Behavioral Macroeconomics Research Boot Camp for Graduate Students

May 14–15, 2026 — Cambridge, MA

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), with the generous support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, will host a Behavioral Macroeconomics Research Boot Camp in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 14–15, 2026. This intensive workshop is designed for economics PhD students who are beginning or conducting research in behavioral macroeconomics or related fields. The program will consist of research presentations by several active researchers in this field. The workshop will be organized by Professor Yuriy Gorodnichenko (University of California, Berkeley and NBER).

The boot camp is designed to promote research activity in behavioral macroeconomics. It is particularly well suited for PhD students in economics who are either considering, or already doing, research in this area. Applicants must have successfully completed the first year of their PhD program. Those in the second, third, and fourth years of their respective programs will be given priority for participation, although advanced PhD students who are well along on dissertation research may also apply. Applicants must be enrolled as full-time PhD students at a US or Canadian university. Participants are expected to carefully prepare for the workshop by reading a set of background papers. Participation is limited to admitted applicants. There will be many opportunities for networking among student participants and between students and faculty.


About 25 students will be included in the workshop; their travel and lodging expenses will be reimbursed subject to NBER reimbursement guidelines and caps. Participants will be accommodated for two nights.

Applications should be submitted via the following Google form: 

https://forms.gle/4Qov9iGobFnczmyb7

Submissions should be made no later than Monday, December 15, 2025 at 4:59 pm EST and include the following application materials, in this order, in a single pdf file:

  • A cover letter that includes complete contact information, as well as the name of the recommendation letter writer.
  • A curriculum vitae that includes a list of all current and completed Ph.D. courses.
  • A two-page essay explaining the rationale for attending the boot camp. This should include a brief description of the applicant’s current and future research direction.

In addition, a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s PhD advisor, no more than two pages in length, should be sent separately to Ms. Elisa Pepe (epepe@nber.org) by the same deadline. Acceptance decisions will be announced by early February, 2026.  

Questions about the scientific program for the workshop may be directed to Professor Yuriy Gorodnichenko (ygorodni@econ.berkeley.edu). Questions about logistics and the application process may be directed to Ms. Pepe (epepe@nber.org)