Multidisciplinary Student Research Collaborative

If you are a self-starter, interested in finding an academic mentor, in interdisciplinary research, and in the subject matter of the particular MSRC project, you are most likely a good candidate for this program. MSRC program leader(s) will expect you to contribute your ideas, show up to prearranged meetings, and complete any assigned work in a timely manner. Additionally, a good candidate for this program will be able to work for a certain number of hours per week; these expectations will be agreed upon in consultation with the MSRC program leader(s).

Matriculated Harvard undergraduate and graduate students who have legal authorization to work in the United States are eligible to apply for the MSRC Program.

Depending on the needs of the private program, some program leaders will allow students to engage in remote work. However, in-person attendance at the research event itself is generally required. Further discussion of your schedule can be coordinated upon hire.

Each private program has different research needs, depending on the subject matter involved, but all MSRC students are supervised and mentored by the program leaders and work collaboratively to move forward the research aims of the approved private programs. MSRC students aid in the preparation of content in the lead-up to the private programs and/or contribute to the post-program publication and production of program projects and deliverables in whatever specific form(s) that entails.

The general scope of the possible research support includes but is not limited to collecting and analyzing data, developing literature reviews, converting program transcripts into publishable drafts, and contributing to research publications. Depending on the needs of the private program, students may also participate in a two-day seminar or workshop and help with planning and logistics not offered by the Radcliffe events team leading up to the seminar or workshop.

Depending on the research needs of private program projects, we are looking for students who are passionate and interested in research. Private program leaders will allocate assignments to you based on your level of research expertise.

There are many benefits to participating in the MSRC program. Students have said that the interdisciplinary nature of MSRC projects is a unique research experience that has increased their understanding of academic and professional goals. With the guidance of Harvard faculty or Radcliffe fellows who are experts in their field, students have benefited from this mentorship to further explore fields of research inquiry and apply their Harvard coursework to practical research questions.

Students will be able to see how it is to have a life as a scholar, researcher, or practitioner. Because there is no preset curriculum or required deliverable, students can work with Harvard faculty or Radcliffe fellows to suggest assignments for themselves that use their current skills or stretch and advance their capabilities.

Some students have made significant contributions to a research project and are later listed as contributors to research papers, translators of books, and authors of articles. This is not a given, and certainly not required, but a consideration dependent on the level of contributions to the work.

Harvard undergraduate students are paid $19 an hour. With the $1,000 allocated for each student, this roughly translates to a maximum of 53 hours worked for the duration of the project. Harvard undergraduate students can work up to 20 hours per week across all their work commitments at Harvard.

Harvard graduate students are paid $21 an hour. With the $1,000 allocated for each student, this translates to a maximum of 48 hours worked for the duration of the project.

The number of hours that you work on a weekly basis depends on what you and your MSRC program leader(s) have agreed upon. Your supervising program leader will inform you of the minimum number of weekly hours required during the interview process. Typically, there will be more work leading up to and during the two-day conference. Additionally, we encourage you to keep your program leader informed of the times you may be less available, for example, during midterms, finals, or spring break.

Yes. We accept applications on a rolling basis and receive various projects from all disciplines, so we highly encourage you to apply for projects that are of interest to you.

Please go ahead and apply with a general resume. We will reach out to you if we see a project that fits your academic and professional interests.

Yes—after the deadline, we accept applications on a rolling basis until MSRC program leaders decide to close their projects. We still advise you apply as soon as possible.

Visit our application portal for a list of open opportunities. 

Visit our application portal  for a list of open opportunities. We also update Harvard University’s Student Employment Office (SEO) with open projects on a regular basis.

Please e-mail us at ventures@radcliffe.harvard.edu if you have any trouble finding positions on the SEO website.

A successful MSRC pairing requires students to be proactive: it is your responsibility to let MSRC program leaders know if you cannot attend a meeting ahead of time or if you have completed a project and are available to start a new one. Because program leaders are busy, it is important to communicate assignments, time commitment, and expectations ahead of time. With the mentorship component of the MSRC program, we hope that your research experience can be rewarding and worthwhile. 

If you have any questions, please email us at ventures@radcliffe.harvard.edu.