Professional Development Support Funds


PDS Travel Update

All students should refer to the Laney Graduate School International Travel Policy that is available here. Students applying for PDS funding for international travel must seek approval from the LGS Dean using the International Travel Permission Form on the Laney Connect Hub. Proposed domestic travel does not require a separate approval process beyond the standard PDS application.

Please refer to the Emory Forward website for the most up-to-date university COVID-19 guidelines and resources.

At the Laney Graduate School, we support and encourage students who need to acquire specialized research skills by traveling to other locations, and who seek to present their research at significant professional conferences.  One way we do this is through the Professional Development Support Funds program, or PDS.

PDS Handbook

The PDS Handbook is your essential guide to PDS procedures and policies. 

Download PDS Handbook

PDS funds are designated for LGS doctoral students and are allocated in three separate categories: Training, Research, and Conferences.

Broadly speaking, PDS funds are important on two fronts:

  1. Helping students prepare to apply for funding from external agencies; and
  2. Helping students acquire training pertinent to their degree not offered at Emory, conduct research for their dissertations and research projects, and network and present at conferences.

Students are eligible for up to $2,500 in the three categories of training, research, and conferences. Funds are not guaranteed but are subject to application and review. Additionally, for training and research, students may also apply for more than the $2,500 through a competitive process that, like many grants and fellowships, involves committee review.