[Poscgrad] Reminder: David Pion-Berlin Award Applications Due October 31st

[Diego Esparza]

Dear Graduate Students,

The Department of Political Science at UCR is pleased to announce that proposals are now being accepted for research awards of up to $1,500 from the David Pion-Berlin Award.

About the Award:
Dr. David Pion-Berlin is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of California, Riverside. His work has shaped the study of civil-military relations, human rights, political violence, security, and defense in comparative politics. After 33 years of service, Dr. Pion-Berlin retired in July 2024, but his impact on research and mentorship continues to shape our understanding of Latin American politics through a body of work that includes over 80 articles and 10 books.

He has been recognized for his exceptional mentorship, receiving the Graduate Dissertation Advising and Mentoring Award (2015–2016) and serving as dissertation chair for over 25 doctoral students. Among his many honors are the 2019 Alfred Stepan Lifetime Achievement Award in Defense, Public Security, and Democracy and the 2019 Giuseppe Caforio ERGOMAS Award for Best Book (2017–2018).

In recognition of his research interests and his goal of advancing graduate research, the award provides graduate students with up to $1,500 to aid in conducting research in Comparative Politics and Latin America.

Eligibility Criteria:

Must be a PhD student in Political Science.
Must have passed comprehensive exams.
Research must focus on comparative politics.
Research must be relevant to Latin America.
Proposal Requirements:

Research Description (1–2 pages): Include a discussion of your research question, method, and theoretical framework.
Funding Plan (1–2 pages): Describe how the funds will be spent, including a budget sheet clearly outlining estimated costs for each expense category (e.g., travel, materials, transcription, research assistance) and the total requested amount. Include a timeline indicating which part of your research the funds will support and when each part is expected to be completed.
Post-Research Summary (1 page): Students must submit a summary describing the use of funds within 30 days of the completion date listed on their timeline. Failure to do so will make students ineligible for future discretionary department funding.
Allowable Uses of Funds:

Travel to field sites or archives.
Purchasing data or research materials.
Transcribing interviews.
Hiring research assistance.
Copying, mailing, or other reasonable research expenses (as determined by the award committee).
Submission and Selection:

Submit your applications electronically to the Award Chair Dr. Diego Esparza:  diego.esparza at ucr.edu <mailto:diego.esparza at ucr.edu>
Deadline: October 31st by midnight.
Applications will be reviewed by an ad-hoc faculty committee composed of comparative politics sub-field faculty.
Greater consideration will be given to work related to dissertation research.
We strongly encourage eligible students to apply and take advantage of this opportunity to support their research in comparative politics and Latin America.

If you have any questions please reach out to me.



Best regards,


Dr. Diego Esparza

Chair of David Pion-Berlin Award Committee

Department of Political Science
University of California, Riverside
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