Graduate Research Fellows Program

University of Wisconsin–Madison social science Ph.D. students who have an interest in poverty research and expect to complete a related dissertation are eligible to apply for IRP’s Graduate Research Fellows (GRF) Program. In selecting fellows, preference is given to those who receive financial support through IRP and/or are working with an IRP affiliate.

The GRF program and meetings comprise:

• substantive policy and research discussions that are connected with the IRP seminar themes (e.g., welfare reform, economic and social inequality, etc.) and may at times include a guest speaker;
• methodological training and discussions, which are also frequently linked with seminar presentations;
• professional training sessions that focus on preparing students for responsibilities associated with their research careers; and
• support of students’ dissemination of research.

Time and Location

Most training seminar meetings occur on Thursdays from 10:45–11:45 am at IRP during the academic year. Meeting times may change occasionally throughout the year to accommodate conference attendance and other events at IRP.  Most meetings will be held in-person for the 2023–2024 academic year. Receipt of other support (described below) depends on regular attendance at the training seminar meetings in semesters without a documented conflict.

Fellows are also expected to consistently attend the regular IRP seminar on Thursdays from 12:15–1:30 unless they have a teaching conflict.

How to Apply

A call for applications is released each year in early August and due by August 21. The IRP GRF application form asks students to submit their curriculum vitae and a brief description of their graduate student status and their research plans for their remaining time at UW and/or dissertation topic. Applicants are notified on or before August 29 of their application outcome.

Research support

IRP Dissertation Research Fellowship

Active IRP Graduate Research Fellows (i.e., current-academic year GRFs who are regularly attending seminars) who are close to finishing their studies, and are sponsored by an on-campus Affiliate, are eligible to compete for an IRP Dissertation Research Fellowship that provides a year of support to complete their doctoral dissertation. Calls for applications are released in February. The funding is made possible by support from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Other Support

Active IRP Graduate Research Fellows (i.e., current-academic year GRFs who are regularly attending seminars) beyond their first year of graduate school are eligible to request support for their research training up to $725 per year. Support can be for:

• research support for costs related to data collection such as transcription, participant payments or mileage [To apply: submit one page write up of the research including a brief budget justification to IRP’s Associate Director for Research and Training];
• for conference travel and registration fees associated with presenting a poverty-research-related poster or paper at a research conference [To apply: submit application for conference attendance support to IRP’s Associate Director for Research and Training].

Policy for Supporting IRP Graduate Research Fellows (GRF) Research Using the Wisconsin Administrative Data Core