Funding Opportunities

F.J. McGuigan Dissertation Award

The F. J. McGuigan Dissertation Award, supports dissertation research that addresses any aspect of mental function (e.g., cognition, affect, motivation) and seeks to understand the mind from both a behavioral and neural perspective.

Deadline: June 5, 2025
Amount: 1 award of $2,000
Sponsors: APF

The F. J. McGuigan Dissertation Award, supports dissertation research that addresses any aspect of mental function (e.g., cognition, affect, motivation) and seeks to understand the mind from both a behavioral and neural perspective.

Proposed research should be compatible with McGuigan’s overall goals and may fall within any area of contemporary behavioral or brain science (including more recent forms of cognitive psychology).

Eligibility

APF encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds with respect to age, race, color, religion, creed, nationality, ability, sexual orientation, gender, and geography.

Applicants must:

  • have completed doctoral candidacy, including dissertation approval by doctoral committee
  • have a demonstrated commitment to stated program goals (Dualistic approaches characteristic of much contemporary cognitive research are specifically ineligible.)

Application Instructions

Application Materials:

  • project proposal
  • project timeline (not to exceed one page; typically, APF grants are for 1 year)
  • detailed budget and justification (not to exceed one page)
  • abbreviated CV (not to exceed five pages)
  • recommendation letter from academic advisor

Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated on:

  • conformance with the stated program goals
  • quality, viability, and potential impact of the proposed project
  • originality, innovation, and contribution to the field
  • applicant’s demonstrated competence and capability to execute the proposed work
  • allocation of resources and criticality of funding for execution of work (particularly if part of a larger funded effort)

Please be advised that APF does not provide feedback to applicants on their proposals.

Please review our Program FAQs for important details on the application process.

Recent Recipient

Rebecca Revilla

University of South Carolina

“Unraveling Neural Mechanisms of Adolescent Prosocial Behaviors: A Brain to Behavior Approach”

Past Recipients

2024

Rebecca Revilla, University of South Carolina
“Unraveling Neural Mechanisms of Adolescent Prosocial Behaviors: A Brain to Behavior Approach”

2023

Linlin Fan, University of Texas at Dallas
“Neural Stimulation for Reducing Paranoia and Improving Social Functioning in Schizophrenia”

2022

Kenneth J. Thompson, Alliant International University
“Differentiating Two Subtypes of Alexithymia: Internal Deficits Versus External Influences”

2021

Honorary recipient: Kathryn Predergast, University of Alabama at Birmingham

2020

Marta Stojanovic, Washington University in St. Louis

2019

Kaylie Carbine, Brigham Young University

2018

Megan Speer, Rutgers University

2017

Michael Sun, University of California, Los Angeles

2016

Forest Gruss, University of Florida

2015

Rachel K. Bencic Hamilton, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2014

Kathleen Hazlett, Marquette University

2013

Ross MacLean, Pennsylvania State University

2012

Marc Coutanche, University of Pennsylvania

2011

Anna Docherty, University of Missouri, Columbia

2010

Elizabeth Shulman, University of California, Irvine

2009

Lauren M. Bylsma, University of South Florida