Sponsored by the Social Science Research Council, the Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) program supports graduate students in formulating effective doctoral dissertation research proposals that contribute to the development of interdisciplinary fields of study in the humanities and social sciences. The fellowship cycle includes spring and fall workshops designed and led by pairs of senior tenured faculty, which provide a framework for pre-dissertation research and guide proposal writing within the context of selected research fields. In the summer months, student fellows carry out exploratory field research on their topics to evaluate issues of feasibility and methods of investigation. Aaron was awarded a fellowship in the Development and Migration field.