US Labor Department launches summer policy research program

The U.S. Department of Labor on Tuesday announced the first cohort of a new summer fellowship research program.

The agency has selected a group of six current and recent PhD candidates, which will carry out work within the agency’s chief evaluation office.

As part of the new program, selected fellows will complete and present a research project to senior agencies leaders that is relevant to their dissertation or on a labor topic.

The fellowship has two streams: data analytics, and evaluation and research. Researchers taking part in the program will complete and present a project relevant to their dissertation or on a labor topic.

DOL has selected three economics Ph.D. candidates to work on data analytics: Meifeng Yang, Wenchen Wang and Xue Wu. Three social science PhD candidates also join the fellowship program’s evaluation and research stream.

Commenting on the program, DOL Chief Evaluation Officer Christina Yancey said: “Our Summer Fellowship Program underscores our commitment to fostering future research leaders who can help advance labor in the future.” She added: “These fellows will gain invaluable experience related to their fields of study and support the Chief Evaluation Office’s work to instill the social science discipline outlined in the Department of Labor’s Evaluation Policy principles.”