F: Doctoral Fellowship

Join to apply for the 2025-07F:
Paid Doctoral Fellowship role at MDRC
. Be among the first 25 applicants.

In summer 2026, as part of its Gueron Scholars Program, MDRC, teaming up with The Policy Academies, will offer up to two virtual paid fellowships to doctoral candidates who are pursuing independent, self‑directed research on economic, educational, or social problems affecting Americans with low incomes. The goal of the fellowship is to provide opportunities for doctoral students to gain exposure to social policy research and professional networks, understand employment options beyond the academic and public sectors, and access the advice and support of MDRC’s staff in completing their dissertations.

Applications are open to all interested doctoral students.

MDRC has created this special financial assistance program for students enrolled in doctoral programs in child welfare, criminal justice, economics, education policy, family relations, psychology, social policy sociology, or related fields that align with our project work that is conducted in the following five policy areas:

• Economic Mobility, Housing, and Communities Policy Area
• Family Well-Being and Children’s Development Policy Area
• K-12 Education Policy Area
• Postsecondary Education Policy Area
• Youth Development, Criminal Justice, and Employment Policy Area

To maintain program benefits, fellows will be expected to:

• Dedicate the necessary time and effort to complete all onboarding activities.
• Develop specific milestones to make progress on their doctoral dissertation and work in good faith to complete dissertation research activities outlined in the fellowship application.
• Engage in the intellectual life of MDRC by attending relevant meetings, seminars, and professional networking sessions.
• Interact with MDRC research staff with expertise relevant to their dissertation research.
• Present their research to the MDRC community.

• Must be enrolled and in good academic standing in a doctoral program in criminal justice, economics, education policy, political science, psychology, social policy, sociology, or related fields. Students specializing in data science for social good are also encouraged to apply.
• Must use qualitative or quantitative research methods in their dissertation.
• Must have a dissertation proposal or prospectus that addresses a policy‑relevant question that has been approved by the applicant’s academic department and, if applicable, by their university’s Institutional Review Board.

• Applications are due by 11:59 pm (ET) on Monday, January 12, 2026. Applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed.
• The application review process will begin after the Final date to receive applications.
• Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.
• Interviews (when scheduled) will be conducted via video conferencing.
• Please see “What to expect from MDRC’s recruitment process” for more information.

• A curriculum vitae or résumé, including relevant academic and work experience.
• A personal statement (up to two single‑spaced pages), which must include the following:
• your interest in social policy issues and research,
• your immediate career interests and goals after graduating from the doctoral program,
• how you expect this fellowship, coupled with your academic pursuits and/or prior experiences, will contribute to your professional growth, and
• how your background, academic studies, and life experience have impacted your professional pursuits and why they make you a strong candidate for the doctoral fellowship.
• A proposal (up to 2,000 words) that discusses the rationale for the dissertation research you plan to pursue during the fellowship period. Include a (1) statement of the research question, (2) the data you will be using, (3) the analytic approach you are taking and its relevance to social policy, (4) the steps you will take during the course of the fellowship to complete the project, and (5) how you believe a doctoral fellowship at MDRC will aid you in meeting your proposed research goals.
• An unofficial copy of your graduate school transcript(s), which…