Work with the lab

Get in touch.

Whether you're an organization proposing a research collaboration, a foundation or institutional partner exploring a relationship, a researcher hoping to join the lab, or someone who just wants to stay in the loop, start here.

Why we ask for a written brief

Why we ask for a written brief.

We used to default to "let's hop on a call." It mostly didn't work, because calls are easy to schedule and hard to follow up on. (As Fred Ross said, organizing is ninety percent follow-up.)

We've found that a short written brief works better. You take 30–60 minutes to tell us what you'd like us to study, why it matters, and what would count as a useful answer. We take the same time to read it carefully and come back within two weeks.

We just want to know what you're working on and what you're trying to figure out.

Section 1 / You
Who you are and how to reach you.
Section 2 / Your organization
A little context so we know who we're reading.
Think: how you'd describe the org to a stranger at a dinner. 4 – 6 sentences.
Section 3 / The question
The heart of the spec. Take your time here.
Phrase it as a question. It's fine, good, even, if it's still a bit messy.
Describe the concrete choice, campaign, or moment the answer will shape.
Prior internal research, hunches, adjacent studies you've read.
A memo? A dashboard? A journal article? A training? Be specific.
Section 4 / Access & logistics
What you can offer, what you can't.
Section 1 / You
Section 2 / Role of interest
Check everything that fits. We read every application for every role.
Section 3 / Streams
Which research streams are you drawn to, and why? Pick up to three.
Section 4 / Skills
We care about methods and field experience. Both count.
Everything counts, paid or volunteer, across any issue area.
Section 5 / Materials
We keep all interest indefinitely unless you ask us not to.
Stay in touch / 30 seconds
We send four newsletters a year. You can leave any time.
Just helps us write better notes. No marketing segments, promise.

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