To promote research on the economics of crime and the criminal justice system, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), with generous support from Arnold Ventures, is accepting applications for post-doctoral fellowships to support early-career economists. The fellows will be able to conduct intensive research in the economics of crime and related fields and to visit the NBER’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Applications from researchers who are just completing their PhDs, as well as from junior faculty members who may be able to combine this fellowship with an early-career leave, are welcome.
The fellowship consists of a stipend of $110,000 for the 2025–26 academic year and a reimbursement for health insurance. The NBER will provide office space and IT support at its Cambridge headquarters, and fellows will also receive research support as well as funds for conference travel. The goal of the fellowship is to advance each fellow’s self-directed research agenda, and research support may be conditioned on the nature of proposed projects. Fellows will be invited to participate in NBER-sponsored research meetings, particularly the Economics of Crime Working Group meetings. Fellowship-related activities should represent the fellow’s primary responsibilities; Subject to satisfactory progress, fellowship support may be renewed for a second year.
Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a letter of recommendation (preferably from a dissertation supervisor), and a research proposal of no more than five pages of text and two pages of supplemental tables and graphs, outlining a research project that will be conducted during the fellowship years. Applications are due by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, December 5, 2024. The proposal should include a cover page with your name, organization/university affiliation, contact information, and title of the proposed project (not counting against the page limit). The proposal should describe the key research questions to be answered and their relevance to the economics of crime or a criminal justice system policy issue. It should also outline the study design and timeline, including sample sizes and power analyses if applicable. Applicants may in some cases be asked to expand on their proposals and to describe planned project deliverables. A sample research paper related to the proposal topic may also be included.
Applicants must have completed their PhD in Economics by June, 2025. The NBER welcomes applications from women, members of groups that have been under-represented in the economics profession, individuals with disabilities, and veterans. The NBER may be able to sponsor fellowship recipients for a J-1 visa under its research scholars program.
A selection committee chaired by Jens Ludwig of the University of Chicago and Crystal Yang of Harvard Law School will review applications, as will program staff at Arnold Ventures. Fellows will be selected on the quality of their research plan and the promise and research experience of the applicant. Fellowship recipients will be notified in January 2025.