DJ McDonough, Kinesiology Ph.D. candidate, has been awarded the prestigious University of Minnesota Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for 2020-2021.

McDonough is advised by Kinesiology associate professor Zan Gao, Ph.D., and is a member of the School’s Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory. His thesis is titled, “Effect of a YouTube-Delivered Physical Activity Intervention on Overweight/Obese College Students’ Physical Activity and Health: A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Trial.”

The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) gives the University’s most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write a dissertation during the fellowship year.

McDonough is one of 100 students across the University who received the award this year, along with fellow School of Kinesiology student Arash Mahnan.