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Southeast Asia Research Awards for Undergraduate Students

Funded by Bringing Southeast Asia Home, a project sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation Initiative on Southeast Asia, these awards are intended to facilitate undergraduate students to undertake independent research projects in the field of Southeast Asian and/or Southeast Asian diaspora studies during Spring or Summer 2025.

Awards are capped at $1,000. To be eligible, students must currently be enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill and be enrolled in Fall 2025. Studying abroad during either of those semesters does not disqualify applicants; however, these funds may not be used to fund a study abroad program.

Applications are due Friday, November 1, 2024. Applications should be submitted via email to the CAC’s Assistant Director for Southeast Asia Initiatives, Becky Butler, at becky.butler@unc.edu.

To apply for a Southeast Asia Research Award for Undergraduate Students, please submit:

  • A one-page description of the work to be undertaken. This should include a title, and it should demonstrate that you have thought considerably about this project and that it is well motivated and feasible.
  • A one-page CV
  • One page that includes:
    • funding amount you are requesting
    • location of the work
    • time of the work (i.e. spring or summer)
    • name, departmental affiliation, and email of a faculty member willing to serve as a reference. This person does not need to write you a letter of recommendation but may be contacted if you are considered for funding.
    • a brief statement of financial need, including other awards or scholarships you have applied for or have received that are directly related to this research, your eligibility to apply for other funds, etc.

Within two weeks of completion of activities funded by the award, you must submit a one-page report summarizing and evaluating the research activity with consideration of future directions. You are encouraged to present the work undertaken at the next annual Southeast Asia workshop, which is held in the spring each year. We also urge you to share the results of your work during the next Celebration of Undergraduate Research.

Candidates for funding should be UNC-CH students focused on one or more of the eleven countries of Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) or a Southeast Asian diaspora community.