Washington University doctoral students have an outstanding record of winning external research grants, attesting to both their abilities and the department's tradition of close mentoring. Students are encouraged to begin conceptualizing their dissertation projects early in the program, and courses such as methods seminars and a seminar/workshop in proposal writing (taught by faculty members who have served on NSF review panels) further strengthen external funding.
Below is a list of recent external funding awards listed by year:
2024
| Youn, Seok Joo | Wenner-Gren Foundation | Dissertation Field Work Grant | $16,659 |
2023
| Addis, Bea | Wenner-Gren Foundation | Dissertation Field Work Grant | $24,965 |
| Kai, Su | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $27,102 |
| Sacco, Alex | The Leakey Foundation | Research Grant | $19,992 |
| Assefa, Sewasew | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $31,109 |
| Assefa, Sewasew | Wenner Gren Foundation | Fellowship | $14,060 |
| Wiseman-Jones, Lauren | Sigma Xi | | $1,000 |
| Wiseman-Jones, Lauren | Leakey Foundation | | $19,913 |
| | | | |
2022
Beauregard, Jade Bey, Bridget | National Science Foundation Wenner-Gren Foundation | | $138,000 $20,000 |
| Diaz, Lucy | National Science Foundation | $27,231 |
| Dudley, Rebecca | Wenner-Gren Foundation | | $18,586 |
| Funkhouser, Jake | Animal Behavior Society | | $2,000 |
| Judson, Katie | Leakey Foundation | | $14,868 |
| Lien, Chia | Wenner-Gren Foundation | | $11,087 |
| Madrigal, Luisa | Wenner-Gren Foundation | | $5,460 |
| Nilsson, Annika | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $12,610 |
| Ritchey, Melissa | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $27,127 |
| Sacco, Alex | Primate Conservation Inc | | $2,800 |
| Sekhavati, Yegan | National Science Foundation | | $26,037 |
| Sekhavati, Yegan | Wenner-Gren Foundation | | $2,955 |
2021
| Baumgarten, Sarah | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $31,275 |
| Geyman, Zoe | Fulbright-Hays | Fellowship | $43,648 |
| Ghale, Tashi | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $15,030 |
| Kuzma, Rachel | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $28,998 |
| Madrigal, Luisa | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $22,710 |
| Merkle, Ann | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $15,661 |
| Nilsson, Annika | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $18,191 |
| Sun, Yufeng | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $14,490 |
2020
| Abel, Matthew | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $5,613 |
| Carter, Chelsey | Ford Foundation | Fellowship | $28,000 |
| Grooms, Seth | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $26,992 |
| Lin, Yi Ling | Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship | $20,000 |
| Stauffer, Grant | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $31,493 |
| Stauffer, Grant | Washington University in St. Louis | Divided City Graduate Summer Research Fellowship | $5,000 |
| Wagner, Jaqueline | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $25,200 |
| Ward, Grace | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | |
| Zhengwei, Zhang | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $28,316 |
2019
| Abel, Matthew | US-Brazil Fulbright Commission | Grant | $15,400 |
| Carter, Chelsey | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $19,492 |
| Grooms, Seth | National Science Foundation | Graduate Research Fellowship Program | $102,000 |
| Hu, Lorraine | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $26,458 |
| Martin, Savannah | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $25,200 |
| Stauffer, Grant | Lambda Alpha | Graduate Overseas Research Grant | $2,000 |
| Ward, Grace | National Science Foundation | NSF-GRFP | $102,000 |
2018
| Cubellis, Lauren | Wenner-Gren | Conference Grant | $15,550 |
| Hu, Lorraine | National Science Foundation | Graduate Research Fellowship Program | $102,000 |
| Jones, Bradley | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $7,337 |
| Jones, Bradley | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $21,324 |
| Jones, Mica | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $7,493 |
| Jones, Mica | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $19,981 |
| Lin, Yi Ling | Lambda Alpha | Graduate Overseas Research Grant | $2,000 |
| Lin, Yi Ling | American Philosophical Society | Lewis and Clark Fund | $4,800 |
| Powis, Dick | Fulbright Hays | Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship | $33,708 |
| Rynkiewich, Katie | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $17,990 |
2017
| Bullion, Elissa | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $21,794 |
| Barnes, Carolyn | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $19,702 |
| Hu, Lorraine | Society for American Archaeology | Historically Underrepresented Groups Scholarship | $3,000 |
| Lemoine, Ximena | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $19,660 |
| Melendez, Juan Carlos | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $11,668 |
| Musgrave, Stephanie | Leakey Foundation | | $14,744 |
| Rankin, Caitlin | National Geographic Society | Young Explorer Grant | $4,600 |
2016
| Alyanak, Oguz | Wenner Gren Foundation | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $19,704 |
| Bullion, Elissa | Lambda Alpha | Graduate Research Grant | $2,000 |
| Carter, Chelsey | National Science Foundation | Graduate Research Fellowship Program | $102,000 |
| Chiou, Kenneth | NGX Biology | National Geographic Discovery Funding Contest | $5,000 |
| Lemoine, Ximena | National Science Foundation | Graduate Research Fellowship Program | $102,000 |
| Musgrave, Stephanie | Wenner-Gren | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $19,989 |
| Musgrave, Stephanie | Lambda Alpha | Graduate Overseas Research Grant | $2,000 |
| Musgrave, Stephanie | National Science Foundation | Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant | $25,155 |
| Qin, Zhen | National Science Foundation | Dissertation Fieldwork Grant | $18,995 |
| Rivas, Alexander | National Geographic | Young Explorer Grant | $4,783 |
| Rivas, Alexander | National Geographic Society | Young Explorer Grant | $4,783 |
| Singer, Elyse | AAUW | Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship | $20,000 |
