Description

The Rural Design Project (RDP) invites applications for the Research Fellowship position beginning in August 2026. This one-year, part-time fellowship supports current or recent graduate students seeking to develop expertise in human-centered design research applied to rural contexts. The theme for the 2026–2027 fellowship year is “Remote Dreams: Design Research Methodology for Rural Economic Development.”

The fellowship offers students the opportunity to conduct field-based research in a nearby rural community and develop a journal-ready article or equivalent scholarly project while participating in a vibrant interdisciplinary community, online. The fellows’ research will be expected to contribute to a journal article or conference proceedings, as well as a collaborative white paper by the end of the program. Fellows meet regularly for workshops, share work-in-progress, and engage in monthly salons with members of academia, industry, and government.

Program Overview

During the fellowship year, fellows will:

• Conduct independent research leading to a publishable article or comparable scholarly output and contribute to a collaborative white paper.

• Align their work with RDP’s annual theme, “Remote Dreams: Design Research Methodology for Rural Economic Development.”

• Participate in regular online workshops to present and discuss research in progress.

• Engage with guest scholars and practitioners focused on design, architecture, planning, development, policy, government, and rural civic life.

• Collaborate across disciplines to explore how design research informs democratic participation, ethics, and rural development practice.

• Contribute to RDP programming and outreach by connecting human-centered design research to contemporary rural challenges.

The fellowship aims to foster an intellectual community that bridges disciplinary and professional boundaries.

Qualifications

Applicants should:

• Be currently enrolled in a graduate program or within one year of completing a graduate degree from an accredited institution.

• Demonstrate access to a rural community (population under 50,000) within approximately one hour of their residence.

• Possess academic or professional experience in design, architecture, planning, development, policy, government, or rural civic life.

• Present a clear plan to produce publishable scholarly work during the fellowship year.

• Propose a practical rural development intervention informed by human-centered design methods and evidence-based applied research.

Support

Each fellow will receive:

• Access to RDP workshops, seminars, and professional networks

• Opportunities to engage with government officials, practitioners, and researchers

• Mentorship and guidance in developing their proposed rural development intervention and scholarly publication

Application Materials

Applicants must submit the following:

1. Project Proposal

   • 1.1 Community in Focus (250 character maximum)

     • Specify your personal connection to the proposed rural community (population under 50,000) and demonstrate that you have regular access to the community within approximately one hour of your residence.

   • 1.2 Issue Area (2000 character maximum)

     • Identify the primary issue area you intend to address (e.g., housing, mobility, land use, workforce development, food systems, health access). Explain why this issue is significant in the selected rural context and identify the gap in knowledge or practice your research will address.

   • 1.3 Research Question and Objectives (1000 character maximum)

     • Provide a clear research question along with 3–5 research objectives and explain the anticipated contribution of the work to human-centered design in rural development.

   • 1.4 Proposed Rural Development Intervention (1000 character maximum)

     • Describe the type of intervention you anticipate designing. The proposal does not need to be fully developed but should demonstrate logical alignment between the research question, research methods, and the proposed intervention.

2. Statement of alignment (1000 character maximum) describing how your work relates to RDP’s mission and how you would contribute to the fellowship cohort.

3. Attach curriculum vitae or résumé.

4. Provide a link to design portfolio (10 page maximum).