The National Poverty Fellows Program is a federal government-university partnership that seeks to build the capacity of early career researchers to conduct high-quality policy-relevant research on poverty and inequality in the United States and to contribute to the effective use of research and scientific knowledge in the formation of public policy.
The Institute for Research on Poverty is calling for applications for up to two postdoctoral fellows for 2025–2026 with an anticipated start date in late summer or early fall of 2025. The fellowship is for one year with the option of renewing for a second year. The fellowship is contingent on the availability of funding.
Fellows will be in residence at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Division of Economic Independence (DEI) | Position Description
Please see the position description and other information in the link above to learn more about their roles within the federal government and the potential responsibilities of fellows placed in those offices.
Applications are due by December 2, 2024, at 11:59 pm CT.
Position Information and Benefits
- Fellowships are for one year, with the possibility of an extension for an additional year.
- Compensation is around $100,000/year and includes health insurance.
- Twenty percent of the fellows’ time is allotted to their own poverty- or inequality-related research.
- Fellows will have an IRP academic research mentor, an outside policy mentor, and will also have networking opportunities with IRP’s 300+ research affiliates.
- Fellows receive a $3,000 budget per year for conference travel, professional development opportunities, and research expenses.
- Fellows participate in two scholar-in-residence visits to IRP at the University of Wisconsin–Madison per year and participate in IRP’s virtual professional development training series.
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to U.S. citizens who are up to 6 years post-Ph.D. in the social or behavioral sciences with a substantive background in poverty, economic inequality, and social policy research from any accredited educational institution. Applicants should have strong research skills; experience with program evaluation; excellent communication skills, particularly in terms of translating research for policy audiences; and work well as part of a team. Successful applicants will be required to pass a federal security background check prior to appointment. Individuals who do not pass their federal security background check are ineligible for the fellowship.
Application Process
There are three main steps in the application process:
- Submit the Intent to Apply Form.
- Participate in the voluntary informational webinar scheduled on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 3:00–4:00 pm CT.
- Link to join Webinar: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/93989811187
- Add to Calendar (iCal file)
- Recording of the webinar will be posted on this website within a week of the event
- Contact three academic reference letter writers who can assess your ability to be successful in this program. Provide each letter writer with the link to the Reference Letter Upload Form and ask them to submit their letter directly using that link by December 2, 2024 at 11:59 pm CT. When their letter is uploaded, IRP will send you an email notification. We strongly encourage applicants to work closely with their academic references to ensure that all materials are submitted by the due date.
- Complete the Application Form including uploading the following materials in one PDF document by December 2, 2024, at 11:59 pm CT.
- Statement of interest: Please detail your interest, background, and qualifications for the Fellowship. This should include your substantive background in poverty, inequality, and social policy research and your experience with quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. Explain your interest in the connection between research and policy, as well as your career goals and areas of interest. This statement should have a maximum of 1,200 words. Statements exceeding this length will not be read.
- Current CV
- Relevant research/writing sample: We ask that you provide a sole-authored or first-authored piece. If you are not the sole author or first author of the sample, you will be asked to explain your role in the research and writing process.
Please contact irpapply@ssc.wisc.edu if you have further questions.