Mercedes Spencer

Importance and impact of research

I am currently a doctoral candidate within the Developmental Psychology program at Florida State University. Broadly, my research focuses on the development of children’s language and literacy skills and how the relations among these skills potentially interact.

Advice for prospective graduate students

Although applying for external funding can seem daunting at first, there are incredible supports throughout Florida State University—from your advisor to grants specialists within your department to pre- and post-award staff within the Office of Research and Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards—who will help you to submit a competitive application. Being able to successfully apply for external funding is an invaluable skill for any aspiring scientist, and having the opportunity to receive an external award or fellowship that funds research that you are passionate about can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your graduate career!

Accomplishments during graduate career

As a graduate student at Florida State University, I have been the recipient of several awards, which have enabled me to continue to meaningfully contribute to the field. As an incoming graduate student in 2010, I received a five-year Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Training Fellowship from the Institute of Education Sciences, which provided me with both funding and ample training opportunities to pursue my graduate education. In 2016, I was awarded the Mark and Gloria Charness Cognitive Science Fellow Award, which recognizes graduate students who demonstrate superior research performance within the Department of Psychology. During the 2016 Celebration of Graduate Student Excellence, I was recognized as the recipient of two additional awards: the Graduate Student Research and Creativity Award and a Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health. Each of the awards that I have received throughout my graduate career has greatly impacted my experience as a graduate student at Florida State University, as they have allowed me to devote my time and efforts to that which is most important to me: my continuing education and my research.