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ANN ARBOR — Nearing the end of his time in graduate school at the University of Michigan, Bill Chopik found himself in an all-too-common situation: he was out of money.

Money can be a perpetual source of frustration for students, but Chopik’s needs went beyond what you’d typically expect from a student at just about any point in their academic journey.

“I desperately needed funding for another year of grad school and for our lab’s research,” he said. “We were doing this really important study at the time, examining people expecting their first child and how their hormones change, how they psychologically change, and how their partners change.”

Chopik’s study was especially challenging because around half of the couples in his sample were lesbians, presenting a logistical problem. The population of lesbian couples was more geographically scattered, meaning it would take more time -— and money — to collect their data and biological samples.

But that’s when his relationship with the Institute for Social Research (ISR) and Next Generation Initiative (NGI) began.

“Jacqui Smith and the Health and Retirement study swooped in and kind of saved my butt by adding me as a research assistant–funding my last year of grad school,” Chopik said.

Relief for data collection came in the form of the Libby Duvon Junior Scholar Fund, a $4,000 award that allowed Chopik to complete key aspects of his study.

“It helped us with participant payments and assay fees and processing, so we could process their saliva to get their hormones.”

It became one of the most comprehensive studies of lesbian parenting to that point, exploring both psychological and physiological aspects of the life of a new parent. And without the boost from NGI funds, it wouldn’t have been possible.

“That important portion of the study may not have happened at all. It would have been a non-starter. We had run versions of a pregnancy study before, and were just trying to scrape and get by, because there weren’t a lot of funding agencies just chomping at the bit to fund a study like this at the time.”

Eventually, his work on the study helped Chopik land a job. HIs last year of grad school, doors began to open for postgraduate employment, and he ultimately landed a tenure track position at Michigan State, where he is now an associate professor of psychology.

“I moved an hour west and taught 300 people on my first day — a bit overwhelming,” he said.

But the payoff didn’t end there. Chopik’s study explored an important part of life course development, meaning the data he collected could pay dividends for others as well. Three years after he completed his study, his data was used by another researcher to complete their master’s thesis, another two future students also published papers using the data, and Chopik’s advisor ultimately wrote a significant review on their lab’s work, including the portion funded by his NGI award.

Now, as he prepares to take on a new position at Washington University in St. Louis, the moment everything changed stands out. The funding arrived just when he needed it most, setting in motion more than a decade of progress that led him to where he is today.

“They gave me a step up when I really needed it, and it facilitated a lot of stuff,” Chopik said. “I got tenure. I got grants. I kept doing work with students. The last 10 years, I can really point to ISR affiliations that have really helped.”

Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])