Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are encouraged to apply for the Twenty-Fourth Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science, administered by the North American Regional Science Council of the Regional Science Association International (NARSC-RSAI). This Fellowship, in support of dissertation research in Regional Science, is awarded annually in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens, an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend had a profound impact on the field. Regional Science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with urban and regional phenomena. Regional Scientists apply theoretical and empirical frameworks and methods of the social and other sciences, as well as develop new ones specifically for regional analysis and policy.

Eligible students should have completed all degree requirements except for their dissertation by the time the Fellowship commences (typically on July 1). A requirement of the Fellowship is that the recipient have no duties other than dissertation research during the period of the Fellowship, although the recipient may hold other fellowships concurrently. Applications from students working in any area and any North American Ph.D. program are welcome as long as their dissertation research addresses a research question in Regional Science.  Previous involvement with North American regional science organizations and journals will be looked upon favorably by the Selection Committee.

The Fellowship consists of a stipend in the amount of $36,000 (U.S.), paid over a twelve-month period. Applications for the 2024–2025 Fellowship should be sent electronically by the applicant to the Selection Committee Chair, Professor Shaoming Cheng, by the deadline of February 15, 2024.

An application consists of the following materials:

1.    A curriculum vita of no more than two (2) pages in length. Previous involvement with North American regional science organizations and journals should be annotated.

2.    A statement in ten (10) pages or less explaining the questions and issues to be addressed, the approach to be used, and the product expected from the dissertation research, preceded by a summary (1-page maximum) describing the intellectual merit of the proposed research, and the broader impacts that may result. The 10-page limit is inclusive of references, but exclusive of tables and figures. This text should be in 12-point or larger font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins; references may be single-spaced.

3.    Copies of the candidate’s transcripts for all graduate study. Unofficial copies are acceptable.

In addition, the dissertation supervisor shall provide a confidential letter sent separately as an attachment from her/his email account with the student’s name in the subject line to Professor Cheng. In the letter, the supervisor should assess the quality and significance of the proposed dissertation research, specify the current state of progress toward the candidate’s degree, and provide a commitment by the dissertation supervisor to obtain a tuition waiver for the candidate for the year of the Fellowship. A condition of the Fellowship is the granting of a tuition waiver for the year of the Fellowship by the university, or equivalent payment of the student’s tuition.

Applications should be emailed to Professor Shaoming Cheng at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Questions may also be sent to him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For information about the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC), go to www.narsc.org. For information about the Regional Science Association International (RSAI), go to www.regionalscience.org.