The Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality (CPI) is leading a first-of-its-kind “qualitative census” of 5,000 families across the country. The National Poverty Study (NPS) will pioneer new ethnographic, survey, and experimental methods to understand how low- and middle-income Americans are making ends meet today.

The NPS will launch in California this summer, and we are seeking undergraduate research fellows to field it. Fellows will conduct in-person interviews to learn about families’ lives, social networks, economic activity, mindsets, mental bandwidth, health, well-being, and more.

Before going to the field, selected fellows will participate in a research practicum led by professors David Grusky and Kathryn Edin, the country’s foremost expert in qualitative research on poverty. The practicum will include an intensive introduction to the economics, sociology, psychology, and politics of poverty; specialized training in qualitative interviewing and experimental methods; and comprehensive study of the NPS interview protocol.

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, and transcript to inequality@stanford.edu. Applications are being accepted now, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning February 1, 2018.