SIOP Graduate Student Scholarships, Mary L. Tenopyr Scholarship, and Lee Hakel Graduate Student Scholarship

The Graduate Student Scholarships recognize achievement in a graduate career and is intended to assist doctoral students in the field of I-O psychology with the costs of carrying out their dissertation work.

For the current award cycle, the following scholarships will be awarded:

• The highest ranked student will receive the Lee Hakel Graduate Student Scholarship of $3,500.
• The second highest ranked student will receive the Mary L. Tenopyr Scholarship of $3,000.
• The third and fourth highest ranked students will receive a $3,000 Graduate Student Scholarship.

Nomination deadline is June 30, 2025

Eligibility

Each academic program may nominate no more than one student per year to apply for the scholarships. If more than one student from a program wishes to apply for a scholarship, the program must perform an initial screening.

Nominees must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Enrolled full-time and in good standing in a graduate program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology or a closely related field (e.g., organizational behavior) at a regionally accredited university or college. Eligibility is open to students in programs both within and outside the US.
• Student Member of SIOP.
• Dissertation plan has been approved by the student’s advisor.
• Past recipients of a Graduate Student Scholarship and individuals who will have defended their dissertation before the scholarship money is awarded (January following the submission deadline) are not eligible.

Application Procedures

Applicants for the Scholarship must submit:

• A nomination letter from the program chair/director or the department chair.
• 12-page maximum*summary of the dissertation research, including an explanation of research design and other important aspects of the project.
• Two-page maximum curriculum vitae including scientific publications and presentations.
• A statement from the advisor indicating that the dissertation plan has been approved.

NOTE: Figures or tables may be included only if they can be incorporated into the 12-page limit. A list of references should be included with the summary; references will not be included in the 12-page maximum. Summaries should be double-spaced, 12-point font, with 1” margins.

All documentation must be submitted online by the applicant and must be either a Word document or a .pdf file.

When submitting application materials, applicants will also be asked if they are being investigated, or have been found responsible, for misconduct prohibited in SIOP’s Anti-Harassment Policy and to provide a brief explanation if this is the case.

Evaluation Criteria

At least three members of the Scholarship Subcommittee will review and evaluate each nominee’s application.

Nominations will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Clearly expressed understanding of the field of inquiry.
• Ability of the research design to provide meaningful answers to questions posed by the researcher.
• Potential of the proposed study to make significant theoretical and application contributions to the field of I-O Psychology.

Administrative Procedures

Based on their review of all applicants, the award subcommittee will identify recipients. The subcommittee reserves the right to recommend that the award be withheld if a suitable candidate does not apply.

Although a student can apply for multiple SIOP grants and scholarships, they cannot win multiple awards that fund the same project in the same year. Additionally, a student cannot be funded on multiple scholarships in the same year. If a project is recommended to receive two awards, the Awards Chair for grants and scholarships will make the determination of which award the individual will receive. If an individual is recommended to receive a scholarship by two different subcommittees, the Awards Chair for grants and scholarships will make the determination of which award the individual will receive.

Funds will be distributed to the recipient in a single payment in January following the submission deadline. Funds may be used for graduate school expenses (without additional restriction). The recipient will have two options regarding the award: (a) to receive the funds directly; or (b) to have the funds placed in a “professional development” account at the recipient’s university, contingent upon the regulations and policies of the recipient’s university. The award recipient will be liable for any tax payments associated with the funds.

Deliverable

Within one year after the scholarship is awarded, the recipient is required to provide the SIOP Foundation with a one-page report summarizing the research that was conducted under the auspices of the award.  The report should be cosigned by the student’s advisor or dissertation chair.

Awardee should be aware that an abstract of their research may be placed on the SIOP website. Awardees are encouraged to submit the results of their research for presentation at SIOP’s annual conference.