Terms and Conditions

2024–2026

  1. The David E. Bell Fellowship is a two-year, residential postdoctoral fellowship program. HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows’ salaries for 2024–2026 will be $70,000/year, plus fringe benefits including subsidized health insurance. Relocation funds of up to $5,000 are also provided by the program to be used for flight to Harvard and the shipment of personal items. The program follows Harvard’s policies with regard to reimbursing relocation expenses.
  2. HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to live locally and complete the program on-site.  If a Fellow desires to be off-site for longer than two weeks, it must be discussed with the Center director in advance.
  3. Fellows will be allotted a budget of $14,000 upon arrival to be used for research, work-related travel, and a computer purchase over their two-year stint. These monies can be spent on: research assistance (personnel), purchasing datasets, software, and materials, membership dues, and the purchase of one laptop/desktop/tablet (hardware) for work-related projects.
  4. Each HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to develop, present, and carry out a work plan for his/her tenure. This will serve as the blueprint for achieving the goals set forth in the HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellowship. The development of the plan should be done with input from either the Center director or the Fellow’s primary mentor.
  5. During the academic year, each HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellow is expected to attend the Thursday Social Demography Seminars and the Population Research Exchange events. It is expected that Fellows present at one of these series.
  6. It is expected that the HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows will establish and/or join working groups at the HCPDS, as well as participate in Center activities including the monthly HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellowship meetings.
  7. HCPDS Postdoctoral Fellows are considered full-time employees (1 FTE); therefore, participants who have a paid appointment at another institution must be granted an unpaid sabbatical or terminate that affiliation during the two years at HCPDS. The focus of the Fellowship is to be strictly on research, therefore teaching and consulting (unless pre-approved by our center director) is prohibited.