NextGenPop offers undergraduates an on-campus research training experience over the summer, virtual research and professional development workshops throughout the academic year, and varied opportunities for mentoring and networking with population scholars and practitioners from across the United States. The summer 2024 program will be hosted by Duke University.
Who should apply?
The program targets exceptional undergraduate students who are thinking about graduate school in the social sciences and would like to explore population-related research interests. Students from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. The program is especially targeted to students who have just completed their junior year, but we will also consider those who have just completed their sophomore or senior year.
How does the program work?
The program hosts 15 undergraduate students (“NGP Fellows”) for 2 weeks during the summer and introduces them to population research through classroom instruction and hands-on applications that address contemporary social issues, including race and income inequalities, health disparities, immigration, and family change.
Following the summer program and throughout the academic year, NGP Fellows participate in monthly virtual workshops on research and professional development. In the spring, they are given the opportunity to present research, meet with population scholars and practitioners, and reconnect with their NGP cohort at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA).
NGP Fellows receive a $1,000 stipend for participation in the summer residential program. NextGenPop pays for room, board, and travel expenses associated with the summer program and offers travel support to the PAA Annual Meeting.
In 2024, the summer program will be hosted by Duke University (June 2—15), and the PAA Annual Meeting will be in Washington, DC (April 9 – 12, 2025). In subsequent years, the program will be hosted successively by UC-Irvine and Minnesota. See all program sites.
NextGenPop will follow guidelines to maintain health and safety in the COVID-19 pandemic and will adapt aspects of the program as necessary.
What should students expect to get out of the program?
NPG Fellows will work directly with faculty and senior graduate students on coursework, data exercises, workshops, and team-based research, and they will have varied opportunities over the 10-month program to connect with a network of population researchers in academic, policy, and other applied settings. NextGenPop will support the research and professional development of its Fellows throughout the program and foster ongoing engagement and success in the population field through a lasting community of alumni and mentors.
Who is involved in NextGenPop?
NextGenPop is a collaborative initiative that will rotate across five program sites over 5 years. Its activities are coordinated by PAA. A consortium of population research centers from universities across the United States supports recruitment, programming, and mentoring.
The NextGenPop Advisory Committee includes population researchers with expertise and experience leading training programs in population and allied fields. Members include Mary Campbell (Texas A&M), Shannon Cavanaugh (University of Texas-Austin), William Frey (Brookings and University of Michigan), Lina Guzman (Child Trends), and Tukufu Zuberi (University of Pennsylvania).
Funding comes from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health (R25 HD105602, PIs Marcy Carlson and Kelly Musick).