Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University

Faculty support is reserved for projects that advance the Institute's mission, and for scholars who conduct a significant component of their work either at the Institute or in a manner that contributes to, and intersects with, our other ongoing research projects. Most of our resources support faculty, students, and staff through our extensive research infrastructure. This includes our professionally run technology platforms (including informatics, information technology, statistical computing, data preservation, and geographic information systems); the IQSS collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment; pre-award sponsored research proposal assistance and post-award administration and compliance; help finding federal agencies, foundations, or corporations to fund your work; and other administrative assistance.

Undergraduate Research Scholars Program

IQSS offers financial support for faculty affiliates interested in hiring undergraduate research assistants. We have recently redesigned the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program to better allow faculty to choose the undergraduate who best meets his or her research needs. Overview of the program.

Eric M. Mindich Experimental Social Science Conference

We welcome proposals for a topic (and visitors) for a major academic conference, the annual Eric M. Mindich Experimental Social Science Conference. ("Experimental" is defined as any cutting-edge topic, using any methodology, in our area of interests.) IQSS pays all conference expenses, arranges invitations, and provides necessary administrative and staff support.

Eric M. Mindich Encounters with Authors Conference

We invite proposals to run our annual Eric M. Mindich Encounters with Authors Conference, which is typically a week-long series of talks by the authors of a major work still in progress. You may propose to invite specific scholars to give the talks, or to give the talks about a project you are working on. Proposals for other formats are welcome too. IQSS pays all conference expenses, arranges invitations, and provides necessary administrative and staff support.

IQSS Distinguished Visiting Fellow Award

The IQSS Distinguished Visiting Fellow Award fosters collaborations between IQSS faculty and distinguished scholars outside of the university. It rewards contributions to the IQSS mission made by non-Harvard faculty who work closely with IQSS faculty associations. It is given only to distinguished collaborators who spend at least a week collaborating with one or more IQSS faculty associates in IQSS space. Nomination for the award may only be made by an IQSS faculty associate. Recipients are expected to give one talk to the IQSS community during their stay (usually at one of our regularly scheduled seminars and workshops), and to meet at least once, informally, with a group of IQSS undergraduate and graduate associates to discuss their work. Fellows will receive office space and computer facilities at IQSS, and a stipend of $2,500. To nominate a colleague for the Distinguished Visiting Fellow Award, IQSS faculty associates should send a brief cover letter describing the collaboration as well as the candidate's CV to the IQSS executive director. Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed by committee.

We welcome large scale proposals in two categories. First are proposals for research projects with infrastructure that scales. That is, make the case for some infrastructure that advances your research, and which would also eventually help others here, and we will build it. Do you need a more flexibile implementation of a cutting-edge statistical method, a facility to do on-line experiments, a crawler to download millions of web pages, an algorithm capable of inverting a matrix larger than a tall building in a single bound, or some other infrastructural component? Please apply here by showing us how it will help you and could also help others. Second are proposals for large, high risk projects devoted to making a major difference in the world through quantitative social science research. Ideas can be far-out and low probability, but if successful would solve a major societal problem, influence the lives of many people, or result in major changes in public policies. Proposals are also welcome to start new scientific programs, projects within existing scientific programs, or technology platforms at The Institute.