Call for Research Projects: Summer 2026

Call for Research Projects: Summer 2026

Dedicated, no-cost statistical support to help advance your research project.

The Institute for Research in Statistics and its Applications (IRSA) is now accepting applications for its 2026 Summer Statistical Consulting Program.

Program Summary

The IRSA Summer Statistical Consulting Program provides researchers across the university with access to expertise from dedicated teams of students at the University of Minnesota School of Statistics.

What to Expect

Undergraduate student consultants, joined by graduate consultants or faculty supervisors, will meet with researchers to learn about their study, understand scientific queries, and translate them into actionable statistical questions. Throughout the collaboration, the teams will propose solutions, implement them, and prepare a final deliverable (such as a poster, report, or presentation). To ensure high-quality results, these undergraduate teams are closely guided by the School of Statistics. PhD student consultants and faculty members hold regular supervisory meetings with the undergraduate consultants to monitor their progress and ensure the work is tailored to the specific technical needs of your project.

Student teams can provide support for:

• Data Foundation: Wrangling and exploring data.
• Visualization: Creating professional tables, graphics, and data stories.
• Core Analysis: t-tests, ANOVA, and linear model fitting/interpretation.
• Advanced Modeling: Logistic and count regression, ridge/lasso, and Bayesian models.
• Complex Structures: Longitudinal, spatio-temporal, and missing data handling.
• Machine Learning: Support vector machines, random forests, and decision trees.
• Experimental Design: Planning surveys and designing robust experiments.

Program Requirements

• Primary Collaborator: Participants must designate a faculty member, post-doc, or graduate student as the lead contact. If you are a graduate student, please request your advisors’ approval for participation before submitting applications.
• Commitment: The lead collaborator must have direct knowledge of the study and be available to meet with students at least once per week.
• Timeline: The engagement typically spans 80 hours from June 1 to August 7 (flexible based on research needs).
• Integration: Researchers are encouraged to include students in the life of their research group to provide deeper context for the data science work.
• Credit: We ask that our student consultants receive appropriate credit for their contributions, ranging from formal acknowledgment to co-authorship, depending on the scope of their work. 

How to Apply

To propose a project, please complete the APPLICATION FORM.

• Deadline: May 13, 2026.
• Funding and Selection: This program is subsidized by IRSA and the School of Statistics. While no funding is required from participants, priority will be given to projects that demonstrate strong potential to develop into long-term consulting engagements, ongoing collaborations, future joint grant proposals, or opportunities for student coauthorship.
• Selection procedure: we will invite researchers of shortlisted projects for a meeting on May 18 or May 19. You are encouraged to prepare a five-minute presentation to explain your research questions.

Questions?

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Is your project timeline flexible? > Suitable projects may also be selected as class projects for Statistical Consulting Courses (STAT 4893W or STAT 8801) in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027.

Looking for substantial  support or long-term collaboration? > The faculty and PhD student consultants at IRSA Statistical Consulting Center are available year-round to elevate your research: https://irsa.umn.edu/lynn-y-s-lin-statistical-consulting-center.