ND PIER Ph.D. Student awarded NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship
Virna Vidal-Menezes, a Ph.D. candidate in Economics and a fellow in Notre Dame’s Program for Interdisciplinary Educational Research (ND PIER), has been awarded a 2026 Spencer Dissertation Fellowship from the National Academy of Education.
One of 35 fellows selected from nearly 500 applicants, this honor will allow Vidal-Menezes to continue research exploring the impacts of expanding educational access in low- and middle-income countries. “The resources of the Spencer Fellowship will give Virna the opportunity to hone her dissertation work within a fantastic community of scholars who are passionate about educational research,” says Taryn Dinkelman, Associate Professor of Economics and Vidal-Menezes’ advisor.
Vidal-Menezes’ dual enrollment in the Economics department and ND PIER is an opportunity to study education through a multidisciplinary lens. Students in this program pursue graduate studies within their home departments while participating in interdisciplinary educational research training. “I'm always very happy when work on education in development/low- and middle-income contexts enters spaces that are mostly US or generally education-focused,” says Vidal-Menezes. “Even though developing and developed countries face very different barriers in education, there are many shared challenges and solutions. Amazing work is being done in both of these contexts, and I think we can learn a lot from each other.”
These types of connections are an important part of ND PIER. The experience challenges students to communicate effectively with those who view education from different perspectives, and to provide feedback from multiple points of view. “Different perspectives are so helpful,” says Vidal-Menezes. “This type of exchange pushes us to deeper thinking, helping inform research and interpretation. Working in PIER was one of the reasons I chose Notre Dame for graduate studies.”
The NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship is a highly competitive award that encourages a new generation of scholars from various disciplines to undertake research relevant to improving education. It supports candidates whose dissertation projects bring innovative and insightful approaches to the history, theory, analysis, or application of formal and informal education.
“I couldn’t be prouder or happier for Virna receiving the prestigious 2026 NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship,” said Mark Berends, director of PIER. “This honor reflects the extraordinary quality and promise of her scholarship. It’s an impressive award, and we look forward to seeing Virna’s research make significant international contributions to education research and policy.”
