The Tobin Center for Economic Policy and the Department of Economics at Yale University are recruiting Pre-Doctoral Fellows for 2027–2028. These are paid, full-time research jobs at Yale for people with a bachelor’s or master’s degree who are thinking about a PhD in economics or a related field. Fellows work with Yale professors on real policy research for one to two years, and can take a Yale course each semester.
International applicants are welcome: Yale says it sponsors J-1 visas for accepted international fellows, unless a specific project says otherwise.
Deadline: applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until positions are filled, so apply as early as possible.
At a Glance
| Host | Tobin Center for Economic Policy and Department of Economics, Yale University |
| Location | New Haven, Connecticut, USA (on campus) |
| Type | Full-time, salaried research job with health insurance |
| Duration | 1 year, renewable for a second and final year |
| Start | Most positions start in July 2027 |
| Who can apply | Bachelor’s or master’s graduates considering a PhD in economics or a related field |
| Visa | J-1 visa sponsored for international fellows |
| Deadline | Rolling, until positions are filled |
Research Positions Currently Listed
Each position is attached to one or more Yale faculty members. Topics listed include:
- Development Economics (Rohini Pande)
- Development and Experimental Economics (Rohini Pande and Maria Kogelnik)
- Energy and Environmental Economics (Nicholas Ryan)
- Infrastructure construction, taxing the rich and state capacity (Zachary Liscow)
- Economics of the safety net
- Health care in the US
- Housing and urban economics
- The US criminal justice system
- Retirement security and Social Security reform
- Economics of children and families (Janet Currie)
- The Budget Lab (Natasha Sarin)
- The history and long-run effects of urban renewal
New positions may be added and filled ones marked, so check the official page for the current list. For African applicants, the development economics and energy and environmental economics roles may be the closest fit.
Benefits
- A competitive salary, set to match similar programmes at other universities, plus standard benefits including health insurance
- J-1 visa sponsorship for international fellows
- Hands-on research training with leading Yale economists
- The chance to take one Yale course per semester for credit, or audit one. Yale says it factors course costs into fellows’ salaries.
- A weekly professional development seminar and access to department research seminars
- Multi-day orientation and training at the start
- A strong route into a PhD: Yale says past fellows have gone on to top economics and business PhD programmes, including Columbia, Harvard, MIT, LSE and Stanford
Eligibility
- A bachelor’s or master’s degree by the start date
- Considering a PhD in economics or a closely related discipline
- Able to work full-time on campus in New Haven
- Open to applicants of all nationalities. Yale sponsors J-1 visas unless a project description says otherwise.
- Programming skills (for example Stata, R or Python) and prior research experience strengthen your application. You’ll need to submit a coding sample.
How to Apply
- Read the project descriptions on the official page and choose the faculty projects you’re interested in.
- Complete the common application, which asks for your background and a ranking of preferred faculty supervisors.
- Upload one PDF named LastName_FirstName_Tobin_Predoc_Application containing, in this order:
- a cover letter covering your interest in the programme and specific projects, dates available, programming and research experience, and names, emails and phone numbers of 2–3 references
- your CV
- your undergraduate transcript (unofficial is fine)
- your graduate transcript, if applicable
- a writing sample (any length)
- at least one coding sample, or a link to your GitHub
- If a faculty member asks for materials directly, send them too, but still submit the common application.
- Shortlisted candidates may get a data or technical exercise and an interview.
Apply for the Yale Tobin Center Pre-Doctoral Fellows Program (official page) · Official FAQs
Questions: [email protected]
Tips for African Applicants
- Apply early. Positions are filled on a rolling basis, so a strong application in November has a better chance than one in March.
- Show your coding. A clean Stata, R or Python sample that cleans data and runs a regression is often more convincing than a long essay.
- Link your interests to the project. If you apply to a development role, show what you know about the policy questions, perhaps using data from your own country.
- Look at other predoc roles too. Yale is part of the PREDOC consortium, and predoc.org lists similar jobs at other universities.
