All TRI Fellowship applicants must discuss their proposals with an YSE advisor and certify that they have done so on their final application. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to discuss their proposals with an in-country sponsor or collaborator. Interested students will need to submit the following through the Yale Student Grants System:
· Project Proposal
· Research Schedule
· Unofficial Yale Transcript
· Other Post-High School Transcripts
· CV/Resume
· IRB Prep
· Budget
Detailed descriptions of required materials are included below.
Project Proposal
The proposal narrative should include the following sections.
A. Problem statement, research questions, and research objectives: Define the problem you propose to examine and explain why it is important. Your research question should develop logically from the problem statement, and your research objectives should develop logically from the research question. Be realistic about what you can achieve in the time frame that you have to conduct your research.
B. Literature review: The literature review should show how your proposed research fits into the larger theoretical frameworks or debates within the field of study and/or what practical solution will result from it.
C. Field site selection and justification: Describe your field site and explain why it is an appropriate location in which to pursue your research questions. If specific sites cannot be selected until you are in the field, describe how those sites will eventually be selected.
D. Methodology: Make a clear and realistic connection between your research questions and the methods and analyses that you will use to answer them. Be specific and concrete about what methods you will employ once you get to your field-site.
E. Personal qualifications and research collaborations: Describe what relevant language and technical skills you possess. (Applicants must demonstrate language competency for international research; proposals by students without such competency are usually unsuccessful). Describe any planned collaboration or affiliation with other researchers or organizations, local or otherwise.
Research Schedule
Describe your timeline for accomplishing the activities described in your proposal. A table, with a list of tasks in the left hand column and a list of weeks across the top can be an effective means of displaying this information, or you may elaborate a list of tasks to be completed each week. One page maximum.
Budget
The application system provides fields for you to list all significant project expenses, including airfare, in-country transportation, room and board, equipment, supplies, stipends for field or research assistants, sample analysis, and other research expenses. You may use the budget template available on the TRI website to prepare the information before entering it directly into the online application.
Inadmissible expenses include applicant salaries or stipends, and the cost of expensive equipment such as laptops and cameras. TRI will not fund equipment over $200. If you are applying to multiple Yale sources (as you should be), include the whole project budget and potential sources, as well as the amount you are requesting from TRI. Please note that your budget totals submitted to TRI and other Yale funding sources must match.
Proposal Ranking Rubric
Proposals will be scored according to the following three criteria:
A. Research Design
The applicant explains how the proposed methods are likely to result in data or evidence that will improve understanding of the research question or problem.
B. Preparation
The applicant demonstrates adequate personal preparation in the theory, methodological requirements, logistical planning and timeframe of their proposed research.
C. Justification
The applicant conveys the importance of their research through a well-structured, logical, written proposal.
If applicants have any questions about the TRI proposal process, students should contact the Program Coordinator at tri@yale.edu.
All Master’s and all Doctoral students currently enrolled at F&ES who will also be enrolled at F&ES in the fall of 2020 are eligible to apply to the TRI fellowship program. Undergraduate students at Yale College may apply to this fellowship to support research for a senior thesis with prior approval from the TRI Director. Students may apply for TRI fellowships more than once, but priority will be given to first time applicants. Note: If you are a doctoral student, please make it clear whether you are applying for funds to support dissertation or pre-dissertation work.
TRI supports research in tropical, less-developed countries. Applications to work in sub-tropical regions, or in developed countries in tropical regions, will be considered on a case-by-case basis as resources permit.
TRI Fellowships may only be used to cover expenses associated with summer research projects and is not available to cover any preliminary expenses -- including mid-year travel to field sites -- incurred by students in the development of their individual projects. Nor are TRI Fellowships available for travel during the academic year to meetings, conferences, etc.