The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York announced on May 15 its selection of the 2026-27 Social Mobility Lab research grantees. Twelve scholars from institutions across the United States and abroad were chosen to advance research focused on social mobility.
The announcement is significant as it highlights ongoing efforts to understand and improve pathways for upward mobility, particularly among students from historically excluded communities. The work supported by these grants aims to produce actionable insights that can inform policies and practices in higher education.
This year’s cohort includes Alexander Adames, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan, who will develop a new measure of lifetime social mobility; Alexander Browman, assistant professor of psychology at the College of the Holy Cross, whose project focuses on first-year college students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; Prabal De and Zixiao Feng from The City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Center, examining tuition rates’ impact on intergenerational mobility; Gul Gunaydin and Emre Selçuk from Sabanci University in Istanbul, studying cross-class connections among students; Ivan Hernandez (California Polytechnic State University) and David Silverman (Yale University), exploring how community colleges communicate social mobility opportunities; Hedda Phan (CUNY Graduate Center), researching affirmative action’s effect on income mobility for minorities; and Paul Piff with Anais Geronimo Jimenez and Rudy Medina (University of California at Irvine), investigating familial interdependence as an asset for working-class college students.
Social Mobility Lab Director Bob McKinnon introduced the new grantees during the Lab’s Second Annual Summit at CCNY. “With this new round of grants, the Lab has now funded 36 researchers at 19 colleges and universities throughout the United States and, for the first time this year, abroad,” said McKinnon. “We’re so excited by this cohort of grantees as their work bridges scientific inquiry and real-world application. Each project is designed with translational impact at its core and the potential to meaningfully improve lives.”
Throughout the upcoming academic year, grant recipients will engage in discussions aimed at enhancing their projects’ practical impact. They are expected to present their findings during next year’s Social Mobility Lab Annual Summit.
“Central to our mission at the Colin Powell School is the commitment to expand opportunity for students from communities historically excluded from power,” said Colin Powell School Dean Marc Ostfield. “These research projects all have the potential to generate actionable insights and inform policies and practices that foster a deeper understanding of social mobility and make social mobility more accessible for those looking to move up in life.”
