The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education. It provides opportunities to doctoral candidates to engage in full-time dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. You must be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States to apply. The Department of Education requires electronic submission of DDRA applications through the www.g5.gov site. Applicants should go to this site for access to the online application and instructions for this grant program. The notice was published in the Federal Register on February 10, 2022.
The Department of Education has posted a pre-recorded webinar for the 2023 award cycle at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frOZDLwW9ko.
You’re also welcome to come by my office anytime with questions. The door should always be (mostly) open: 256 Bascom Hall – or email to set up an appointment (in-person or virtual).
The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) 2023 competition is now OPEN! The deadline for students to submit their completed 2023 applications is 10:00 am, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Letters of support and language evaluations must be submitted BEFORE the student can submit their application. There are no exceptions to the campus deadline and no changes are allowed to the application after this deadline; incomplete applications will not be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education.
Prospective applicants should contact Mark Lilleleht, the UW-Madison’s Fulbright Coordinator (256 Bascom Hall, uwfulbright@wisc.edu, 608.265.6070) to discuss their application. Mark is available to advise on all aspects of the competition and proposal. If you are interested in applying please read & review the following material:
- Read First
- Campus Instructions
- Attachment A (student authorization)
- Notice to Referees: Applicants can use this statement to inform their referees of the campus deadline for electronically submitting letters/language evaluations. Important: All support documents must be submitted by the campus deadline – NOT the national/institutional deadline contained in the email that referees will receive from the application system
- REQUIRED Human Subjects Narrative – all applicants must submit this regardless of the nature of the project
- Countries (or parts) closed to 2023 Fulbright-Hays DDRA applications
Each applicant is responsible for correctly submitting a complete application – which includes application forms, project narrative, bibliography, letters of recommendation, language evaluations, letters of affiliation and transcripts – by the campus deadline. Please refer to the campus instructions for more information.
All approved recipients of this grant are required to go through Human Subjects IRB clearance (as appropriate) before funds are released. The U.S. Department of Education requires clearance of the specific research project as described in the grant proposal.
NOTE: Instructions in the application materials directed to the IHE or Project Director are instructions for the IRIS Awards Office, which submits UW-Madison applications before the closing date.
New for 2023: UW-Madison DDRA awardees will have the value of the International Academic Programs graduate course fee for their award term paid to them as a scholarship by the Graduate School. The UW-Madison Fulbright Coordinator will be responsible for notifying the Graduate School of the amount and duration of the IAP program fees for students who accept these awards.
Please note that the g5.gov site for the application system is NOT available 24/7. Hours of operation (in Eastern Standard Time) for the G5 website are posted on its homepage.
G5 help is available through e-mail or by calling the G5 Hotline (not through the IRIS Awards Office):
- Hours: 8:00am – 6:00pm EST, Monday–Friday, except on federal holidays
- Toll-Free: 888.336.8930
- TTY: 800.877.8339
- Local: 202.401.6238
- Email: edcaps.user@ed.gov
One final note: UW-Madison Travel Policy precludes university-affiliated student travel to locations that are under a current U.S. Department of State (DoS) Level 3 or Level 4 advisory designation, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Warning Level 3 notice, and locations specifically designated as a “Travel Warning” location by the Provost. To read this policy and potentially request a waiver, see information on UW-Madison International Safety and Security website. Students hoping to travel to a location currently under a travel advisory SHOULD apply for a Fulbright-Hays DDRA award but it is the responsibility of awardees to secure any necessary waivers via the UW-Madison’s international travel policy. Notice that the above information applies to your planned travel if any part of your itinerary takes you through an area that is under a travel advisory.
Questions regarding the UW-Madison travel policy should be directed to Ron Machoian, the UW-Madison ISSD, who can be contacted at ronald.machoian@wisc.edu, or at 608.890.2446.
UW-Madison awardees
2022
- Kelsey Dalrymple, Tanzania, Educational Policy Studies
- Christopher Hulshof, Indonesia, History
- Sabina Madrid-Malloy, Mexico, Spanish
- Addison Nace, Guatemala & Mexico, Design Studies
- Taryn Valley, Guatemala, Anthropology and Medicine
- Katherine Ward, Ecuador, Spanish
2021
- Johnny Bassett, Philippines, History
- Samantha Helle, Nepal, Wildlife Ecology
- Rachel Hodapp, Tanzania, Anthropology
- Chris Kelly, Philippines, Literature
- Jon Marino, Uganda, Education
- Samuel Meyerson, History, Uganda
- Claudia Triana, Mexico, Educational Policy Studies
- Sophia Winkler-Schor, Mexico, Environmental Studies and Conservation Psychology
- Matthew Zinsli, France & Ecuador, Sociology
2020
- Ariel Borns, Guatemala, Educational Policy Studies
- Sarah Farr, Mexico, Sociology
- Tyler Hook, Sierra Leone, Educational Policy Studies and Anthropology
- Ned Littlefield, Brazil, Political Science
- Jeremy Mannheim, India, Asian Languages and Cultures
- Matthew Venker, Myanmar, Anthropology
2019
- Kate Carter, Kenya, Political Science
- Karann Putrevu, Russia, Environment and Resources
2018 – https://international.wisc.edu/uw-madison-is-top-university-for-2018-fulbright-ddra-awards/
- Bailey Albrecht, Japan, History
- Diana Famakinwa, Nigeria, Educational Policy Studies
- David Greenwood-Sanchez, Mexico & Peru, Political Science
- Kelsey Huisman, Ecuador, Botany
- Isaac Leslie, Argentina, Socilogy
- Molly Minden, Guatemala, Political Science
- Choua Xiong, Thailand, Educational Policy Studies
2017 – https://international.wisc.edu/four-uw-madison-students-win-2017-2018-fulbright-hays-awards/
- Lindsay Ehrisman, Uganda, History
- Nicolle Etchart, Ecuador, Geography
- Akshay Sarathi, Tanzania, Anthropology
- Alicia Wright, India, Journalism
2016
- Jason Hopper, Bhutan, Anthropology
- Kip Hutchins, Mongolia, Anthropology
- Caitlin Tyler-Richards, Nigeria, History
- Fernanda Villarroel, Germany, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Art History
2015 – https://international.wisc.edu/2016-fulbright-ddra/
- Alexandra Allweiss, Guatemala, History
- Lauren Glover, Japan, Archaeology
- Marguerite Heckscher, Germany & Tanzania, Art History
- Rachel Jacobs, Cambodia, Political Science
- Teresa Speciale, Senegal, Educational Policy Studies
- Matthew Trew, Cambodia, Anthropology
- Bridgette Werner, Bolivia, Archaeology
2014 – https://international.wisc.edu/uw-fulbright-doctoral-2014/
- Jacob Blanc, Brazil & Paraguay, History
- David Chambers, Thailand, Geography
- Amy Porter, Senegal, Educational Policy
- Brett Reilly, France, History
- Nancy Rydberg, Uganda, Educational Policy Studies & Development
- William Shattuck, Thailand, Geography
- Sarah Stefanos, Ethiopia, Environmental Studies
2013 – https://international.wisc.edu/2013-fulbright-ddra/
- Nicholas Barnes, Brazil, Political Science
- Christina Cappy, South Africa, Educational Policy Studies & Anthropology
- Rachael Goodman, India, Anthropology
- James Krueger, Kenya, Environmental Studies
- Samantha Vortherms, Hong Kong & China, Political Science
2012 – https://international.wisc.edu/uw-madison-students-faculty-receive-2012-13-fulbright-program-grants/
- Nick Abbott, India, History
- Brandon Lamson, China, Political Science
- Kyle Marquardt, Russia & Moldova, Political Science
2011
- No awards given
2010
- Melissa Anderson, Vietnam & France, History
- Adam Auerbach, India, Political Science
- Sara Brinegar, Azerbaijan & Russia, History
- Melissa Reiser, Senegal, Ethnomusicology
- Janine Sytsma, Nigeria, Art History
2009
- Matthew Brown, Nigeria & South Africa, Language & Literature
- Bennett Cross, Nigeria & Mali, History
- Nicole Eggers, Democratic Republic of Congo, African History
- Joshua Gedacht, Philippines & Indonesia, History
- Gwendolyn Kelly, India, Anthropology
- Jessica Krug, Angola & Brazil, History
- Carmen McCain, Nigeria & Niger, African Languages & Literature
- Melissa Tully, Kenya, Mass Communications
2008
- Tamara Feinstein, Peru, History
- Joseph Harris, Thailand, Sociology
- Leela Hazzah, Kenya, Environmental Studies – Land Resources
- Tricia Olsen, Brazil & Mexico, Political Science
- Natalie Porter, Vietnam, Anthropology
- Susan Rottmann, Turkey, Cultural Anthropology
2007
- Michitake Aso, Vietnam, History of Science
- Sarah Besky, India, Anthropology
- Taylor Easum, Thailand, History
- Christian Haskett, India, Religious Studies
- Alice Kang, Benin & Niger, Political Science
- Alex Nading, Nicaragua, Anthropology
2006
- Keera Allendorf, India, Sociology
- Danielle Berman, Russia, Sociology
- Andrew Hicken, Indonesia, Ethnomusicology
- Kristy Kelly, Vietnam, Educational Policy Studies
- Robert Phillips, India, Languages and Cultures of Asia
- Shane Strate, Thailand, Southeast Asian History
2005 – https://international.wisc.edu/uw-madison-students-winners-of-fulbright-boren-awards/
- Paul Bjerk, Tanzania, History
- Kelley Cormier, Kyrgyzstan, Agricultural Economics
- Erick Danzer, Indonesia, Political Science
- Sangeeta Desai, India, South Asian Religions and Literatures
- Diana Finnegan, India, South Asian Studies
- James Hoesterey, Indonesia, Anthropology
- Daniel Magaziner, South Africa, History
- Sarah Robert, Argentina, Educational Policy Studies
- Anna Senarslan, Azerbaijan, Turkic Languages and Literatures
- David Weber, Russia, Anthropology
2004
- Vincent Bohlinger, Russia, Film Studies
- Ehito Kimura, Indonesia, Political Science
- Erica Nelson, Bolivia, History
- Kristin Phillips, Tanzania, Anthropology
- Janet Spurgeon, Japan, Art History
2003
- Lisa Heaton, Bolivia, Urban and Regional Planning
- Marc Hertzman, Brazil, History
- Tyrone Siren, Cambodia, Anthropology
- David Vernikov, Russia, Literature
- Brian Wiley, Philippines, Urban and Regional Planning
2002
- Rachel DeMotts, South Africa, Political Science
- Libbie Freed, Central African Republic & Cameroon, History of Science
- Eric Haanstad, Thailand, Anthropology
- Lawrence Markowitz, Uzbekistan, Political Science
- Gary Marquardt, Namibia & South Africa, History
2001
- Mara Goldman, Tanzania, Geography
- Anne Kuriakose, India, Development
- David Mason, India, Theatre and Drama
2000
- Mark Dennis, Japan, Buddhist Studies
- Sean Hanretta, Mali & Ivory Coast, History
Please Note:
Complete information about the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) 2023 competition is available from USED.
The deadline for UW-Madison students to submit their complete DDRA 2023 applications is 8:00 am, Monday, April 10, 2023 10:00am, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Absolutely no exceptions, no extensions.
The Department of Education extended the application deadline on April 4, hence our later deadline.
If you are a UW-Madison student planning to apply for a DDRA please email Mark Lilleleht. Mark serves as campus Fulbright Coordinator and will be submitting the UW-Madison’s Fulbright-Hays DDRA application. He needs to know who will be applying.
If you would like to review project statements of past successful UW-Madison applicants please email Mark to make arrangements.
We have collected approximately 20 years of “advice for future fellows” that is part of the final report all DDRA recipients complete and submit at the end of their award term and can make that available to UW-Madison applicants on request.