The MMUF-SSRC Proposal Writing and Dissertation Development Seminar (PWDDS), part of the MMUF-SSRC Graduate Initiatives program, strategically supports graduate students in their third through sixth years.

The PWDDS offers fellows opportunities for intensive exchange and feedback on work at two critical stages of graduate training: firstly, during the proposal writing process when students focus on formulating intellectually sound proposals which lend themselves to completion in a reasonable time frame and are competitive in fellowship contests; and secondly, during the dissertation-writing process, when the quality of data organization, synthesis and analysis is most essential.

The proposal-writing and dissertation tracks take place in parallel during the week-long seminar, and participants are selected through a competitive application process. Significant time is allotted for individual work, and fellows present their projects to their respective groups several times. Fellows find that this intensive seminar is an ideal setting in which to receive collegial critique and feedback. Each past participant reports making significant progress on the dissertation project as a result of the work completed during the PWDDS, with over 90% later reporting having successfully defended their proposals or completed their dissertations in a timely manner.

This year's PWDDS will take place March 14-18, 2017 in Philadelphia. For more information, please contact SSRC staff at mellonmays@ssrc.org.