Two Doctoral Students Selected as Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows

April 30, 2026

By Katya Hrichak

For pushing beyond disciplinary boundaries and conventional forms of scholarship, city and regional planning doctoral students Manoel Pereira Neto and Gauri Nagpal have been named Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Dissertation Innovation Fellows.

The fellowship provides early-stage humanities and interpretive social sciences doctoral students pursuing innovative approaches to dissertation research with a $42,000 stipend for the fellowship year; up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, development, and travel costs; and a $2,000 stipend for external mentorship.

“Being selected as a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellow means being trusted to pursue a project that does not fit neatly within a single field,” said Pereira Neto. “The fellowship is recognized for supporting work that takes risks and pushes conversations in new directions, so it feels like a strong vote of confidence in the kinds of questions I am asking about housing.”

Pereira and Nagpal were two of 50 fellows selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 applicants.

With the support from the fellowship, Pereira Neto will be conducting research into rental practices through immersive fieldwork in Barcelona and Mexico City, experiencing firsthand how these systems operate in practice.

“The fellowship provides me the time and flexibility to focus fully on the dissertation and develop a more ambitious project,” he said.

Nagpal also intends to conduct fieldwork while supported by the fellowship, with her research taking her to India and South Africa where she will work with institutions and actors involved in carbon finance.

“It also enables me to experiment with new forms of research communication, including podcasts and animated shorts, which would be difficult to pursue within the constraints of a traditional dissertation. These formats are especially important for reaching practitioners and communities directly affected by climate finance who may not have access to academic publications,” she said. “This fellowship expands both the scope and impact of my research.”

Both students appreciated the assurance experienced with their selection for the fellowship.

“It is an encouraging reminder that the questions I care about around power and inequality in the urban resonate beyond my discipline and are worth pursuing with rigor and creativity,” said Nagpal.

“No matter how supportive your committee is, you eventually start to second guess your ideas and wonder if they really hold together,” said Pereira Neto. “Knowing that my project was read and selected by scholars across disciplines, beyond my immediate circle, gives me confidence that it does.”

The Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows program is made possible by a grant from the Mellon Foundation.