Tobin RA Faculty Proposal Form

The purpose of the Tobin Undergraduate Research Assistantship (Tobin RA) program is to give undergraduate students an opportunity to learn about economics research first hand, working for a professor. We are now soliciting projects for the Fall 2025 semester. To participate, please submit an online proposal (below) briefly describing both the project (one or more) and qualifications for the research assistant by Friday, August 22. For examples from previous years, go to the Tobin RAs webpage. You should also use this form to indicate that you would like to continue working with an RA you worked with in the Tobin RA program during the spring semester or over the summer in the Herb Scarf Summer Research Opportunities (HSSRO) (“Scarf RA”) program.

With the generous support of the Cowles Foundation and the School of Management, we are fortunate to be able to support approximately 50 Tobin RAs each semester. The structure of funding support to faculty for hiring Tobin RAs differs across units and is as follows for Academic Year 2025-26:

1. Economics Department Faculty: The Economics Department will fund up to two (2) Tobin RAs per faculty member each semester. Additional RAs may be hired using your own research funds, outside of the Tobin RA program.
2. YLS, YSE, and YSPH Faculty: The Economics Department will fund up to two (2) Tobin RAs per faculty member each semester. Additional RAs would need to be hired using your own funds, through your own school, outside of the Tobin RA program.
3. SOM Faculty: SOM will fund 50% of each Tobin RA hired, up to three (3) per semester, and the remaining 50% will be charged to the faculty member’s R&T account.

Each Tobin RAship lasts one term, with an option to renew for an additional term if both parties would like to do so. Students may participate in the Tobin RA program only once. Participation in the HSSRO (“Scarf RA”) program does not preclude participation in the Tobin RA program.

The student application form will open on Monday, August 25. Applications from students will be accepted until Friday, September 5. You may choose your RA(s) 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, so the students can be enrolled in payroll and listed on the Tobin RA program webpage. Please aim to complete your hiring decisions by Wednesday, September 10.

Students are expected to work approximately 10 hours per week for 12 weeks. Students typically work for pay, and those who do will be paid on an hourly basis ($16.50/hr). In lieu of monetary compensation, students may earn academic credit for their work through the Directed Reading course, Econ 4498 (Fall) or Econ 4499 (Spring). In order for the student to enroll in directed reading, you and the student will need to develop a plan of study for the semester to enhance and scaffold the RA work and ensure that the student is able to both achieve and demonstrate academic growth. Please see the Directed Reading Form that allows you and the student to develop such a plan. This form will need to be approved by both you and the DUS, Giovanni Maggi, before the end of the Add/Drop period.

If you have any questions about the Tobin RA program, please feel free to contact Rebecca Toseland.