Graduate Research Fellowship at the 

National Institute of Justice 

February 8, 2023 | 11:00 AM ET 

The webinar will begin shortly 
Graduate Research Fellowship Program 

at the National Institute of Justice 

Today’s Presenters: 

Dr. Nancy La Vigne, NIJ Director 

Dr. Gregory Dutton, Program Manager 

Joseph Heaps, Senior Physical Scientist 

2 
Webinar Topics 

1. Program Overview

2. Terms of the Fellowship

3. How to Apply

www.nij.gov/GRF 3 
GRF 

Program 

Page 

4 

www.nij.gov/GRF 
 

 

 

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 

Who we are: 

• NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S.

Department of Justice

• A science funding agency under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

Our mission: 

• Improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues

through science

www.nij.gov 5 
 

 

NIJ’s Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) 

Program Goal: 

• Support the development of new researchers addressing the

challenges of crime and justice in the U.S.

Previously two program tracks: 

• Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS)

• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)

Now a single GRF program for everyone 

www.nij.gov/GRF 6 
 

Recent Program History 

Primary 

Program 

Area 

GRF Fellows 2012 - 2020 

Physical Sciences 180 fellows 

from over Life Sciences 

60 institutions 

Engineering since 2012 

Social Sciences 

About 24 new fellows annually 

www.nij.gov/GRF 7 
 

 

 

 

Past Fellows 

Mawia 

Khogali 

2017 Fellow 

John Jay 

College 

Dissertation: 

Officers’ and Community Members’ 

Evaluations of Police-Civilian 

Interactions 

Currently: Senior Director, 

Innovation & Incubation at nonprofit 

Elizabeth 

Webster 

2017 Fellow 

RutgersUniversityNewark 

Dissertation: 

Post Conviction Mentality: 

Prosecutorial Assistance as a 

Pathway to Exoneration 

Currently: Assistant Professor 

www.nij.gov/GRF Click on “Featured Fellows” 8 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Fellows 

Brent Klein 

2018 Fellow 

Michigan State 

University 

Dissertation: 

Pathways to School Shootings: An 

Integrated Developmental and Life 

Course Criminological Approach 

Currently: Assistant Professor 

Ieke De Vries 

2018 Fellow 

Northeastern 

University 

Dissertation: 

Crime in Public Space and Online 

Domains: Commercial Sex and Sex 

Trafficking in Massage Businesses 

Currently: Assistant Professor 

www.nij.gov/GRF Click on “Featured Fellows” 9 
 

 

 

Past Fellows 

Caitlin 

Vogelsberg 

2017 Fellow 

Michigan 

State 

University 

Dissertation: “Increasing identifications of 

deceased border crossers: investigating spatial 

and skeletal attributes of migrant deaths” 

Currently: Postdoc at Pima County Office 

of the Medical Examiner 

Shady 

El Damaty 

2016 Fellow 

Georgetown 

University 

Dissertation: “Pattern Classification of 

Neurocognitive and Socio-Emotional 

Developmental Factors Underlying Violent 

Outcomes in Adolescents” 

Currently: Entrepreneur, Founder 

www.nij.gov/GRF Click on “Featured Fellows” 10 
 

 

 

Past Fellows 

Christy 

Mancuso 

2014 Fellow 

University of 

Utah 

Dissertation: “Fingernails as Recorders 

of Region-of-Origin and Travel History” 

Currently: Postdoc and co-PI on 

NIJ grant 

Katherine 

Gettings 

2011 Fellow 

George 

Washington 

University 

Dissertation: “Ancestry/Phenotype SNP 

Analysis & Integration with Established 

Forensic Markers” 

Currently: Staff Scientist at NIST 

www.nij.gov/GRF Click on “Featured Fellows” 11 
 

Funding 

Opportunity: 

GRF Solicitation 

About 

20 new fellows 

expected 

in 2023 

12 
 

 

Timeline 

GRF 2023 Solicitation 

open 

Jan. 25 

to 

May 2 

Review 

Awards 

announced 

Awarding 

Fellowships 

can start 

by Jan. 1 

grants.gov deadline: April 25 Sept. 30 

JustGrants deadline: May 2 

www.nij.gov/GRF 13 
 

Eligibility 

Student: 

• Enrolled full-time in a PhD program in the sciences or engineering

• Dissertation topic is relevant to criminal or juvenile justice in the U.S.

University: 

• Accredited institution in the U.S. or its territories

The university applies on behalf of the student 

www.nij.gov/GRF 14 
 

Application Elements 

Six Critical Elements: 

1. Proposal Narrative

2. Budget webform

3. Verification of Current Enrollment

4. Undergraduate and Graduate Transcripts

5. Statement of Support

6. CV/Resume or Biosketch

15 
Application Elements 

Other Elements 

• Personal Statement

• Project Timeline

• Current and Pending (Other) Support

• Human Subjects Protection form

• Privacy Certificate

16 
 

 

 

Other Issues 

• Dissertation topic approval is not required at time of application

• IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval for human subjects

research is not required at the time of application

BUT– fellowship funds will become available only after these are 

completed and reviewed by NIJ 

www.nij.gov/GRF 17 
Additional Help 

General guidance for 

all NIJ applicants 

https://nij.ojp.gov/ 

funding/guidance-

applicants-and-

awardees 

18 
 

 

 

 

 

Fellowship Terms 

Up to $55,500/year for up to three (3) years of support 

usable within a five-year period: 

• $40,500 annual student salary

• $12,000 annual cost of education allowance

• $3,000 annually for research expenses

www.nij.gov/GRF 19 
Programmatic Budget Categories 

1. Salary and Fringe Benefits ($40,500/yr.)

• Student salary

• Fringe benefits

• Health insurance

NIJ recommends that the full $40,500 be requested 

20 
Programmatic Budget Categories 

2. Cost of Education Allowance (up to $12,000/yr.)

• Tuition

• Student fees

• University administrative or indirect costs

21 
 

Programmatic Budget Categories 

3. Research Expenses (up to $3,000/yr.)

• Research supplies

• Instrument time

• Human subjects incentives

• Undergraduate research assistants

• Data collection site travel

• Conference travel

• Professional society membership fees

• Other reasonable, allowable costs

22 
 

Fellowship Terms 

These are one-time awards: 

• Total amount needed must be requested up front

Annual requirements: 

• Progress report

• Verification of enrollment

• Committee chair statement of progress

Final Deliverables: 

• Defended dissertation

• List of scholarly products

www.nij.gov/GRF 23 
 

How to Apply 

1. Review the solicitation for eligibility

2. Contact your university grants office (e.g., Office of

Sponsored Programs (OSP)) – NOW!

3. Start assembling application materials

a. Write the program narrative

b. Ask for letter of support

c. Obtain enrollment verification and transcripts

www.nij.gov/GRF 24 
 

 

Application Submission 

1. The university submits on your behalf

2. NIJ has a 2-step submission process

1) Grants.gov deadline for submitting SF-424

2) JustGrants deadline for submitting complete application package

3. Your university OSP will have their own internal timeline

www.nij.gov/GRF 25 
Application Review – Initial Review 

Internal review 

for Eligibility 

Internal review for 

Critical Elements 

solicitation (p. 24), Review Process 26 
Application Review – Peer Review 

External Review against the Review Criteria! 

Solicitation (p. 23), Review Criteria 27 
What are the 

Review Criteria? 

Statement of the 

Problem and its 

Significance 

Project Design 

and 

Implementation 

Capabilities 

and 

Competencies 

Budget 

Solicitation (p. 23), Review Criteria 28 
 

 

 

Priority Areas 

NIJ will give special consideration in award decisions to proposals from Minority 

Serving Institutions (MSIs). MSIs include: 

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

• Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSI)

• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU)

• Alaska Native-serving Institutions or Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions (ANNH)

• Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI)

• Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institutions (AANAPISI)

• Native American-serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI)

Note: this is one of many factors that NIJ considers in making funding decisions. 

solicitation (p. 9), Priority Areas 29 
 

Award Decisions 

1. Peer review is the primary factor

2. Award decisions are made by the NIJ Director, who may take

into account peer review ratings as well as other factors

3. Applicants are notified of outcome in September/October

30 
 

 

 

Helpful Tips 

1. Browse past fellows’ abstracts

2. Be sure to articulate the relevance to criminal justice

3. Include preliminary results, if available

4. Ask others (peers and advisors) to read and comment:

• Concept

• Experimental design

• Proofread for errors

5. Visit the program FAQs

www.nij.gov/GRF 31 
Spread the News to 

potential applicants 

Printable program flyer 

for interested audiences 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/grf-flyer 

32 
 

For More Information 

Program page & FAQs: www.nij.gov/GRF 

For questions while the solicitation is open, contact: 

OJP Response Center 

1-800-851-3420 (TTY: 301-240-6310 for hearing impaired only)

Email: grants@ncjrs.gov 

Chat: https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp 

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Learn about 

NIJ Funding 

Subscribe for notices 

when funding 

opportunities post 

www.nij.gov/subscribe 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities 34 
 

Questions? 

Please enter your questions into the Q&A box 

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