W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship

The W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship in Support of Diversity and Inclusion was launched in 2023 as a joint project of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University and The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

This fellowship is open to graduate students currently enrolled in a U.S. college or university and is focused on students who identify as a member of a racial or ethnic minority group that has been underrepresented in the field of polling research. Fellowship efforts are primarily focused on the development of introductory-level instructional materials in public opinion survey research for use by educators.

W.E.B. Du Bois Fellows receive a $5,000 stipend for the summer, as well as complimentary AAPOR membership. They also join the other Roper Center summer Fellows for weekly conversations with leaders in the field of polling research. The entire Fellowship program is conducted online; Ithaca residence is not required.

The W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship in Support of Diversity and Inclusion is intended to support the goals of both the Roper Center and AAPOR to broaden the number of students in the field of public opinion research and to add diversity to the ranks of public opinion research professionals.

Interested in applying for the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship? Visit this page for details.

2023 W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow

Alexis Grant-Panting

Alexis Grant-Panting is a current PhD student in the department of Sociology at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. She defines herself as a scholar-activist with a passion for helping young people who, like her, come from marginal backgrounds. Her work draws on her experiences as a black woman, first generation student, and a mother. Her research interest centers on rural communities, education, teaching/pedagogy, and public sociology with a particular focus on the experiences of people of color, mothers in the academy, and inequality.

Alexis has published on mentoring, being a graduate student during COVID, and the role of Public Intellectuals/Sociologist as they organize for racial equity within the Black Lives Matter Movement in rural communities. Her forthcoming narrative policy project examines the relationship between race and health as she explores her prenatal and birthing experiences as a black woman in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also a wife, and mother of 2 (who occasionally join her regularly in meetings and presentations). Alexis also volunteers with her local community helping to organize volunteers for the local youth association, is on the Graduate Student Council for the Association of Black Sociologist where she assists in organizing and implementing the mentorship program and serves as the Graduate Student Representative for Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) on the SWS Council.