2025–26 Lurie Fellows. Back row from left to right: Quieraney Belvin, Emma Ortman, Ella Chase, Del Abney | Front row from left to right: Aamna Tirmazi, Bipasha Roy, Lauren Farley
Student Fellowship in Disability Policy
About the Student Fellowship Program
As society's understanding of disability policy develops, new research questions about the needs, experiences, and unmet needs of people with disabilities will arise. Tackling those questions requires new ways of conceptualizing disability as a social, political, cultural, and medical phenomenon. To develop the next generation of disability-policy scholars, the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy has created the Student Fellowship in Disability Policy. Established in 2019, the fellowship offers Brandeis University undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to develop research skills and expand their knowledge of disability policy through direct research training with established Lurie Institute investigators. As of 2025, we have trained more than forty fellows.
Recording available soon: the 2025–26 Student Fellows' Presentations
The application process for the 2026-2027 fellowship cohort closed on April 24, 2026. Please check back on this page for instructions on next year's application process.
Click below to listen to why student fellows chose the fellowship:
Click below to listen to student fellows offer their tips on the application process:
Watch the 2025 Student Fellow Presentations!
Fellows Presentation Video 2025Access previous years' Fellows Presentation Videos
Learn what previous fellows had to say:
David Cahn, Student Fellow '24-'25
Lurie's Student Fellowship has been a highlight of my time at Brandeis. The mentorship is second to none, and I’m incredibly grateful that my mentors encourage me to contribute meaningfully to their research.
Tori Lajous, Student Fellow '24-'25
I've really enjoyed my time as a fellow. I learned how to use Stata and organize large quantities of data, both of which will be helpful in my future career. It's also been fun getting to work in a field that I haven't had previous experience in.
Shoshi Finkel, Student Fellow '19 & '19-'20
The fellowship really pushed me to want to apply to law school and work to improve American law and policy to better serve those with disabilities.
Julia Brown, Student Fellow '19
I liked that I had a lot of autonomy over the research I was conducting. I was able to set goals and clearly communicate what skills I wanted to gain from the fellowship.
Jack Rubinstein, Student Fellow '19-'20
The fellowship reinvigorated my commitment to working in public health. It is the primary reason that I decided to apply to grad school.
Regina Tham, Student Fellow '19-'20
I enjoyed the meetings we would have together with all the fellows. I think it was nice to hear about what other folks were doing, check in with each other, and hear from guest speakers. I also appreciated this experience because I was able to get a real perspective on what research is like. I'm also grateful to have learned so much about disability policy and advocacy through the fellowship.