Apply to join an interdisciplinary cohort of scholars building careers in the dynamic field of housing.
The University of Chicago’s Kreisman Initiative for Housing Law and Policy is the only effort at the University of Chicago dedicated to housing scholarship and practice, with the mission of bringing Chicago ideas to bear on housing policy debates, policy making, and legal and business decision making through scholarly research, external engagement, and educational programming.
The Kreisman Graduate Fellows Program creates a cohort of University of Chicago graduate students from across fields of study who are committed to pursuing careers in housing research or practice. The program runs for one academic year and is open to all Masters and PhD students at the University of Chicago, such as those studying law, policy, social services, social sciences, data science, and business.
During the academic year, Kreisman Fellows take part in a range of professional development activities, including intimate lunch-and-learn meetings with housing experts and skill-building sessions. Fellows also receive a stipend ($4000) to support their professional development in the form of an internship or research project of their own design in the Spring or Summer quarters.
Selected Fellows are required to participate in the following activities during the 2023-2024 Academic Year:
- Fellowship Orientation in October 2023 (90 minute session)
- Lunch & learn sessions every other month (3 total; 90 minutes each)
- Professional development sessions (3 total; 90 minutes each)
- An independent internship or research project in the housing field, including, contributions to a housing blog, presentation of work to your peers, and an end-of-work synthesis to augment your professional portfolio (over Spring or Summer quarters)
Ideal candidates will have:
- A demonstrated commitment to housing scholarship and practice
- Previous work experience in a housing-focused role, such as law, policy, advocacy, philanthropy, real estate, social impact, or activism
- An orientation to multi-disciplinary scholarship and information-sharing
- Ability to work with data and to conduct quantitative analysis preferred
- Interest in applying technological innovations to address urban challenges a plus
- Must be enrolled in a University of Chicago graduate program pursuing a Master’s Degree, JD, MD, or PhD
The Fellowship is open to graduate and PhD students in any University of Chicago graduate program. Finalists will be interviewed in mid October.
Please note that fellowships are a form of financial aid and may impact recipients’ overall aid eligibility. Please speak to your School or Department’s financial aid officer to learn more.
Meet our current fellows.
The application period for fall 2023-2024 is closed. The 2023-2024 fellows will be announced in October 2023. Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year will open in Spring 2024.