The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is hosting advanced Ph.D. students through our PFMAP initiative for the fourth year in a row. This year, students are invited to visit us ahead of conferences or along with visiting researchers who match their research interests.

We are now accepting applications for the following opportunities in 2026:

  • The Real-Time Data Research Conference, suitable for forecasting, macro-econometrics, and machine learning. October 8 (day ahead) to October 10, 2026. Deadline: June 15, 2026.
  • The Philadelphia Junior Macro conference, suitable for all fields of macroeconomics. November 12 (day ahead) and November 13, 2026. Deadline: July 30, 2026.
  • The Philadelphia Macro conference, suitable for all fields of macroeconomics. October 21 (day ahead) to October 23, 2026. Deadline: July 30, 2026.
  • The Regional Research Visitor Week, suitable for urban, housing, and applied micro. Either the week of September 28 or the week of October 26. Deadline: July 30, 2026.

Program Information

Ph.D. students will visit for up to three days (two nights), during which they will present their research and engage with the Philadelphia Fed’s vibrant research community and, when applicable, participate in the conference culture at the Philadelphia Fed. Discussions during and after their presentation and interaction with Philadelphia Fed researchers and visiting researchers will provide opportunities for mentoring and networking. We will also match participants to researchers at the Philadelphia Fed to facilitate the mentoring and networking.

The Philadelphia Fed is committed to attracting and developing talent from a broad range of backgrounds in the economics pipeline. Reserve Banks have long pioneered new ideas in economics, and we value applicants who bring new ideas to research and policy analysis.

Eligibility

We will consider U.S.-based Ph.D. candidates working in the fields matching the research event. PFMAP covers the cost of travel (up to $300) and provides two nights of hotel accommodation.

Application Procedure

Email the following application materials to PFMAP at Phil.econ.map@phil.frb.org by the applicable deadline (June 15 or July 30).

  • Vita
  • A draft research paper (e.g., work from your future dissertation [even if preliminary] or a strong third-year paper)

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Must I be an official Ph.D. candidate to participate?
    The definition of Ph.D. candidate varies across universities. Participants need not officially be advanced to candidacy but should be at the dissertation stage of their graduate career. (You should have research ready to present during PFMAP.)
  2. Do I need to live in Philadelphia?
    No. The reimbursement you will receive is intended to cover driving or other transportation costs (e.g., Amtrak) to travel to the Philadelphia Fed and your stay in nearby lodging. Travel reimbursement is capped at $300. If you live farther away, please include a statement with your application that acknowledges you will seek outside funds to cover your excess transportation expenditure.
  3. Should I apply? Is this program targeting me?
    If you think you would benefit from this program, you should apply. While this program is primarily intended for graduate students in the Third District states (Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) who would particularly benefit from our mentorship, we are considering all applicants. See below for a list of past participants’ schools.
  4. Do you accept students pursuing degrees outside of economics?
    Yes, we consider students from adjacent fields if their research is relevant to economics. Examples include public policy, finance, statistics and data science, and computer science.
  5. How many participants will there be?
    We are targeting one to two Ph.D. students for each of the events.
  6. If I have questions not answered here, who should I contact?
    Please email us at Phil.econ.map@phil.frb.org with any additional questions.

Program Organizers

Previous participants have come from Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Clemson University, Drexel University, Johns Hopkins University, the Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Rice University, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the University of Delaware, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and the University of Pennsylvania.