Stanford Impact Labs PhD Fellowship Summer 2023
Stanford Impact Labs is accepting applications for its fourth annual PhD Fellowship (formerly called the Summer Collaborative Research Fellowship), an opportunity for current PhD students at Stanford. Each application should be completed jointly by the PhD student applicant and their faculty mentor and submitted by March 27, 2023.
Program Description
The SIL PhD Fellowship supports PhD students to work on solutions-oriented research that addresses a particular social problem under the mentorship of a faculty member and in partnership with social, public, or civic sector organizations.
Fellows engage in weekly workshops facilitated by Stanford Impact Labs to gain resources, skills, and practical knowledge necessary to pursue partnership and solutions-oriented research. Workshop topics include but are not limited to: understanding and defining social problems; pathways from science to impact; partnership and co-creation; doing impact-focused research within and beyond academia; engaging policymakers; and communications.
The program also provides an opportunity for PhD students to join a community and network of scholars that want to use their research skills and insights to support partners in designing, testing, and scaling solutions to a particular social problem.
The program includes a $4,000 supplemental fellowship stipend.
Eligibility
Current PhD students at Stanford (who graduate later than fall 2023) may apply. Applications must be completed jointly by the PhD student applicant and the faculty mentor with whom they are conducting research during the summer of 2023; however, training sessions associated with the fellowship are only for PhD students.
Research collaboration between the PhD applicant and faculty mentor may vary by discipline: the proposed project may be part of the the PhD applicant’s dissertation, on which the faculty mentor is an advisor; the proposed project may be part of the faculty mentor’s broader research agenda, with the PhD applicant providing research assistance; or the proposed project may be a standalone project of another nature on which the faculty mentor and PhD applicant are collaborating. It does not matter the specific relationship, but we have found that the fellowship is most useful if PhD students are focused on the partnership and solutions-oriented project for which they are applying for at least 50% of their time throughout the duration of the fellowship.
Application Criteria
Competitive applicants will be working over the summer (in at least a 50% capacity) on a research project that:
- Seeks to address a particular social problem, e.g. by influencing policy or designing and implementing a program or initiative
- Is under the mentorship of a Stanford faculty member
- Is implemented in partnership with an organization external to Stanford (e.g., community or nonprofit organizations, public sector offices) or is working toward developing partnerships
Competitive proposals will:
- Demonstrate a potential value-add to the doctoral student, including the collaborative research and mentoring environment in which they will be situated
- Illustrate a clear scope of work and potential benefits to the research team and project outcomes
Additionally, competitive applicants will:
- Demonstrate a commitment to both scholarly research and public service
- Exhibit curiosity, humility, and a learning mindset
Program Requirements
Fellows will attend 10 in-person gatherings at Stanford throughout the summer quarter (June 26-Aug. 19, 2023).
Fellows will work on their proposed research project under the mentorship of their faculty mentor, in at least a 50% capacity throughout the summer quarter.
Fellows will also have access to one-on-one coaching with Stanford Impact Labs staff.
Application Instructions and Materials
To be ensured of full consideration, please send the completed application form (download application form here) no later than March 27, 2023, to silphdfellowship@stanford.edu with the subject line: “Summer 2023 SIL PhD Fellowship Application Submission.”
Written applications will be evaluated on the application criteria listed above.
Timeline
- The application deadline is Monday, March 27, 2023.
- Decisions will be communicated by the end of April 2023.
Questions? Please contact Alex Carr, Stanford Impact Labs: acarr2@stanford.edu.
Info Session
Join us virtually on Thursday, March 9, 2023, from 12-1 p.m. Pacific time to learn more about the program.