Mentoring Program on Aging and Health Economics Research

Cambridge, MA — October 1, 2026

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), with support from the National Institute of Aging, is hosting a mentoring program for students who are interested in pursuing research in aging and health economics and have limited access to mentorship in these areas. The program will include elements of both training, such as discussions of state-of-the-art empirical methods and relevant data sets, and project development, with an emphasis on identifying promising research questions. It is directed at doctoral students at various stages in their training, from those who are trying to determine which research field to focus on to those who are already launched on dissertation work on the economics of aging, health, or demography.

The program will be led by NBER affiliates Jetson Leder-Luis (Boston University) and Sebastian Tello Trillo (University of Virginia). Mentees will participate in a day-long workshop at the NBER’s offices in Cambridge, MA, on Thursday, October 1, 2026. There will be opportunities to interact with other mentees as well as with senior scholars studying health and aging issues. Mentees are encouraged but not required to remain in Cambridge for a meeting the following day (Friday, October 2, 2026) on long-term care and caregiving. The NBER will reimburse travel expenses and is available to help with booking travel for mentees who require financial assistance.

To introduce the mentoring program, the NBER will host two online informational and question-and-answer sessions. One session will be held on Thursday, April 30, 2026 (2–3pm ET) and another on Friday, May 8, 2026 (2–3pm ET).

Register for the Thursday, April 30 session. 

Register for the Friday, May 8 session. 

The program leaders will describe the mentoring workshop and address questions about the program and the selection process.

Applicants for the mentoring program should assemble two items:

  • A current CV that includes completed PhD courses and, when appropriate, the name of the applicant’s primary dissertation supervisor; and
  • A one-page single-spaced explanation of the applicant’s current research interests and motivation for attending the mentoring workshop, including some description of the kinds of support or guidance that would be most helpful.

Upload your CV and explanation of interest combined in a single PDF file no later than 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, May 31, 2026.

Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered. Applicants from all PhD granting-institutions are welcome. Acceptance decisions will be announced in late June 2026.

Please share this call for applications with others who may be interested in this program, and direct questions to Sarah Holmes Berk (sholmes@nber.org).