PREDOC Education
PREDOC.org runs educational programs that inform students about pre-doctoral opportunities and help them develop the coding, research, and professional skills necessary to walk the path toward a research career. Our curriculum consists of free workshops, asynchronous courses, advice from experts, and our annual initiative to sponsor undergraduate research, typically in the shape of an intensive program or conference.
In 2025, PREDOC.org will host a research conference that allows undergraduates to learn more about research, present their own work, and network with other research-focused undergraduates, as well as more advanced researchers. While our main initiative will not be the Summer Course we offered in previous years, we strongly encourage students interested in a summer course to check out the EDE+ 2025 Summer Institute, organized by our collaborators at the University of Chicago and Brookings. Expanding Diversity in Economics+ (EDE+) enrolls early undergraduate students from many different institutions to develop their research abilities and technical skills. In fact, participants will have the opportunity to engage in our conference as well!
2025 Research Conference
Every year, we organize a summer research conference where undergraduate students can explore a research career. The 2025 conference will be hosted by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Participants will engage with leading experts, network with peers, and learn how to confidently present research insights—all within a vibrant conference setting. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
2025 Agenda
Details are still being finalized, but click here for a preliminary agenda.
2025 Agenda
When?
Thursday, July 31, to Friday, August 1, 2025
When?
Where?
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.
Where?Stand Alone Events
PREDOC Summer School
Be sure to view similar programs as well.
Thank You!
The PREDOC Summer Course: Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems was an eight-week, tuition-free course we offered annually from 2021 to 2024. A goal of the program was to remove barriers to access to research and doctoral careers in quantitative social science, and cultivate an inclusive classroom experience where different ideas and experiences could interact productively.
Thank you to Harvard's Opportunity Insights and The Federal Reserve Board, without whom the past few years would not have been possible. And congratulations to the accomplishments of our many amazing participants!
Capstone Research Projects
All Summer Course participants completed a capstone research project and presented their findings to their peers and instructors. View some of the amazing presentation topics here.
Capstone Research Projects
"A Paradoxical Inspection of Big Tobacco Survivability in a Regulation Heavy Era"
Summer Course Participant, 2021
"A Paradoxical Inspection of Big Tobacco Survivability in a Regulation Heavy Era"
"The Presence of Ready-Made Foods in the Refrigerator: Convenience or Necessity?"
Summer Course Participant, 2022
"The Presence of Ready-Made Foods in the Refrigerator: Convenience or Necessity?"
"The Effect of Merit-Based Scholarships on Upward Mobility"
Summer Course Participant, 2023
"The Effect of Merit-Based Scholarships on Upward Mobility"
"Influence of Police Deployment Rate on Racial Disparity in Incarceration Rate"
Summer Course Participant, 2024
"Influence of Police Deployment Rate on Racial Disparity in Incarceration Rate"1 of 1
Student Outcomes
Students have gone on to PhD programs institutions like Harvard and UT Austin, and pre-docs at institutions like the Chicago Federal Reserve, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Yale School of Management. Others have been hired into industry roles at companies including Analysis Group and the Bridgespan Group.
From PREDOC to MIT
"The coding, communication, and writing skills developed through the summer course empowered me to participate and contribute to economics research projects, and prepared me to apply for pre-doctoral research positions."
— Fatima Djalalova, Research Fellow at Blueprint Labs, MIT
From PREDOC to Harvard University
"The summer program’s opportunity to apply coding, engage in interdisciplinary social science research, and explore the connection between public health and economics broadened my perspective and sharpened my research skills. It played a key role in shaping my interest in public health and social economic research, which I continue to explore in my career today."
— Destiny Jackson, PhD Student in Population Health Sciences, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health
From PREDOC to the University of Chicago
"Using STATA for my PREDOC research greatly increased the confidence I had in my social science ability, and I decided to pursue my Honors Economic thesis at UPenn as a result."
— Deika Albert, JD Candidate at UChicago Law
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