INSTITUTE FOR POLICY RESEARCH

IPR Seed Grants Sprout New Research

Multiple IPR faculty projects received seed grant funding to grow new research, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration

 

An IPR faculty committee awarded a total of $20,000 to new projects spearheaded by IPR fellows. 

“The seed grant program helps get bold, early-stage research off the ground—especially for projects that wouldn’t happen without a little extra support,” said IPR economist Ofer Malamud, a seed grant committee member. “It’s all about encouraging creative ideas and collaboration across academic disciplines to tackle important societal issues. The projects we funded this year all have the potential to make substantial contributions to research and policy.”

Below is a selection of IPR-led projects that received grants.

Examining the Impact of Mindfulness on Teen Mental Health

In an ongoing study titled the “Youth Mindful Awareness Project” (YMAP), IPR developmental psychobiologist Emma Adam is exploring how mindfulness practices can help reduce negative emotions in teenagers at high risk for mood and anxiety disorders. YMAP participants complete psychiatric interviews, surveys, and mood tracking before being randomly assigned to one of three groups: a mindfulness coaching program, an expressive writing program, or a control group that only receives assessments. The grant will support collecting DNA data from participants to examine how stress-related changes in genes might affect the biological pathways by which preventive interventions like mindfulness work.

Political Identity and Concealment in the Workplace

Do employees with different political views from the majority of those in their organization feel like they don’t belong? IPR social psychologist Eli Finkel and Northwestern Kellogg PhD student Trevor Spelman are conducting a year-long study to explore the causes and consequences of political misalignment at work. With grant support, they are surveying full-time U.S. employees to understand how being in the political minority affects employees’ well-being, workplace relationships, and decisions to stay with or leave their organization. They aim to highlight key issues around political differences and conflict at work, providing a foundation for interventions that encourage more inclusive and cohesive workplace cultures.

Understanding Racial Socialization Among Asian American Families

Generations of Asian Americans have faced systemic racism and exclusion, from historic policies to the recent surge in anti-Asian sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. IPR psychologist Sylvia Perry will use the grant to investigate whether and how Asian American caregivers pass down knowledge and norms around race, ethnicity, and culture to children through a nationally representative survey. The research team will consider how content and engagement in conversations varies by children’s ages. They will also explore how Asian American adults—whether they’re caregivers or not—reflect on their own experiences of racial socialization as children.

Measuring Implicit Bias in Preschool Classrooms

In the U.S., preschool suspensions and expulsions are nearly three times higher than in K–12 settings, with significant racial disparities: Black preschoolers are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than White preschoolers. IPR developmental psychologists Terri Sabol and Sandra Waxman are developing a measurement toolkit for understanding how race shapes everyday classroom interactions. This grant will help them launch EyeTeach, a web-based tool they have developed that uses eye-tracking technology to measure teachers’ implicit biases as they observe videos of classroom interactions among children. 

Expanding Water Access Measurement in the Asia Pacific

IPR anthropologist Sera Young is working with colleagues in Australia and the Asia Pacific region to develop a network, “FoodWISE-Asia Pacific.” Their mission is to shift the focus of measuring water access from infrastructure to people's lived experiences. The grant will support a three-day meeting in Australia, bringing together Asia Pacific intellectual and policy leaders who have used the WISE Scales, along with decision makers poised to use WISE data. This effort aims to expand the WISE Scales to the Asia Pacific region, building on frameworks established at a similar meeting that launched the Latin American and Caribbean WISE network (WISE-LAC).

Photo credit: Adobe Stock Images

Published: April 24, 2025.