Summer 2026 FT Research Fellowship: "From Contacts to Contracts: Rebuilding Social Capital for Refugee Entrepreneurs A Triadic Chat Design Testing Behavioral Mechanisms of Tie Formation" (Travel)
The King Center on Global Development's Summer Undergraduate Full-Time Research Assistant Program offers opportunities for fieldwork and research experience to matriculated, Stanford, undergraduates interested in global poverty and development across all academic disciplines.
When Stanford University travel policies allow, selected students spend up to 12 weeks in a low- or middle-income country conducting full-time research for a King Center faculty affiliate. Each research assistant receives a stipend of approximately $8,500 that covers most associated costs including travel, lodging, and incidental expenses. Financial aid of up to $1,500 is also awarded to students who qualify.
Students are welcome to apply to multiple opportunities but must apply to each faculty research project separately. Students may only accept one project if they are offered multiple opportunities.
If you have problems submitting your application, please report issues through the SOLO platform with a screenshot that includes the URL and the full page. Please email kingcenter_programs@stanford.edu to also let us know of your issue(s).
RESEARCH PROJECT SUMMARY:
This project examines how refugee entrepreneurs can rebuild social networks after displacement through a randomized field experiment in Uganda. We will test whether tie initiation (helping entrepreneurs make first contact) or tie maintenance (sustaining follow-up) is more effective for forming lasting business relationships. During summer 2026, approximately 450 refugee entrepreneurs in Palabek and Adjumani will participate in a 3-day bootcamp with rotating mentors, followed by 4 weeks of digital support via WhatsApp. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either tie initiation prompts, tie maintenance prompts, or neutral messages through a triadic chat system (mentor-mentee-bot).The research fellow will help implement the intervention, monitor WhatsApp chat data in real-time, conduct surveys with participants, and analyze outcomes including new ties formed, conversation continuity, and entrepreneurial progress. This project contributes to understanding how to design effective entrepreneurship programs for displaced populations who start with minimal existing networks, with implications for refugee support programs globally.
Research mentor: Professor Charles Eesley
Dates: A minimum of ten weeks during summer quarter 2026.
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
The research assistant will work closely together and in collaboration with the research team to:
- Assist with participant recruitment and enrollment in refugee settlements (May-June 2026)
- Help coordinate the 3-day in-person entrepreneurship bootcamp in Palabek and Adjumani
- Monitor and manage the triadic WhatsApp chat system, ensuring prompts are delivered correctly to treatment groups
- Collect and organize real-time chat data from WhatsApp groups throughout the intervention period
- Administer baseline, midline, and endline surveys to approximately 450 participants
- Code and categorize WhatsApp messages for key outcomes (new ties, follow-up messages, conversation depth)
- Support data cleaning and preliminary analysis of network formation patterns
- Assist with tracking entrepreneurial progress indicators and participant engagement
- Help prepare materials for mentor training and participant orientation
- Coordinate with community partners (Makerere University Business School and Challenges Uganda)
- Contribute to research documentation and potentially co-author research outputs
- Stanford undergraduate students in good academic standing, and planning to return to Stanford in autumn 2026, are eligible to apply (co-terms in graduate tuition status are ineligible)
- Not currently doing an honors thesis or receiving funding from other sources during the summer
- Not working other summer jobs
- All majors are welcome
- Strong research and writing skills
- Must have good interpersonal skills and an ability to adapt well to cross-cultural contexts
In addition, specific qualification requirements:
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Required:
- Strong interest in entrepreneurship, social networks, or development economics
- Experience with quantitative data analysis (R, Stata, or Python preferred)
- Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for data management
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
- Ability to work independently in field settings with limited infrastructure
- Cultural sensitivity and ability to work respectfully with refugee populations
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Willingness to commit to full-time fieldwork during summer 2026 (Cardinal Quarter)
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Preferred:
- Experience conducting field research or surveys in developing countries
- Familiarity with experimental design and causal inference methods
- Experience with text data or content analysis
- Swahili or Arabic language skills (helpful but not required)
- Prior experience with WhatsApp-based data collection or messaging platforms
- Background in social network analysis
Time Commitment:
- All research assistants are required to work full time, i.e., 35-40 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks during the summer quarter. This should be your only commitment during this time period.
To Apply:
Along with the application, applicants are asked to submit a resume or CV, and a Stanford transcript.
Please also answer:
- Why are you interested in conducting field research in Kampala, Uganda, particularly on AI and social networks?
- Describe any prior experience you have with data collection, experiments, or research in international or cross-cultural settings.
- What technical or analytical skills (e.g., programming, data analysis, survey platforms) would you bring to this project?
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Give an example of a time you adapted to unexpected challenges or worked collaboratively to solve a problem.
For questions regarding this opportunity, please contact:
