The Penn Global Dissertation Grants program is designed to enhance global components of dissertation research for the graduate student community. In partnership with the Vice Provost for Education, this program awards up to $8,000 to selected Ph.D. candidates to broaden their international dissertation research and leverage opportunities for careers in global leadership. This is the second year of the program, after a successful launch in 2024.
“The Penn Global Dissertation Grants program furthers the University’s global mission by empowering rising scholars to explore the wider global impact of their dissertation work,” says Amy Gadsden, Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives. “By supporting Penn’s graduate student community and their innovative projects, we amplify the impact of Penn-based research and ensure students gain valuable global experiences – two core pillars of our global strategic framework.”
Marcelina Martynek, a Ph.D. student of the Biology program at the School of Arts and Sciences, is focusing her dissertation on the accelerating decline of the Great Barrier Reef, brought on by extreme heat waves and ocean warming. Her Penn Global Dissertation Grant will deepen her examination of how shifts in environmental conditions alter the composition of microbiomes – and how those changes, in turn, influence the performance of microbiomes’ coral hosts.
Martynek, who aims to pursue a career as a next-generation leader in marine science, will leverage her research to inform policy and communications strategies for protecting reefs from climate change.
Read more about the other grant award winners here.
