Affiliates enjoy a range of opportunities to engage with the lab’s dynamic, multidisciplinary environment. Benefits include:

• Participation in the Idea Development, Enhancement and Assessment (IDEA) Workshop Series: This workshop series provides a rare, structured opportunity to refine early-stage ideas with diverse, multidisciplinary feedback. It is designed to efficiently and thoroughly vet research ideas in their early stages, helping to maximize their potential, increase rigor, and improve impact.
• Networking: Join a supportive national network of researchers dedicated to the lab’s mission and principles. This network can help affiliates build multidisciplinary teams for grant applications, co-author grant-funded papers, identify tenure letter writers, enhance post-doc and faculty recruitment efforts, and find seminar or keynote speakers, among other opportunities.
• Upskilling and Resource Sharing: Gain access to high-performance computing, server space, a lab Slack discussion channel, and grant-writing resources for projects aligned with the lab’s mission.
• Collaborative Opportunities: Affiliates have the chance (though no obligation) to co-author lab-supported papers with other affiliates. These papers adhere to strict ethical standards designed to minimize the potential for co-authorship conflicts.
• Reputation: Affiliates are selectively admitted, and lab-supported papers, guided by our Community Standards and Principles of Conduct guidelines, carry a mark of research quality.

Whether you are a senior or early-career researcher, the lab offers resources and a supportive network to help you (or your own lab’s) research and achieve your goals.

The Social Impact Lab welcomes applications from individuals whose research aligns with our mission of improving population health and wellbeing. We encourage applicants from all career stages, diverse disciplines, and a wide range of content expertise (e.g., health, environment, crime, etc.). Affiliates are typically professionals with terminal research degrees, such as PhDs or MDs, who are actively engaged in research. A limited number of students in the final stages of their terminal research degrees may also join as student affiliates.

All research affiliates are required to abide by the lab’s Community Standards and Principles of Conduct guidelines (see here), fostering a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment.

IDEA workshops are designed to efficiently help researchers refine early-stage ideas and decide which to pursue or set aside. In these 90-minute, speed-dating-style sessions, small groups of affiliates participate in structured conversations. Each presenter briefly shares an intentionally “bad research idea”—one that seeks to address a question the researcher feels is important but is either underdeveloped or has significant limitations. Participants provide rapid, constructive feedback, fostering a collaborative environment that values missteps as essential steps in the creative process. Presenters gain insights into general interest, potential improvements, and collaboration opportunities. The workshops are guided by clear procedures and guidelines to ensure participants feel safe sharing ideas without fear of judgment or being scooped.

These workshops are valuable for various types of researchers, including those with limited research time who need to prioritize high-impact projects, those lacking opportunities to discuss early-stage research, and those aiming to enhance the impact of their work through better project selection.

For example, an economist might present an idea exploring the impact of community college access and industry partnerships on health outcomes. During their four-minute presentation, the economist might describe trends in the literature and raise questions about whether their idea makes a strong enough contribution. They could also outline initial data they’ve identified, highlighting its limitations. Each audience member will then have one minute to provide rapid feedback, which is expected to vary considerably in terms of content covered and helpfulness. 

Feedback could include:

• Knee-jerk reactions on the feasibility and potential of the research question, including whether it fills a critical knowledge gap or aligns with societal priorities.
• Suggestions for alternative/additional framing, data sources, or policy variations to enhance the study’s impact and rigor.
• Identification of related work, such as ongoing research or recently published studies relevant to the topic that the researcher did not mention in their overview. In some cases, another affiliate may be working on similar research, leading to follow-up discussions and potential collaboration.
• Discussion of unintended consequences of the proposed intervention or policy, offering new angles to strengthen the research question.
• Exploration of equity considerations, such as whether the research adequately addresses disparities among different populations and how these aspects could be incorporated.
• Awareness of potential collaborators, such as NGOs interested in the question, who may provide data access or serve as valuable dissemination partners.
• By the end of the workshop, the researcher would leave with actionable insights to refine their project, broaden its scope, or decide whether to set it aside.

We recognize that researchers have varying levels of availability, and the lab is designed to accommodate both those with tight schedules and those who wish to engage more actively. The minimum time commitment is participation in a quarterly 90-minute IDEA workshop, structured to efficiently refine early-stage research ideas while maximizing feedback. Beyond this, affiliates may contribute in additional ways as well, such as sharing expertise over Slack, authoring lab-supported papers, or participating in other lab activities.

See Application to apply.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by lab leadership, with selection based on factors such as skillset and the need to build a complementary team that enhances research discussions and advances the lab’s mission. While many qualified individuals apply, some may not be selected due to external considerations. The Social Impact Lab upholds a strict non-discrimination policy in its affiliate admissions decisions and prohibits any form of harassment or discrimination in lab activities.

Affiliates may remain active in the lab for as long as they wish and can leave at any time. Annual reviews are conducted to ensure continued engagement with lab activities and adherence to Community Standards and Principles of Conduct.