Announcing the 2026 ACMS Field Research Fellowship Recipients!
This year's application cycle was particularly competitive, and it was difficult to select just three awardees from the nearly 20 talented undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, researchers, and early-career scholars who applied.
The following three applicants have been selected to receive ACMS Field Research Fellowships:
1. Mungunchimeg Batsaikhan, PhD Candidate, Program of Ethnography and Cultural Anthropology, Doctoral School of History and Ethnography, University of Debrecen, Hungary. "The Impact of Tourism on Cultural Identity and Everyday Life of Local Residents: The Case of Khuvsgul Lake National Park, Northern Mongolia"
2. Wyatt Hiltner, Incoming PhD Student, University of Minnesota Duluth, Water Resource Sciences. "Taimen Facial Recognition: A New Method of Recapture Identification"
3. Tom Offer-Westort, PhD Student, University of Vermont, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Project Title: "How Traditional Knowledge and Beliefs about Wolves Shape Mongolians’ Preferences for Wolf Management"
It's hard to believe that 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the ACMS Field Research Fellowship program. Over the past 20 years, more than 120 scholars, students, and researchers have been able to conduct vital research with ACMS support.
This year, we are incredibly grateful to the Field Research Fellowship alumni who paid it forward—generously donating to support this year's Field Research Fellowship program. Their contributions have allowed us to award these fellowships despite ongoing cuts to the U.S. Government grant that has historically supported this valuable initiative.
Now, we ask you to consider making a tax-deductible gift of your own to honor the hardworking, dedicated scholars in your life and support the future of this program. With your help, we can celebrate another 20 years of ACMS Field Research Fellowships. Thank you for your support.
