Directed Research Fellowship

The Directed Research Fellowship program funds primary research conducted by doctoral candidate, post-doc fellow, and junior faculty on a research focus area specified by think2perform RESEARCH INSTITUTE (t2pRI).

Successful proposals will draw a clear link between the proposed project, t2pRI’s specified research focus area, and t2pRI’s mission to advance primary research in moral and purposeful leadership and/or emotional intelligence.

Candidates are eligible for grants of $3,000 to $5,000. Funding may be applied to direct costs of research and collaboration, including time, travel, data collection and analytics. Indirect costs of research are not allowable under the terms of our grants.

Apply Now: Directed Research Fellowship Application Form.

Call for Directed Research Fellowship Proposals

Research Focus Area #1: Moral Intelligence, Rights, and Artificial Intelligence in Organizations

We seek research proposals that advance our understanding of the meaning and practice of morally intelligent leadership in the context of artificial intelligence. How does artificial intelligence challenge our notions of universal moral principles of integrity, responsibility, compassion, forgiveness? How does artificial intelligence change our understanding and practice of moral leadership? When is it moral to utilize artificial intelligence? Furthermore, how will artificial intelligence affect the notion of rights? How will artificial intelligence be regulated? How does artificial intelligence change our right of speech? How does artificial intelligence affect defamation and accountability?

Research Focus Area #1 proposal deadlines:

January 15, 2026. Awards announced by March 1.
June 1, 2026. Awards announced by August 1.

Additional details regarding fellowship benefits, requirements and expectations are outlined below.

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Research Focus Area #2: Leadership in Virtual/Hybrid Work Environments

Leadership of teams and organizations has changed dramatically since 2020. Leadership in virtual team and organizational environments is a reality for many, yet we do not yet understand why some leaders, teams and organizations succeed in transitioning to virtual collaboration, team-building and goal achievement, while others do not.

We seek research proposals that address the virtual leadership question today, with an eye toward helping leaders, team members and organizations grow into great leadership and collaboration in the virtual environments of tomorrow.

Research Focus Area #2 proposal deadlines

January 15, 2026. Awards announced by March 1.
June 1, 2026. Awards announced by August 1.

Additional details regarding fellowship benefits, requirements and expectations are outlined below.

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Recommended Background Information For Proposals:

Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the seminal works of think2perform RESEARCH INSTITUTE (t2pRI) Board Members and Special Advisors, including:

Moral Intelligence 2.0 by Doug Lennick and Fred Kiel
Return on Character by Fred Kiel
The Power of Purpose by Richard Leider

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Fellowship Eligibility

Applicants must be a doctoral student, post-doc or faculty member in good standing at an accredited institution of higher education.

Application Components:

3-5-page proposal describing the research, including background, significance, relevance to t2pRI’s mission, brief summary of relevant literature, research question, methods, expected real-world applications, and project timeline.
Two-page project bibliography.
Abbreviated Curriculum Vitae (CV) including most relevant past publications, two pages maximum.
Proposed project budget detailing how the funds will be used:
- If multiple sources of funding are anticipated for the project, please include a total project budget and name those other, anticipated sources of funding and what aspects of the project they will fund.
Two references who are able to speak to the quality of the applicant’s research agenda.

Application Submission Process:

Applications should be submitted via the Directed Research Fellowship Application Form.

Review Process

Only completed applications will be reviewed. The review process consists of two steps:

The completed application will be reviewed and ranked by the t2pRI Fellowship Review Committee, consisting of members of the t2pRI Board of Directors.
Highly-ranked applicants will be invited to interview with the t2pRI Fellowship Review Committee.

A final decision will be made on the basis of the above two steps.

Evaluation Criteria

Alignment of project with the Directed Research Fellowship Research Focus Area and with t2pRI’s mission to advance primary research in moral and purposeful leadership and/or emotional intelligence comprises the first level of project evaluation.

If the project is deemed aligned with the above, the proposal will be evaluated for demonstrated excellence of applicant and proposed research project, including:

Applicant body of work as outlined in CV.
Project quality, including project’s contribution to the field, brief summary of relevant literature, research question, methodological rigor, expected real-world applications, and project timeline.
Anticipated real-world application of the findings to organizations, including businesses and nonprofits.
Proposed use of funds.
Project feasibility within proposed project timeline.

Award:

Candidates are eligible for grants of $3,000 to $5,000. Funding may be applied to direct costs of research and collaboration, including time, travel, data collection and analytics.
Each Research Fellow will be profiled on t2pRI’s website and receive recognition in t2pRI’s social media.
After completing the research, each Research Fellow will be eligible to submit an article summarizing his/her findings for publication on t2pRI’s website and promoted through t2pRI’s social media channels.

Fellow Expectations and Requirements:

The research project should culminate in:

Executive summary of findings, including recommendations for practical application.
Presentation of research findings tot2pRI’s Board of Directors.
Upon request, a written contribution to t2pRI’s Social Impact Paper Series for publication on the t2pRI website.
Upon request, a profile and summary in t2pRI’s social media.
Upon request, a presentation of findings at a t2pRI conference.

For more information about current and former Research Fellowship recipients and their research, please visit our Research Fellows and Projects page.

For more information about the Research Fellowship, please contact:

Brian Hammer, Executive Director: bhammer@t2pri.org | +1 612.843.5017