Junior Scholar Intensive Training (JSIT) - Now Accepting Applications for the 2025 JSIT Cohort

JSIT Overview
The UW-RDRC at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in collaboration with Howard University, hosts an annual Junior Scholar Intensive Training (JSIT) in Madison, WI. The JSIT program centers around the Summer Workshop, a week-long intensive held in June in-person at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

JSIT brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines, including junior faculty (non-tenured), newly graduated PhD researchers, and dissertators, who are interested in topics related to social insurance and intersections with disability and retirement research. The goal of JSIT is to provide emerging scholars with training and mentoring to develop research ideas and to write an initial research proposal of relevance to the Social Security Administration, their programs, policies, and/or beneficiaries. JSIT scholars present their initial research idea at the Summer Workshop; receive peer and mentor feedback; continue to refine it over the summer; and present an updated project idea at the Fall Workshop. These proposals can then be entered into the JSIT Research Competition, which awards five scholars up to $6,000 to complete their JSIT research.

JSIT Application - Now Open
Submit your application online here . For priority consideration, submit your application by 11:59pm PST on Monday, February 17, 2025. Applications will be reviewed and scored by staff from the UW-RDRC and Howard. Successful applicants will be notified in March 2025 and will have two weeks to accept their spot in the JSIT 2024 cohort, as space is limited. There will be minimal logistics and prep work in April and May 2025, along with some pre-reading to complete prior to the summer workshop.

View the full JSIT 2025 RFA HERE Application instructions and form requirements are available HERE . Please note, applicants can start an application and save progress prior to submission within a 30 day time frame. Navigate to the bottom of the application form at any time to find this option.

Meet the JSIT 2024 Scholars here .
A list of JSIT Mentors and Instructors is available here along with an agenda of the week-long workshop here .