About Us

Since 2014, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the PhD Excellence Initiative has worked to elevate awareness about the importance of new perspectives within economic research.

We do this in numerous ways: generating research; organizing an annual Summer Research Workshop for scholars to mentor each other in the profession; and, foremost, by identifying high-achieving emerging scholars (college graduates or graduating seniors) who demonstrate a passion for economic research—as well as the deepest commitment to bringing new perspectives—and preparing these students for the rigors of a doctoral program in economics.

About Our Fellowships

2018 PhDEI Alumni Fellows

As an Initiative Fellow, you will:

  • Join the wider community of Stanford GSB Research Fellows
  • Serve as research assistant to Stanford Prof. Peter Blair Henry
  • Take advanced coursework in economics and related fields
  • Participate in our Summer Research Workshop and other professional development opportunities
  • Receive funding, including a stipend, health insurance, and tuition
  • Have access to University resources
  • Receive GRE test preparation
  • Benefit from guidance on applications to PhD programs

Components of the Initiative

The PhD Excellence Initiative is an intensive, individualized, predoctoral training program with a high degree of one-on-one mentoring that is scholar-centric, providing fellows with time and space to accumulate the human capital needed for success in and beyond graduate school.

Each Research Fellow works and studies full time for two years with Peter Blair Henry, Stanford University professor and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and at the Freeman Spogli Institute. (Peter was formerly the W. R. Berkley Professor of Economics and Finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and is Dean Emeritus).

PhDEI participants join the vibrant community of Research Fellows who sit at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and use their time in the Initiative to take courses that augment their skills in advanced mathematics; prepare for the GRE and eventual applications to top PhD programs; and engage in the production of theoretically grounded empirical research, for the purpose of crafting high-quality articles, papers, lectures, and proposals to leading professional journals and symposia. All fellows assist with formulating questions, collecting data, and engaging in rigorous statistical analysis with a view toward increasing academic writing skills and familiarity with the academic publishing process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: (c) 2019 Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Fellowship Funding

Thanks to funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, each fellow receives a competitive annual stipend, paid over 12 months, to offset housing and living expenses while working and studying full time at Stanford University, in California.

With support from the Hoover Institution and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, fellows also have the opportunity to enroll for credit in up to two Stanford University classes per quarter in economics, advanced mathematics, statistics, or other relevant subject areas.

Intensive Mentoring

Personal involvement is a hallmark of the Initiative. Fellows benefit from a high level of one-on-one mentoring, including regularly scheduled meetings to discuss and receive advice on coursework, research, and publications.

Fellows also have access to the Initiative’s wider Peer and Mentor Network, which begins each year with participation in the Initiative’s Summer Research Workshop.

Institutional Support

Active fellows of the Initiative at Stanford belong to the Graduate School of Business (GSB) research community. Fellows enjoy access to a cohort of peers, faculty, libraries, tutoring, and the vibrant life of the university campus and surroundings of Palo Alto, CA.

Our fellows further benefit from the Initiative’s relationships with partner programs. Examples include invitations from the NBER to attend Summer Institute sessions, as well as the chance to interact with leadership and staff researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who has generously hosted our Summer Research Workshop since July 2018.