The STARS Fellowship pairs an early-career researcher with a mentor at Cornell University or a partner institution to co-author one rigorous, policy-relevant paper on the structural transformation of agriculture and rural economies. It is run by the Collaboration for International Development Economics Research (CIDER) at Cornell’s SC Johnson College of Business. The program began in 2016 as STAARS, a follow-up to the World Bank-led Agriculture in Africa: Telling Myths and Facts project, and was open to researchers at African institutions; from 2020 to 2024 a team-based strand called STAAARS+, sponsored by the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Policy Research, Capacity and Influence, extended it to South and Southeast Asia.
The current STARS program folds both strands together and supports early-career researchers from any low or lower-middle-income country. Fellows work mostly from their home institution over roughly 15 months, meeting their mentor remotely and traveling for a three-week in-person block at Cornell and at the mentor’s institution. A core aim is to put rich public micro-data — the Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) and comparable panel datasets — to work on policy questions, and to leave research capacity behind at the fellow’s own institution.
Benefits & funding
- Funds covering travel and participation in the three-week mentorship residency at Cornell University and at the mentor’s home institution.
- A modest honorarium. The program provides no salary support, so applicants need their existing post or studies to continue alongside the fellowship.
- One-to-one mentorship from Cornell and partner-institution faculty and researchers, with weekly or biweekly working meetings through the remote phase.
- Professional development built around the research: trainings, seminars and structured feedback sessions, plus support for presenting the work at conferences.
- Guided use of high-quality public datasets such as LSMS-ISA and other micro-level panel data.
- Entry into an active network of policy-engaged development researchers spanning the partner institutions — the African Development Bank, African Economic Research Consortium, Center for Global Development, CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions and Markets, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Partnership for Economic Policy, University of Sussex, the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab led by Michigan State University, and the World Bank.
- The intended output is a co-authored paper submitted to a journal; past cohorts have produced peer-reviewed articles, working papers, policy briefs and two journal special issues.
Eligibility
- Early-career researchers only: PhD students in their final year before completing the degree, or — the stated preference — researchers who completed a PhD recently (the 2025 call set the cut-off at no earlier than 2019).
- Priority consideration goes to applicants who earned their degrees in low- or lower-middle-income countries and who plan to work professionally in those regions. This is a preference, not a bar, and no nationality is excluded.
- Female researchers are particularly encouraged to apply.
- Demonstrated proficiency with statistical software — shortlisted applicants sit a Stata or R assessment.
- Familiarity with the dataset the proposal will use. Where the data are not public, documentation confirming access must be submitted.
- A letter of support from the current supervisor confirming that the applicant will have working time available for the fellowship.
- No age limit and no minimum years of work experience apply.
- Applications are closed as of August 2026. The most recent call published in full closed on 17 January 2025; a further 2026–2027 cycle ran, with an information session recorded on 12 December 2025, and its documents are no longer posted. The next call for proposals has not been announced — the program directs interested researchers to its mailing list.
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Application process
- 1Watch the informational webinar for the cycle, held about a month before the deadline, and read the request for proposals in full.
- 2Write the research proposal, capped at 2,500 words: title, target countries, research objectives, data sources, methodology, timeline and references.
- 3Assemble the supporting documents — current CV, documentation confirming data access for any non-public dataset, the supervisor’s letter of support, and a copy of the passport biodata page (plus a current US visa, if held).
- 4Submit everything through the online application portal by the stated deadline, 11:59 pm US Eastern time.
- 5Wait on peer review: proposals are assessed by experts from the partner institutions.
- 6Shortlisted applicants attend a short virtual interview with the STARS leadership team and potential mentors, and complete the Stata or R assessment.
- 7Selected fellows are notified in the spring, join a virtual launch and orientation, then begin remote work with their assigned mentor.
Program timeline
Informational webinar
12 December 2024
Application deadline
17 January 2025, 23:59 US Eastern time
Selection decisions announced
1 April 2025
Virtual launch, orientation and work planning
April 2025
Remote collaboration with the assigned mentor
April to September 2025
First draft due
26 August 2025
Three-week residency at Cornell and at the mentor’s institution
September 2025
12 December 2025
Information session for the 2026–2027 cycle
Second draft due
15 December 2025
Journal submission deadline
30 June 2026
Applications closed; the next call for proposals is not yet announced
August 2026