Research • Programs
Fellowships
Conducting quality research is at the core of PERC’s mission. Through our fellowships, PERC invites scholars, law, and graduate students to spend time at our headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, working on a research project addressing a pressing environmental challenge.
Lone Mountain Fellowship
PERC’s Lone Mountain Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for scholars to undertake a project that advances our understanding of how markets, public policy, property rights, and governance affect environmental resources.
Lone Mountain Fellows will:
- Undertake a research project such as completion of a book, a scholarly paper for an academic journal, or a PERC publication
- Spend at least a portion of their fellowship in residency at PERC headquarters in beautiful Bozeman, Montana
- Network with leaders in diverse fields of study related to markets, resource governance, public policy, and the environment.
Fellows receive a stipend that varies with the nature of the work, duration of residence at PERC, and the fellow’s qualifications. The timing of stipend payments varies with the circumstances of the fellowship, although in every instance 20 percent of the stipend is withheld until completion of the final project. Office space and office support are provided. Fellows are responsible for their own travel and living arrangements. PERC may also provide some commuter bicycles that can be used during residency.
Project Requirements:
- Topic: The project should focus on natural resources and environmental issues, including the study of markets, governance, public policy, property rights and/or innovation. PERC is especially interested in projects that in some way address or inform issues related to natural resource policy and management, broadly defined. Policy-relevant projects that address forests, water, and wildlife are of particular interest in 2023.
- Residency: Between two weeks and two months, depending on the nature of the project. Fellows visit during the summer.
- Presentation: Fellows are expected to circulate a draft paper and give at least one seminar while at PERC.
- Participation: Fellows are expected to interact with other PERC scholars and fellows while in residence and attend seminar presentations by other fellows. The fellowship is intended to be an opportunity to either establish or strengthen a continuing relationship with PERC.
- Completion: The final project is generally expected by December 31 of the year in which the fellowship is undertaken.
Lone Mountain Fellowship Directors
Dominic (Nick) Parker is a professor of applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a PERC senior fellow.
Bryan Leonard is an associate professor of environmental and natural resource economics in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, as well as a PERC senior fellow.
How to Apply
To be considered for a 2023 Lone Mountain Fellowship, please send a C.V. and a 2-3 page description of the proposed project to fellows@perc.org with “Lone Mountain Fellowship” in the subject line. Please contact the directors Dominic Parker and Bryan Leonard at fellows@perc.org with any questions.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Graduate Fellowship
PERC’s Graduate Fellowship offers the ideal opportunity for graduate and law students to conduct research related to natural resources, innovation, property rights, and the environment.
Graduate Fellows will:
- Work on a thesis or dissertation with guidance and feedback to fast track their research
- Interact daily with experts in fields including economics, law, and environmental science
- Spend two summer months at PERC’s headquarters in beautiful Bozeman, Montana
Fellows receive a monthly stipend in addition to reimbursement for reasonable domestic round-trip travel expenses to Montana.
Project Requirements:
- Project Topics: The project should focus on natural resource and environmental issues, including the study of property rights and/or innovation. The Graduate Fellows program prioritizes research related to water, wildlife, and land, broadly defined.
- Residency: Graduate Fellows spend two months in residence at PERC, from mid-June to mid-August.
- Presentations: Graduate Fellows are expected to present two seminars at PERC to outline, report on, and summarize their research findings.
- Participation: Fellows are expected to interact with other PERC scholars and fellows while in residence and to attend seminar presentations by other fellows throughout their stay.
- Final Project: A final paper of publishable quality is generally expected at the conclusion of the fellow’s residency. The final stipend payment is withheld until the project is received, which is due no later than December 31 of the year in which the fellowship is undertaken.
Graduate Fellowship Directors
Eric Edwards is an assistant professor in Agricultural and Resource Economics at North Carolina State University, as well as a PERC senior research fellow.
Sara Sutherland is a faculty member at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, as well as a PERC senior research fellow.
How to Apply
Applications should be submitted via email to gradfellows@perc.org and should include three attachments: