Dissertation Fellow, Identifying and Nurturing Mathematical Talent Among Youth

Deadline to apply: January 20, 2027, at 5 pm EST

Description

To support research on the development of mathematical talent in students, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is offering up to five non-resident dissertation fellowships for the 2027–2028 academic year. These fellowships are open to doctoral students in economics and economics-adjacent fields, such as public policy, at US and Canadian universities, who will have advanced to dissertation candidacy by the start of the fellowship period. The dissertation research must focus on issues related to identifying and developing mathematical talent among youth. 

Fellows will join a network of peers with related research interests, receive guidance from an NBER faculty mentor, and participate in the NBER Summer Institute’s Innovation/Productivity meeting in Cambridge, MA, in July 2027. 

Fellows will be selected based on their potential to make an important contribution to the field.

Compensation

Stipend of $37,000, plus $3,000 to support research costs, $13,000 to defray tuition and fees, and financial support to participate in the NBER Summer Institute meeting.

Eligibility

A fellow must be a full-time PhD student at a US or Canadian university who has advanced to dissertation candidacy status. Potential fellows may approach the subject of mathematical talent development from a number of perspectives. Projects that involve original data collection, descriptive work, quasi-experimental data analysis, and randomized controlled trials are all within scope. Fellows must attest that their research is their primary activity for the fellowship year and receive prior approval for any work as a research assistant or teaching assistant that will be carried out during the fellowship year. 

Application Deadline

January 20, 2027, at 5 pm EST. Fellowship awards will be announced in March 2027.

Apply (live soon)

Application Requirements

  • A cover letter of no more than one page summarizing the applicant’s background and providing the names and e-mail addresses of two references.
  • Curriculum vitae.
  • A research proposal of no more than one page. The proposal will be judged by its technical quality and by its relevance to either (1) work related to uncovering hidden math talent in low- and middle-income countries, or (2) work investigating mechanisms for supporting exceptionally talented youth in the navigation of their potential.

Selection Committee

Applications will be evaluated by a review committee consisting of Ruchir Agarwal (Harvard University), Ina Ganguli (University of Massachusetts, Amherst and NBER), Patrick Gaulé (University of Bristol), Eddie Mandhry (Schmidt Futures), Paul Niehaus (University of California, San Diego and NBER), and Heidi Williams (Dartmouth College and NBER).

Funder

Carina Initiatives

Contact

Elisa Pepe (epepe@nber.org)