Shelly White, a first-year doctoral student in applied anthropology at Texas State University, has been selected for the Texas Leadership Research Scholars Program, a prestigious statewide initiative awarded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that supports top students at public research universities in Texas.
White’s dissertation research focuses on conflict photography, examining violent images as complex cultural artifacts with deep social and political dimensions. She aims to explore how such imagery is produced, distributed, and viewed, incorporating perspectives from photographers, curators, texts, and the images themselves.
“I hope to contribute toward an existing body of literature on visual anthropology and violence/conflict theories in a unique way that can encourage and enable the use of these ideas in more anthropological work across subdisciplines,” White said.
Her work aims to provide a framework for applying these ideas across the field—an especially valuable contribution to today’s visually saturated culture.
White earned her bachelor of science in anthropology from TXST in 2017, with minors in mathematics and sociology. She began a master’s in public health at the University of Washington but shifted paths after a year, working in cultural resource management archaeology across 13 states and teaching at a field school in Belize. She returned to TXST in 2022, completed her master’s degree in anthropology in 2024, and immediately entered the doctoral program.
“The theme of much of my career and academic work has been pursuing the opportunities presented to me, most of which I never could have predicted, so in that sense, I am willing to see what comes my way as well,” she said.
White credits conversations with her dissertation chair, Michelle Hamilton, Ph.D., and theory classes within the Department of Anthropology for shaping her research interests. Hamilton describes White as both a natural leader and an outstanding scholar.
“Nomination decisions like this are easy when you have an exceptional student like Shelly,” said Hamilton, professor of anthropology. “Her leadership potential and intellectual scholarship made her an obvious choice for nomination to the Texas Leadership Scholars Program. Shelly’s research stands out because it will push the boundaries of visual anthropology by treating wartime and conflict photography not just as imagery, but as complex artifacts with deep social and political dimensions. Her work will advance important conversations about the enduring cultural life of visual documents.”
The award offers significant support toward completing White’s doctoral degree, covering costs associated with attendance and enabling opportunities for research materials, equipment, and travel. The four-year fellowship is awarded by a committee of deans at The Graduate College at TXST based on academic achievement and demonstrated leadership.
“It has reframed the research process from asking ‘How will I afford this?’ to ‘What would make this research the best it can be?’” White said.
Throughout her career, White has received multiple honors, including the 2025 Texas State Graduate College Scholarship, the 2017 Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Anthropology award, and the 2023 Department of Anthropology Student Leadership Award.
She highlighted the faculty in the Department of Anthropology for supporting her nomination and encourages other students to apply for awards, even ones they may not feel fully qualified for.