RAND Postdoctoral Training Program in the Study of Aging

We are no longer accepting applications for this program year.

The RAND Postdoctoral Training Program in the Study of Aging enables outstanding junior scholars in demographic and aging research to sharpen their analytic skills, learn to communicate research results effectively, and advance their research agenda.

Funded by a T32 training grant through the National Institute on Aging, the program blends formal and informal training and extensive collaboration with distinguished researchers in a variety of disciplines. The fellowship duration is one year, with the potential to renew for a second. Each fellow receives an annual stipend, travel stipend, and health insurance.

Fellows must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must have completed a Ph.D. (or its equivalent) in a relevant discipline before they begin the program. The RAND Fellows program is open to new scholars in the field of demographic and aging research, as well as individuals who already have research experience on these topics. For example, in some cases, fellows take leave from an academic position to engage in research and writing full time and extend their research agenda and funding base.

The program provides fellows with a great opportunity to jump-start their research careers. After completing the program, RAND Fellows have taken positions at

  • The University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • The University of Virginia
  • The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • The University of Minnesota
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • RAND
  • The State University of New York at Stony Brook
  • The Army Research Institute
  • The World Bank
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • The National Human Genome Research Institute
  • The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
  • The White House

Advantages of the RAND Environment

RAND provides a distinctive environment for fellows in the program.

  • RAND’s primary activity is research. The environment offers a rich variety of ongoing studies and an experienced staff of professional researchers with whom fellows can collaborate. The fellows also have the opportunity to interact with other scholars at RAND. In addition, each fellow designs and pursues an individual research program.
  • RAND projects are typically interdisciplinary, bringing together, for example, economists, sociologists, psychologists, statisticians, and health professionals. Fellows may collaborate on research projects already under way that link population studies and aging research to other areas.
  • RAND’s research in population and aging is distinguished by its scholarly orientation and by the productivity of its staff. The value and visibility assigned to publications increase the likelihood that fellows will produce scholarly articles, either individually or in collaboration with RAND staff.
  • Fellows have full access to RAND’s research facilities, including a state-of-the-art computer hardware and software, a nationally acclaimed library, an extensive data facility that obtains and maintains research databases, and special consulting and training services in computing, statistical analysis, and written and oral presentations.

Program Structure

Each fellow, in regular consultation with a staff adviser, designs a program that reflects his or her research needs, interests, and stage in their research career.

Formal Training

When appropriate, fellows may choose from a wide range of substantive and methodological courses in policy analysis offered by the RAND School of Public Policy. These include statistics, econometric methods, social science research methods, health policy analysis, and a number of other courses in applied policy analysis.

Fellows also enhance their experience in preparing and using large databases. In addition, fellows can sharpen their communications skills by taking advantage of classes in effective writing and briefing for scientific and policy audiences through the RAND School of Public Policy.

Collaboration and Informal Training

Fellows benefit not only from formal education opportunities but also from the opportunity to collaborate closely with senior researchers. The research profile of training staff illustrates the exceptionally broad analytic interests of the RAND staff. Typically, fellows work on two or three projects each year, including ongoing studies in collaboration with RAND researchers and studies of his or her own design. Fellows broaden their informal interaction with the research staff by participating in several seminar series on topics concerning population and aging offered at RAND.

Developing a Research Agenda

An important goal of the program is to help fellows enhance their careers as independent researchers. Staff advisers mentor fellows in the preparation of presentations for professional meetings, conferences, and papers for journal publication.

In addition, fellows are encouraged to design and submit a proposal for a research project to be conducted after leaving RAND. Fellows can sharpen the skills vital to preparing a successful proposal by drawing on the experience of senior staff and by taking advantage of classes on writing effective proposals.

How to Apply

We are no longer accepting applications for this program year. If you would like to be notified when applications reopen or have questions in the meantime, please contact the program manager, Jessica Richard.