This past summer, the Becker Friedman Institute employed 35 undergraduate and two graduate research assistants in a program built on a strategic partnership between BFI and the University of Chicago’s Office of Career Advancement (OCA).
“The BFI Summer Research Assistantship Program gives UChicago students an incredible opportunity to work with top economics scholars,” said Dan Moore, Senior Associate Director of External Relations and Strategic Writing at OCA. “The program is a wonderful way for students to gain research experience and build relationships with faculty.”
Working alongside 22 faculty members across four schools—Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, Harris School of Public Policy, and the Law School—these research assistants spend 8-10 weeks gaining hands-on experience in rigorous academic inquiry.
A Partnership That Powers Discovery
The program’s success stems from close collaboration between BFI and OCA, which plays a crucial role in identifying talent and providing financial support.
“Career Advancement supports BFI with marketing the research internships and recruiting students,” Moore explained. “We also fund the students’ stipends for some of these internships.”
This partnership allows BFI to connect with high-performing students and those with external summer funding. Currently, BFI sponsors the most internships through OCA—a testament to both the program’s scale and the sustained faculty demand for talented research assistants.
A Demanding But Rewarding Experience
The research assistants describe their summer as intellectually challenging and deeply rewarding—a sentiment reflected in formal program evaluations.
“Student feedback is a major way we measure the program’s success,” said Moore. “We were thrilled to see that all Summer 2025 BFI interns who took our mid-summer evaluation survey have rated their experience ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’.”
Malank Goel, a BFI research assistant from UChicago, echoed this enthusiasm. “My experience working with BFI-affiliated faculty has been incredibly rewarding and intellectually stimulating,” he said. “Working under Professor Anne Karing has been especially meaningful—she creates an environment that values curiosity, rigor, and thoughtful engagement.”
For many students, direct interaction with faculty members becomes a highlight of the program. Chris Pan, another BFI research assistant, found particular value in presenting his work to Professor John List’s team.
“I had the opportunity to present some of the projects I worked on during the summer in front of Professor List,” Pan said. “His questions were constructive and also engaging while identifying places for me to improve, which provided such an enriching experience that helped me grow a lot as a researcher.”
While Pan acknowledged he might be biased as a UChicago student, he believes the university “is one of the best places to share and challenge ideas for the greater cause of knowledge.”
Faculty Discover Unexpected Rewards
The intellectual exchange flows in both directions. Faculty members report being impressed by the caliber of undergraduate researchers and the fresh perspectives they bring to ongoing projects.
“I was surprised at how good my experience was,” said Professor Saul Levmore, former Dean of the University of Chicago Law School. “The program made me yet more impressed with our undergraduate students and what they know.”
Levmore also discovered that the most meaningful mentorship often happens outside the office. “Just this week I took one of my research assistants to a Sunday dinner,” he said. “That was a good and intellectual (but also fun social) experience for all. I should have done that earlier in the summer, and perhaps we should encourage faculty to do that at least once.”
This combination of rigorous academic work and genuine mentorship creates what research assistant Malank Goel describes as a unique research environment. “Students, faculty, and staff are all committed to creating an environment where difficult questions are welcomed and diverse perspectives are valued,” he said. “It’s this combination of high academic standards and a strong sense of community that makes the university such a unique and energizing place to be.”
Supporting Groundbreaking Research
The research itself spans an impressive range of topics and geographies, giving students exposure to cutting-edge questions across disciplines. This summer’s interns are contributing to projects that include:
- Analyzing global constitutions to identify fully drafted but not adopted cases
- Reviewing global energy trends, including blackouts in Chile, EV charging stations in China, and power generation and transmission in Brazil
- Exploring the relationship between the South Korean government and “chaebol” firms during the 1970s-80s
- Studying the informal and formal medical sectors in Sierra Leone
- Gathering judicial data (1996–2020) for a project on social networks in judicial institutions and their effect on policy
“The interns this summer are supporting some really unique and exciting research,” Moore said.
Investing in the Future
Beyond immediate research deliverables, the program cultivates the next generation of scholars through professional development, academic skill-building, and deep integration into the University of Chicago’s economics community through regular social events.
As the summer program continues, BFI welcomes additional support for faculty members seeking to expand their research capacity. With paid positions, proven outcomes for both students and faculty, and a 100% satisfaction rating, the program represents a successful partnership model—one that invests in rigorous inquiry and intellectual mentorship at the heart of the University of Chicago’s academic mission.