J-PAL North America 2026 Research Staff Training

Overview

J-PAL North America will host its annual Research Staff Training (RST) as an in-person, three-day training program designed specifically for research staff working on randomized evaluations. Sessions blend lectures, hands-on exercises, and peer learning. RST provides an opportunity for participants to develop practical skills necessary for their work, refine technical skills, and meet other research staff from around the world. Read more about 2025 RST participant experiences. 

Apply Today

Applications are open between April 1 and June 12. 

Who should apply?

RST is designed for research staff, generally in their first year of working on randomized evaluations. However, most of the sessions are applicable to any research setting. Participants are generally research staff working under the supervision of a PI, including full time RAs, pre-doctoral fellows, upper-level undergraduate RAs, research managers, and first or second year PhD students. This training is not designed for post-doctoral researchers.

RST is open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, or sexual orientation. The material and format is designed to be accessible to a range of starting points and learning styles.

Topics

Content is primarily delivered by J-PAL staff, with some lectures given by J-PAL affiliated researchers. Topics covered in previous years have included:

• Project management
• Research ethics and IRB
• Measurement
• Version control with git
• Experimental design
• Power theory and calculations
• Coding best practices (focused on Stata and R)
• Communicating research findings and data visualization  

Schedule and Logistics

The training will be held in person at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. Participants are expected to arrive at the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA on Monday, August 3 by 2:00 PM ET for check-in and transportation to the training site, followed by a welcome dinner that evening. Training content will be delivered over three full days from Tuesday through Thursday, with social activities planned for the evenings. Participants may depart anytime after 5:30 PM on Thursday, August 6 if they arrange their own transportation. J-PAL will provide a bus from Endicott College to Boston Logan Airport (BOS) and Cambridge on the morning of Friday, August 7.

Please note that participants are expected to participate fully in training activities during the week, and will not have time to carry on their regular work projects.

Fees

Training fees include costs for lodging and meals.

Training fees are determined by the country in which participants are based, and not the location of the project. For reference, please see World Bank country income categories: World Bank country income categories. 

• High-income country: $3,000
• Low-/Middle-income country: $1,500

We are offering an early applicant discount of $250 for applications received by May 15, 2026. Limited sponsorship funds are also available. Please reach out to [email protected] to be considered.

Accepted applicants must pay the training fee by July 10, 2026 and are responsible for paying the training fee unless a cancellation is requested by June 24, 2026. Applicants may request a cancellation by emailing [email protected] before this time.

Application and Registration Process

Please fill out the application form for each applicant by June 12, 2026. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance on a rolling basis, no later than June 17, 2026. Accepted applicants will then need to submit a registration form by July 1, 2026. 

For positions that are still in the hiring process, you may apply for a “placeholder” and finalize the participant details in the subsequent registration form once hiring is complete.

Learn More

Contact us at [email protected] for more information.