Ieva Zumbyte was recently awarded a research fellowship for Tamil Language training. Ieva is a fifth year PhD candidate in sociology whose research explores the social, economic and political conditions that determine childcare arrangements and practices, their quality and how use of childcare institutions relates to women's time use and employment decisions in urban settlements in the Global South. In her dissertation project, Ieva combines qualitative, quantitative and GIS methods to explore linkages between the use of different types of childcare and women's work patterns in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has inhibited Ieva's research, she has used this time as an opportunity to enhance her Tamil skills and hopes to resume fieldwork as soon as face-to-face research activities are safe. Ieva had planned to be in India Jan 2020-Sept 2021 to collect data and do some analysis/writing. Due to the pandemic she was only able to collect data during Feb-March 2021.  Fortunately, Brown University has increased it's support so Ieva will be able to remain in India until January 2022. 

Ieva was one of four students to recieve a winter funding fellowship from CCSA to support her work and work adaptations to the coronavirus pandemic.