Meredith Slopen, PhD, MSSW, assistant professor at the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare, has been awarded a 2026 Early Career Research Award from the WE Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
The initiative funds researchers examining workforce issues and labor markets. Dr. Slopen is one of 10 researchers selected from around the world to receive awards worth $7,500 each.
Eligible researchers must have completed a doctorate in the last six years and pursue “policy-relevant research on labor market issues.” Dr. Slopen’s proposal was titled “Can New Paid Sick Leave Laws Reach Excluded Workers and Support Older Workers to Stay Employed, Economically Secure, and Meet Retirement Goals?”
“I'm extremely honored to have been awarded an Early Career Research Award and to be a part of this distinguished cohort,” said Dr. Slopen. “My research will study the impacts of paid sick leave mandates on the employment and economic security of older workers."
Founded in 2007, the Early Career Research Awards have funded more than 250 research proposals. Recipients of this award write a paper for the Upjohn Institute’s working paper series. According to the institute, many awardees have “research published in leading peer-reviewed journals,” with some receiving national media attention.
Dr. Slopen is one of eight U.S.-based researchers to receive the award in 2026. Researchers based in Italy and Germany were also selected.
