Doctoral Traineeship in Demography and Population Sciences
The Doctoral Traineeship in Demography and Population Sciences at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS) is a program designed to provide current Graduate Student Affiliates (GSAs) of the Center with professional development and methods training specific to the field of demography and population sciences that are not available elsewhere at the University. The goal of the traineeship is to train the next generation of population scientists to view research problems through a demographic lens, and to be prepared to discuss potential solutions using demographic methods.
Each spring, the call for applications is announced and a handful of GSAs apply to join the cohort for a two-year commitment. Four sessions per semester are held that cover topics in professional development, methods training (e.g. faculty affiliates have led sessions that provided methodological training in both standard as well as state-of-the-art demographic methods) and preparation for submission and attendance at the annual Population Association of America (PAA) conference.
Additionally, students commit to attend the weekly Social Demography Seminar at HCPDS, attend PAA in the spring (with financial support from the Center), and submit a paper in response to the PAA “call for applications” in the fall of their second year in the program. In addition to growing their skillset as junior demographers, the traineeship also facilitates more active engagement in the HCPDS community by building deeper connections with fellow peers, researchers, and affiliated faculty members.