Lawrence Busch Award for Graduate Student Research on Food and Agriculture

About this program

The Lawrence Busch Award, administered by RSS, provides up to $1,000 and a certificate to support graduate student research on the social dimensions of food and agriculture and to advance scholarly development in this area; one award is granted annually. Eligible applicants are graduate students of any nationality (including non‑sociologists) conducting social research on food and agriculture who hold RSS membership and have institutional approval for the proposed project. Applicants must submit a cover letter explaining how the thesis/dissertation will influence their future work and a ≤5‑page proposal (12‑pt font, 1″ margins) including problem statement, brief literature review, methods, timeline, dissemination plan, itemized budget and justification, a CV, and a faculty letter addressing the project’s intellectual significance and likelihood of being pursued during the award year. Budget restrictions include no equipment purchases, no overhead paid to the host institution, and a clear description of which project components would be supported by RSS versus other funding.