PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] – Months of preparation and grant writing, along with decades of proven research and training success, have paid off with the renewal of the PSTC's training grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) for training in demography. The five-year, $1.5 million grant provides full fellowship support for one postdoctoral trainee and five predoctoral trainees each year and offers them much needed time and resources for population-related research.

The demography training program at the Population Studies and Training Center has been funded by the NICHD since 1987, making it one of the longest continuously funded demography training programs in the country.

 “The success of the renewal speaks volumes to the accomplishments of current and former trainees, the mentoring and research excellence of multidisciplinary PSTC faculty associates, and the outstanding administrative and grant support of the PSTC staff,” said PSTC Associate Director Zhenchao Qian, who is the director of the training program and the principal investigator on the grant along with Professor of Sociology Michael White. “This award supports our efforts to produce the highest quality population science scholars in their respective disciplines,” Qian said. The Center’s training program has a solid track record of producing internationally renowned scholars through high impact placements into research and academic careers, he said.

“The PSTC training program has been a great resource for connecting me to other scholars and students interested in similar topics,” said Nicole Kreisberg, a predoctoral trainee in sociology and one of this year’s NICHD fellows. “It is a warm and welcoming intellectual community in which I can brainstorm ideas and learn from colleagues I wouldn't normally have the chance to meet across campus.”

Most research associates in the PSTC community come from the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, and Sociology and the School of Public Health. The goals of the Center’s training program are to:

• provide a strong disciplinary foundation in demography;
• expose trainees to population-related courses outside their home discipline;
• immerse trainees in interdisciplinary communities for mentored training and population research;
• offer opportunities to learn skills and utilize tools to develop responsible conduct of research, present and publish papers, write grants, and engage in effective communication.