Five Texas State University doctoral students— Hailey Collord-Stalder, ChristiAna Dunham, Katie Gerstner, Ivanna Robledo and Erin Shilling—have received 2025-2026 Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Scholar Awards.
The P.E.O. Scholar Awards are one-time, competitive, merit-based awards intended to recognize and encourage academic excellence and achievement by women in doctoral-level programs. The $25,000 awards provide partial support for study and research.
Collord-Stalder is a doctoral student in applied anthropology. She earned her B.A. in anthropology summa cum laude from California State University, Chico, and her M.A. in anthropology from TXST. Her dissertation is “Evaluation of Portable X-Ray Fluorescence for Resolving Commingling in Burned Human Skeletal Remains.” She was advised on her dissertation by Nicholas Herrmann, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Anthropology. Collord-Stalder has solved more than 30 cold cases through her work as deputy coroner investigator with the Sherriff's Office in Shasta County, Calif., and was recently hired by the Oregon State Police. She was nominated by P.E.O. Chapter IW of Horseshoe Bay.
Dunham is a doctoral student in applied anthropology. She earned her B.A. in biological anthropology summa cum laude from Westminster College and her M.S. in human skeletal biology from New York University. Her dissertation, “The Effects of Activity Level and Obesity on Bone Structural Properties and Their Utilization in Forensic Identification,” examines bone properties using high-resolution imaging technology to aid in the identification of unknown skeletal remains. She was advised on her dissertation by Daniel J. Wescott, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Anthropology and director of the Forensic Anthropology Center at TXST. Dunham was nominated by P.E.O. Chapter HW of Marble Falls.
Gerstner is a doctoral student in applied anthropology. She earned her B.S. in organismal biology and public outreach from Illinois State University and her M.A. in anthropology from Wayne State University. Her dissertation is “Examining Environmental and Anthropogenic Effects on Wild Savanna Chimpanzee Gut Microbiomes in Senegal.” She was advised on her dissertation by Jill Pruetz, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Anthropology and principal investigator of the Fongoli Savanna Chimpanzee Project in Senegal. Gerstner previously received a Love of Learning Award from Phi Kappa Phi and a small grant from Primate Conservation, Inc. She was nominated by newly formed P.E.O. Chapter KA in San Marcos.
Robledo is a doctoral student in applied anthropology. She earned her B.A. in anthropology with an emphasis on biological anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her M.A. in anthropology with a concentration in biological anthropology from TXST. Her dissertation, “La Crisis Migratoria: Multi-method genetic, craniometric and isotopic analysis for migrant identification efforts,” aims to improve the identification of deceased Latin American migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. She was advised on her dissertation by Herrmann, who also serves as director of geophysical investigations for Operation Identification (OpID), a humanitarian project within FACTS whose mission is the identification and repatriation of unidentified human remains found along the South Texas border. Robledo is a past recipient of the National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship and received an honorable mention for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She was nominated by P.E.O. Chapter HW of Marble Falls.
Shilling is a doctoral student in aquatic resources and integrative biology. She earned her B.S. in biology (ecology, evolution and behavior) from the University of Texas at Austin and her M.S. in marine science and oceanography from Florida Atlantic University. Her dissertation is “Evolution of coral physiology and holobiont composition in response to stony coral tissue loss disease in the Caribbean.” She was advised on her dissertation by Lauren Fuess, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biology. Shilling was also recently awarded a Dissertation Completion Fellowship from The Graduate College. Shilling was nominated by P.E.O. Chapter IW of Horseshoe Bay and is the first student from TXST’s College of Science and Engineering to have been selected as a P.E.O. Scholar.
With these five awards, TXST doctoral students have now received 14 P.E.O. Scholar Awards within the last six years — nine awards within the Department of Anthropology alone and 12 within the College of Liberal Arts.
P.E.O. Scholars have demonstrated their ability to make significant contributions in their chosen field of study, having assumed leadership positions in university academics, scientific research, medicine, law, performing arts, international economics, history, literature, government and other demanding fields.
For the current cycle, P.E.O. selected 100 recipients out of 776 applicants.
For more information, visit www.peointernational.org/about-peo-scholar-awards.