Selected Awards

2025-2030 W. T. Grant Scholar, William T. Grant Foundation

2025 Outstanding Emerging Scholar Award, AERA Division L: Educational Politics and Policy

2023 Outstanding Educational Policy Report Award (short), AERA Division L: Educational Politics and Policy

2023 Outstanding Emerging Scholar Award, AERA Division A: Administration, Organization, and Leadership

William T. Grant Foundation’s Early Career Reviewer Program Selected Participant

Scholars Strategy Network Health Equity Scholar Program (HESP) Selected Participant, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Invited Speaker, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Presidential Session, Transgender Studies in Education: Taking Responsibility for Harms in Schools and Charting a New Path Forward

Invited Speaker, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Presidential Session, Confronting Anti-Trans Politics in Schools: Navigating Inclusion, Harm, and Institutional Remedies

Invited Scholar, Transgender Education: Building a Field of Research Pilot Learning Community, sponsored by the Spencer Foundation

Invited Scholar, Transforming Public Education: Mapping a Research Agenda, conference sponsored by the Spencer Foundation, October 2019

Vilas Life Cycle Professorship, University of Wisconsin – Madison Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute

AERA Division A: Administration, Organization, and Leadership Outstanding Dissertation Award Honorable Mention

American Educational Research Association (AERA) Leadership for School Improvement Dissertation of the Year Award Finalist

Association of Education Finance and Policy Jean Flanigan Outstanding Dissertation Award Nominee

2017 National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship

UW – Madison School of Education Teaching Innovation Awardee (two-times)

UW – Madison School of Education Teaching Innovation Awardee

Robert J. Menges Memorial Award for Graduate Student Professional Development

Research Grants 

Over $2 million funded as the Principal Investigator

2025-30 William T. Grant Foundation Scholars Program 

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Understanding Educational Gender and Sexual Diversity Reforms & the Use of Evidence in Politically Divisive Contexts

2024-27 Wisconsin Partnership Project Community Impact Grant 

PI: M. McQuillan (academic partner) & GSAFE (community partner)

Title: Leveraging Community Organizations to Support Better Overall Health 

Among LGBTQ+ Youth by Bridging Educators and Families

2025-26 Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Fall Competition

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: How attempts at LGBTQ+ policy erasure influences PK-12 student wellbeing and health 

2024-25 University of Wisconsin Institute of Diversity Sciences Advanced Projects Grant

PI: M. McQuillan, Co-Investigators: Ben Lebovitz^ & Erin Gill^

Title:Assessing Longitudinal Changes in School Climate and Health in a Large, 

Midwestern District 

2023-24 University of Wisconsin Institute of Diversity Sciences Advanced Projects Grant

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: PK-12 School Board Policies Concerning LGBTQ+ Students: Who Has Them, What Do They Say, and How Do They Matter to LGBTQ+ Students' Wellbeing?

2022-23 Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education Fall Competition

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Examining the Impact of Statewide Gender and Sexuality Policy Reforms on Local School District Adoption and Implementation

UW – Madison School of Education PROWESS Scholar, Proposal Writing for Early-career Scholar Success Pilot Program 

2021-23 Vilas Life Cycle Professorship, Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute 

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: LGBTQ+ Policies and the Leaders that Implement 

2019-2021 Spencer Foundation Learning Community Pilot Program 

PI: M. Mangin

Title: Transgender Education: Building a Field of Study 

(M. McQuillan sub-contract)

UW – Madison School of Education Teaching Innovation Grant Awardee 

2020   Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE) Pandemic Affected Research Continuation Initiative (PARCI) Grant

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Administrators' Understanding of District Policies and Procedures Related to Gender: An Interview Study 

UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research’s Advancing Health Equity and Disparities (AHEAD) Pilot Grant 

Parent NIH/NCATS Grant #1UL1TR002373 

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Investigating the Work Experiences and Health of Trans Workers in K-12 Schools

UW – Madison School of Education Teaching Innovation Grant Awardee 

2019   Madison Education Partnership Sponsored Project 

PI: M. McQuillan, S. Hohs (practitioner partner), and J. Herdina (practitioner partner)

Title: Madison Education Partnership: Examining School Supports and Barriers to Improving the Health, Safety, and Academic Achievement of MMSD Gender-Expansive Students 

The Graduate School Conference Grant 

School of Education and Social Policy Conference Travel Grant 

Robert J. Menges Memorial Award for Graduate Student Professional Development

2018   Research Initiatives in Developmental Sciences Grant 

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Transitions: Pubertal Medical Treatment, Social Stress, Social Support,

Inflammation and Immune Response for Two Cohorts of Gender-Dysphoric 

Youth (CRP/IL-6 assays) 

Presidential Fellowship Funding and SESP Endowment Funds 

Presidential Fellowship Research Funding ($2,000)

The Graduate School Conference Gran

School of Education and Social Policy Conference Travel Grant

Sexualities Project at Northwestern Conference Presentation Travel Grant 

2017  Presidential Fellowship Funding and Specials Tuition Grant 

The School of Education and Social Policy Conference Travel Grant

Sexualities Project at Northwestern Conference Presentation Travel Grant 

National LGBTQ Conference Scholarship 

National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship 

2016    Northwestern University Graduate Research Grant 

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Transitions: Pubertal Medical Treatment, Social Stress, Social Support, Inflammation and Immune Response for Two Cohorts of Gender-Dysphoric Youth 

Society, Biology, and Health Research Fundin

PI: M. McQuillan

Title: Transitions: Pubertal Medical Treatment, Social Stress, Social Support, Inflammation and Immune Response for Two Cohorts of Gender-Dysphoric Youth 

School of Education and Social Policy Dissertation Fellowshi

Sexualities Project at Northwestern University (SPAN) Conference Presentation Travel Grant ($500)

SESP Conference Travel Grant (

2015.  SPAN Summer Research Grant 

SESP Conference Travel Grant 

Institute of Policy Research Graduate Research Fellowship 

2014   SPAN Conference Presentation Travel Grant; Society, Biology, and Health Cluster Professional Funding 

IES Multi-disciplinary Program in Education Sciences - assisted in writing this multi-million-dollar predoctoral training grant 

Summer Fenway Institute in LGBT Population Health Training Fellowship 

Wildcat Excellence Award for Best Graduate Student Association, Executive Board

Institute of Policy Research Graduate Research Fellowship

2013   Society, Biology, and Health Interdisciplinary Cluster Fellowship and Punke Endowment

SPAN Summer Research Grant

Northwestern University “Be the Change” Multicultural Student Affairs Grant

Northwestern Graduate School Community Building Grant 

Graduate School Conference Travel Grant (

SESP Travel Grant 

2012  Human Development and Social Policy Fellowship