Herb Scarf Summer Research Opportunity Faculty Proposal Form

The Scarf RA program allows faculty to hire undergraduate research assistants to work on one or more projects that you propose. To participate, please submit a short proposal describing both the project (one or more) and qualifications for the research assistant using the form below by Friday, February 14, 2025. To see examples of past project proposals, visit the Scarf RA webpage.

The Scarf RA program allows faculty to hire undergraduate research assistants to work on one or more projects that you propose. Each student participant is required to work 160 hours on your project and will earn $4,000. The program dates this year will be Monday, June 2 - Friday, July 25 (8 weeks). The first 6 weeks of the program (June 2 - July 11) will be in person, and you should plan to meet with the students in person, on campus during this time (at least once per week). During this period, the students will also participate in professional development activities (faculty and graduate student research talks, coding workshops, etc.) led by our PhD student program directors. The last two weeks (July 14-July 25), the students -- and you -- may be in person or remote, as mutually agreed upon between you and them. Additionally, by mutual agreement between you and your RA(s), some of 160 hours of RA work that they are performing for you may be shifted outside of the official program dates (earlier or later). In setting work schedules, please be mindful that the students do not receive the second half of their stipends until they complete their work for you.

With the generous support of the James Tobin Fund for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Cowles Foundation, and the School of Management, we are fortunate to be able to support approximately 50 Scarf RAs each summer. The structure of funding support to faculty for hiring Scarf RAs differs across units and is as follows for Summer 2025:

1. Economics Department Faculty: The Economics Department will fund up to two (2) Scarf RAs per faculty member.
2. YLS, YSE, and YSPH Faculty: The Economics Department will fund up to two (2) Scarf RAs per faculty member.
3. SOM Faculty: SOM will provide 50% funding for up to three (3) Scarf RAs per faculty member, and the remaining 50% cost ($2,000) of each RA will be charged to the faculty member’s R&T account.

All Scarf RAs will be hired through the Economics Department. Any additional RAs you wish to hire should be hired using your own research funds, through your home department/school, outside of the Scarf RA program. Space permitting, additional RAs may participate in Scarf RA program activities. Contact Rebecca Toseland at rebecca.toseland@yale.edu to request their participation.

If your project is accepted, it will be posted on the Scarf RA website, and students will be invited to submit applications from Monday, February 17 until Friday, February 28. You may select students on a rolling basis as the applications come in. When you have selected your student(s), please email their name(s) and email(s) to Maria Volonte. Please let all applicants to your project(s) know whether you wish to hire them or not by Friday, March 7, so students not selected may have an opportunity to look for another summer job. 

Students may participate in the Scarf RA program only once. Participation in the term-time Tobin RA program does not preclude participation in the Scarf RA program (and vice versa). If you and your Scarf RA(s) would like to continue working together into the next school year, the student(s) may be hired as a Tobin RA in the Fall, provided they have not already participated in this program for two semesters (the maximum allowed). There is no expectation, however, that one should retain an RA beyond the summer term.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Rebecca Toseland at rebecca.toseland@yale.edu.