Yuan (Timothy) Zhuang awarded NARSC Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science
May 11, 2026
(Text below provided by NARSC.)
Congratulations to Yuan (Timothy) Zhuang, Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education at Penn State and NERCRD graduate researcher, who has been selected as the winner of the North American Regional Science Council (NARSC) 26th Annual Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science! The Fellowship will provide a 2026–2027 Academic Year stipend of $36,000 to support his dissertation research on “Labor and Energy Market Impacts of Data Infrastructures on Local Communities.”
Mr. Zhuang’s winning proposal presents a compelling study of the impact of data center development on local economies at a time when data center development is rapidly expanding. His work will extend the literature which has mostly focused on single data centers or state-level outcomes. He also will examine both the electricity markets and labor markets, providing much needed insights for local communities who may be negotiating community benefits agreements. The 2026 Selection Committee was especially impressed with the combination of intellectual ambition and on-the-ground relevance represented in the proposal. Zhuang is studying with dissertation advisor and Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development Director, Professor Stephan Goetz.
In addition to selecting the Fellowship recipient, the Selection Committee identified two applicants as meriting special recognition as finalists in the 26 th Annual Competition: So Young Kim, Doctoral Student in the Department of Economics at the University of Rochester, advised by Professor John Singleton; and Ji Hyun “Nadia” Kim, Doctoral Student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois, advised by Professor Marc Doussard.
The 26th competition winner and finalists will be recognized at the awards luncheon of the 73rd North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 11-14, 2026. The Committee thanks the 21 students who entered the competition, as well as their dissertation supervisors.
The Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in Regional Science was established in 1998 in memory of Dr. Benjamin H. Stevens (1929–1997), an intellectual leader whose selfless devotion to graduate students as teacher, advisor, mentor, and friend continues to have a profound impact on the field. Graduate students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America are eligible to compete for the Benjamin H. Stevens Graduate Fellowship in support of their dissertation research in regional science.
Faculty at all North American Ph.D. programs are asked to encourage their best students to apply for the 27th Stevens Graduate Fellowship, which will support the winning student’s dissertation research in the field of regional science with a fellowship for the 2027–2028 academic year. Further details about this fellowship are available here. The application deadline and full submission guidelines will be available later this year.
The 2026 Stevens Fellowship competition was overseen by a Selection Committee composed of: Eleni Bardaka, North Carolina State University; Zhenhua Chen, The Ohio State University; Joshua Drucker, University of Illinois Chicago; Heather Stephens, West Virginia University; and Ran Wei, University of California, Riverside.
The Stevens Fellowship Management Committee administrates the Stevens Fellowship Fund on behalf of the North American Regional Science Council. Its current members are Elizabeth Mack, Michigan State University; Joao Ferreira, University of Virginia; Amanda Weinstein, Center on Rural Innovation; and John Sporing (ex officio), Executive Director of NARSC.
Fundraising to support the Stevens Fellowship Fund, begun in 1998, is ongoing. Donations may be made either via credit card on the NARSC website or by sending a check to: The Stevens Fellowship Fund / First Financial Bank, Attn: Danville Trust Department / One Towne Center / Danville, IL 61832 USA.