News

Announcing the LEGO Foundation Fellowship

The Social Science Research Council is pleased to announce the LEGO Foundation Fellowship, a new global research fellowship developed in partnership with the LEGO Foundation. The fellowship will support early- and mid-career researchers whose work can strengthen understanding of how children thrive across diverse contexts. Applications open June 1.

Social Science Research Council Welcomes New Members to its Board of Directors

The Social Science Research Council is pleased to welcome five new members to its Board of Directors: Bruce Carruthers, Johanna Mair, Bill Maurer, Margaret O’Mara, and Edward Walker.

For over a century, leading social and behavioral scientists serving on the Council’s Board have provided a critical connection to the academic research community.

Items & Issues Newsletter: April 2026

This month’s theme is the environment—one of the most urgent and consequential areas of social science inquiry, and the site of profound human-driven change. As we close out Earth Month, we highlight how social science research can illuminate the impact of new environmental realities on society.

Just Tech Fellowship Calls for Applications

SSRC’s Just Tech program invites applications from researchers, artists, and practitioners working at the intersection of technology and society for the 2027 Just Tech Fellowship. The Just Tech Fellowship provides a one-year unrestricted award of up to $60,000 to support research, creative practice, or community-engaged work. The fellowship period runs from January 2027 through December 2027. Applications are due June 28.

Introducing the SSRC-JF Next Generation Japan Studies Development Program

The SSRC is excited to announce the launch of the SSRC-JF Next Generation Japan Studies Development Program, a new initiative in partnership with and supported by the Japan Foundation. Designed to foster cross-cultural scholarly engagement and collaboration, the program opens new opportunities for students, faculty, and institutions to deepen Japan-related research and teaching in the United States.

Items & Issues Newsletter: March 2026

This month’s theme is religion—an important aspect of national and international politics, a pervasive sociocultural force, and a critical area of study for social science. In this month’s edition, we highlight social science research that illuminates how religion intersects with nationalism, race, international policy, the public sphere, and more. 

Reintroducing The Immanent Frame

Since 2007, The Immanent Frame has served as a central node for vibrant analysis of the role of religion and secularism in public life. The Council is thrilled to share a refreshed version of the TIF website, marking a new chapter and enhancing the visibility of TIF’s scholarly work. In TIF’s redesign, we’ve worked to maintain TIF as a flagship scholarly forum, as well as one that brings relevant research in religious studies to new audiences. 

Housing Case Studies 2026 Summer Research Opportunity

The Better Urbanism, Infrastructure, and Land-Use Decisions (BUILD) Research Network program, seeks proposals from researchers to recruit and supervise students to conduct high-quality case studies during the summer of 2026 on state legislative sessions that passed bills intended to legalize or encourage housing production.

Items & Issues Newsletter: February 2026

The SSRC’s first-ever research committee was formed in response to the restrictive immigration laws of the 1920s. A century later, as enforcement and detention expand and public scrutiny of federal immigration operations increases, this issue of Items & Issues gathers social science research on immigration and its connections to labor, race, foreign policy, surveillance, and more.

SSRC Signs New MOU with FMSH

The SSRC is pleased to announce the signing of a new memorandum of understanding with the Fondation Maison de Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH). The MOU affirms our shared values, mutual recognition, and alignment as like-minded institutions committed to fostering the global production of knowledge and the dissemination of high-quality social science research. We look forward to increased collaboration and opportunities to promote research, learning, and access in the social sciences and humanities.

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