typically be scored within 3 weeks.
Year | Recipient | Award Type | Title of Research Project |
---|---|---|---|
2025 | Sheila Sjolseth | Dissertation | Supporting Alabama families during adolescents' transition from acute psychiatric care to home and school environments |
2024 | Terra Jackson | Dissertation | Second chances: Protective factors within the child caregiver relationship and intergenerational offending |
2023 | Sheila Sjolseth | Qualifying exam | Supporting child mental health by involving families: A qualitative content analysis of community-based mental health center policies and administrator interviews |
2022 | Raven Livingston | Dissertation | A theoretical update and empirical analysis of the Multiple Family Group Intervention |
2022 | Courtney Furlong | Dissertation | Investigation of the lived experiences of survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking |
2022 | Adefunke DadeMatthews | Thesis | Anxiety, depression, chronic back pain, and burden of care among caregivers of children with chronic diseases in Nigerian tertiary hospitals |