Please check back for information on the 2027-26 positions. For questions about specific job postings and application requirements, please contact tobinpredocs@yale.edu.
CSAP offers a predoctoral fellowship program in partnership with the Tobin Center. This program provides strong training and hands-on research experience for people with a bachelor’s or master’s degree who are thinking about pursuing a Ph.D. in political science or a related field.
The program focuses on quantitative research in American politics and is connected to the Tobin Center’s Economics Predoctoral Fellows Program, which studies policy-relevant economic issues. Fellows work full time for one to two years as research assistants with one or more faculty mentors.
In addition to research, fellows take part in training activities to build their skills. Each semester, they may take or audit one course, join a weekly professional development seminar, and attend research talks in political science and economics.
All positions are based on campus. Fellows share workspaces to encourage collaboration and peer learning, and they are located close to faculty in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies and CSAP.
Predoctoral Projects 2026-27
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Quantitative Political Behavior Research
Faculty Mentors: Alan Gerber and Gregory Huber
This position has been filled
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The Democratic Party in the Knowledge Economy
Faculty Mentor: Jacob Hacker
This position has been filled
How to Apply
We invite interested applicants to apply for political science projects and join a vibrant, diverse community of scholars. Full application details are available on the Tobin Center’s Predoctoral Fellows Program website.
We welcome candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, including political science, other social sciences, and data- or computation-focused fields. For CSAP positions, the coding sample is optional. Some faculty may also request materials directly. Please follow any project-specific instructions listed in the individual project descriptions above and submit the general application as well.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. New openings may be added to the CSAP listing, and filled roles will be marked. Shortlisted applicants may be asked to complete a data or technical exercise and take part in an interview.
Most positions begin in July, aligning with the Tobin Center’s multi-day orientation and training, though some flexibility may be available. Positions typically last one year, with the option to renew for a second year by mutual agreement. Compensation is competitive with similar programs and includes standard benefits, such as health insurance. Yale may sponsor visas for international candidates, unless noted otherwise in a specific project description.
For more information about the CSAP political science program and application process, please review our FAQs below or contact tobinpredocs@yale.edu.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Yale University is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity employer. Yale values diversity among its students, staff, and faculty and strongly welcomes applications from women, persons with disabilities, protected veterans, and underrepresented minorities.
What’s It Like as a Predoc?
Interested?
Fill out a predoc applicationFAQ
Yes. We sponsor J-1 visas. If applicable, fellows eligible for F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) may instead use this status.
We encourage our fellows to either audit or take for credit one course per semester. You may audit any course at Yale for free, with permission of the instructor. Courses taken for credit cost approximately $3,200 each in 2025-26, and this potential expense is accounted for in setting salary for our fellows.
CSAP fellows who decide to apply to Ph.D. programs have had great success in getting accepted to schools such as Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford.
No! We very strongly encourage applications from students who did not major in political science but have skills and interests relevant to quantitative American politics research, such as a background in data science and statistics. We are interested in applicants who are seeking to prepare for graduate study and employment in political science, policy, and related fields.
We are biased, but we think New Haven is awesome. The cost of living is affordable, and there are many places to eat, drink, shop, and experience arts and culture. Yale is located in the geographic center of New Haven, and contributes to the city’s character and culture. Should you want more, it is also very easy to get to nearby cities such as New York (two hours) or Boston (three hours) by car or train. The New York Times recently named New Haven as one of its “52 Places to Go in 2023.”
Describe your interest in the program and specific faculty projects; the date you are available to start work; whether you prefer to work for one or two years; your familiarity with programing languages (Stata, R, Python, Matlab, etc); your prior experience as a research assistant and with independent research (e.g., a senior thesis); and the names, email addresses, and phone numbers for two or three references. You may also highlight any aspects of your academic preparation, professional experience, personal background, or life experience that would strengthen our program or help us fully evaluate your application.
Include all relevant education, research experience, work experience, and skills. The Yale Office of Career Strategy provides generalized guidance.
A paper that displays your writing and analytic skills and capacity to execute research. A senior thesis, master’s thesis, or a term paper are all fine choices. Any length is acceptable.
Where applicable, a set of R, Stata, Python, or other code you have written, such as for an empirical project or a class. You may submit more than one sample, especially if applying to multiple positions with different language preferences. A link to your GitHub repository (or equivalent) is also acceptable.