J-PAL North America launches ARTEMIS to train early-career researchers

The Applied Research Training in Evaluation, Methods, and Impact Studies (ARTEMIS) program, launched by J-PAL North America, equips early-career researchers with high-level technical training and practical skills to design randomized evaluations (also referred to as a randomized controlled trials, or RCTs) on issues of poverty in the U.S. context. Fully funded and highly rigorous, the program’s inaugural cohort of 20 participants — including PhD students through pre-tenure faculty — is receiving training, mentorship, and proposal development support through December. 

ARTEMIS is the newest offering within J-PAL North America’s Economics Pathways program, which broadens and strengthens the pipeline of economics researchers by providing support to aspiring scholars at every stage — from undergraduate interns to research staff and, now, academic researchers preparing to launch their first randomized evaluations.

ARTEMIS programming commenced this past June with the Summer Institute — an intensive weeklong course at MIT Endicott House in Dedham, Massachusetts, that focused on delivering technical content and building participants’ practical skills and confidence to design and pursue funding for rigorous evaluations to address poverty in the United States. During the Summer Institute, participants had the opportunity to learn from researchers in the J-PAL network, including Gerald Daniels, associate professor of economics at Howard University, who served as a lecturer for the program. “ARTEMIS is an amazing program that bridges the gap for researchers who haven’t previously had the opportunity to work with randomized evaluations,” notes Daniels. “It takes rigorous methodologies, like randomized evaluations, and makes them approachable, helping scholars translate their research ideas into high-impact evaluation designs.” 

The inaugural cohort brought together early-career researchers from institutions across the United States, each tackling a research question addressing an issue related to poverty that is well-suited for a randomized evaluation. Their interests spanned the breadth of J-PAL’s work, touching on education, climate, health and labor markets, racial equity, and social protection — reflecting the wide range of policy questions that rigorous, evidence-based research can help answer. 

“I really appreciated being a part of the ARTEMIS Institute this summer,” says Felipe Juan, an ARTEMIS inaugural cohort participant. “I initially thought the randomized evaluation methodology would be out of reach for me, but the summer training helped to break down the practical steps of conducting an RCT and identify creative ways to approach experimental designs.” 

Bolstered by the intensive Summer Institute training, ARTEMIS participants are now engaging in six months of continued study design and proposal development support, including proposal webinars with J-PAL grants staff and office hours with senior technical staff who will advise on study design and proposal challenges. ARTEMIS participants will also participate in a research design workshop, where participants present their early-stage RCT designs and receive feedback from the broader J-PAL research network. Finally, participants will receive introductions to researchers in the J-PAL network with shared research interests to forge connections that may lead to future collaboration and opportunities. Through this sustained mentorship model, ARTEMIS is designed to help participants bridge the gap between developing a promising research idea and launching a funded, policy-relevant randomized evaluation. 

For early-career researchers, this hands-on, sustained support has already proven to be transformative. “Participating in ARTEMIS Summer Institute was an incredibly valuable experience. The combination of lectures by experts in the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials, hands-on workshops, and thoughtful feedback helped me sharpen my research questions and think more carefully about research design, implementation, statistical power, and meaningful stakeholder engagement,” says Hoyoung Yoo, an ARTEMIS 2026 participant. “I also greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn from J-PAL faculty and staff and exchange ideas with an inspiring group of fellow researchers. I left the training with a clearer path toward transforming an early-stage idea into a feasible, rigorous, and policy-relevant evaluation.” 

For many, the program’s value also extends beyond technical training to the community and long-term relationships it builds. “J-PAL North America’s support has continued well beyond the Summer Institute, which has been especially valuable, and the connections I made have already started shaping how I am approaching the work,” notes Tessie Krishna, an ARTEMIS 2026 participant. “I left with a clearer proposal, a wider network, and a real sense of belonging in the J-PAL community. I am grateful to the J-PAL team for creating something so thoughtful and welcoming.” 

By building the technical capacity and confidence of the next generation of researchers, ARTEMIS is advancing J-PAL’s global mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by rigorous, scientific evidence. Every individual trained through ARTEMIS is joining a growing network of researchers working to answer the most critical questions of today. 

ARTEMIS is made possible by grants from Arnold Ventures, Russell Sage Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Visit the J-PAL website for more information about ARTEMIS and the Economics Pathways program.