By Francis Von Mann

Department of Women and Gender Studies Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Lentjes and Department of Geography Ph.D. candidate Bea Abbott have been awarded 2026 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowships, making them the first University of Kentucky students to receive this particular fellowship. Generously supported by the Mellon Foundation and administered by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the program supports doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences as they pursue innovative approaches to dissertation research, including new methodologies, formats and collaborations with community partners beyond the academy.

Lentjes and Abbott are two of 50 graduate students selected from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants through a rigorous, multi-stage peer review process that drew on the expertise of more than 170 scholars across the country. Each fellow receives an award of up to $52,000, consisting of a $42,000 stipend; up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, professional development and travel; and a $2,000 stipend to support external mentorship that offers new perspectives on the fellow's project and expands their advising network.

Lentjes's research explores how the antiabortion movement weaponizes sound, such as mandatory ultrasound testing and amplified protests outside clinics; through her fieldwork, she will conduct an “auditory ethnography” at reproductive health clinics across the Southeast United States.

Abbott’s research examines the visuospatial politics of Europe’s maritime borders, focusing on the image-making and circulating practices people on the move have developed to document and survive their migratory journeys.

"The 2026 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellows present some of the most exciting and forward-thinking scholarship happening today in the humanities and social sciences," said Alison Chang, ACLS senior program officer in U.S. programs. "ACLS is proud to support their scholarship, and we look forward to following their impact in the academy and beyond."

ACLS launched the Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship Program in 2023 to expand and recognize a wider range of research methods, modes and subjects in dissertation research. The 2026 awardees will pursue a range of approaches to the dissertation, incorporating trans- and interdisciplinary research, mixed methodologies and non-traditional scholarly formats.