Undergraduate opportunities
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL), Northwestern University
Oct 17, 2025
The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) at Northwestern University is seeking undergraduates with a strong grasp of and interest in quantitative social science research to help build a comprehensive library of research findings in international development that facilitates evidence-informed policymaking. The project aims to make impact evaluations, effect sizes, and intervention outcomes openly searchable, comparable, and visualizable across countries and contexts. By participating, you will contribute to creating a valuable resource that supports evidence-based decision-making in global development.
Key Benefits and Opportunities
- Engage with cutting-edge research on key policy issues
- Extensive training on how to read, interpret, and codify quantitative social science research
- Obtain personalized, on-demand supervision to help improve your research and analytical skills
- Develop practical academic literacy that complements theoretical coursework
- Provide critical feedback to help shape the research tools we use
- Choose to work remotely or join us in the GPRL offices in Evanston, IL
- Contribute to an exciting and impactful public good that supports evidence-informed policymaking worldwide
Minimum Qualifications
- Availability for 10 to 20 hours per week (high flexibility is granted during exam seasons)
- Genuine curiosity about international development and quantitative research
- Training in inferential statistics or econometrics, with the ability to read and interpret result tables and figures in quantitative studies
To apply, please email Andre Nickow (a-nickow@kellogg.northwestern.edu) with:
- Your CV
- An unofficial or official transcript
- Five sentences describing your experience with and interest in academic work in international development
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Recent Undergrad RAs on their experience working for GPRL:
“I really enjoyed working to analyze and understand the Ghana Panel Survey in the Lab. I have learned a great deal about statistical programming and development economics by working with Professor Udry, Andre, and my teammates. My RA experience has definitely made me more capable of conducting data analysis and more determined to pursue economics research in the future.”
“Working at the GPRL has been a very formative experience of my undergraduate career. Besides greatly improving my technical skills and exploring how the economics I’ve learned in the classroom are applied in the real world, the work environment has been supportive and flexible in giving me projects that I’m genuinely interested in. This was super helpful in leading me to a career path I’m genuinely passionate about and excited to continue working in.”
Adrian Lafont-Mueller, Phillipines Socioeconomic Panel Survey
"Thanks to the GPRL, I have had the opportunity to put my skills as a CS major to good use! Throughout the project I have been encouraged to learn new techniques and explore their behaviors and inner workings to investigate how they can be applied to our goal of processing and classifying development economics papers."
Matthew Khoriaty
"GPRL is one of the only places where Northwestern undergraduates have the opportunity to take an active role in the field of development economics. For that reason, I feel well-prepared to further pursue graduate level economics, if I so desire."
Tomas Gordo-Churchill
Study abroad in Ghana
The Department of Economics and the Global Poverty Research Lab offer a study abroad opportunity for Northwestern undergraduates at the University of Ghana – Legon each fall quarter. What makes this opportunity unique is that students will be matched with a University of Ghana faculty member in order to conduct independent research on a project involving economic development.
- Research: Students will be matched with a faculty member to perform data analysis in Stata on one of the faculty member’s current projects. Potential topics include health, environment, labor markets, small enterprises, agriculture, and poverty and migration.
- Internship Opportunity: Students will have the opportunity to extend their time in Ghana by continuing their independent research with a related internship.
2026 Application deadline: September 25, 2025
Application Information: NU Global Learning Website- Ghana Study Abroad
It was an amazing experience to learn more about Ghana through researching with a distinguished professor at one of the best universities in Africa. The things I learned regarding the research process have helped me in interviews more than I ever would have imagined. Try to be as involved with the data collection/cleaning process as much as possible.