UA Doctoral Students Win NSF Grants to Strengthen Dissertations

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The National Science Foundation awarded separate grants to two University of Alabama doctoral students to strengthen their research dissertations.

Tess Neal, a student in psychology, and Michael Venarsky, a student in biological sciences, were each awarded a doctoral dissertation improvement grant.

Neal, whose research adviser is Dr. Stanley Brodsky, professor of psychology at UA, was awarded a $15,000 grant to further her research examining how biases among forensic psychologists may influence the outcome of death-penalty cases. 

Venarsky, whose research adviser is Dr. Jonathan Benstead, assistant professor of biological sciences, was awarded a grant of approximately $15,000 for his research on how the availability of food resources affect aquatic species that live in caves.

UA’s departments of biological sciences and psychology are part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.