Critical Urban Research Fellowship (CURF)
The Critical Urban Research (CUR) Fellowship program embeds highly qualified doctoral students in the Urban Affairs program with leading community development organizations in Memphis to develop empirically sound and actionable research. CUR Fellowships 1) contribute to a local knowledge base of data, policies, and innovation in the Memphis metro area; 2) support local organizations in addressing the socioeconomic challenges that face Memphis and other cities like it; and 3) contribute to doctoral students’ training and experience in advanced methods, community engagement, and problem-solving; 4) generate and disseminate locally-focused research for academic and non-academic audiences in Memphis and beyond. All applications for the CUR Fellowships listed below will close on March 1, 2025.
The Critical Urban Research Fellowship requires students to work 20 hours a week from late August 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Students will be selected and matched with an organization on the following criteria:
- Appropriateness of research interests.
- Demonstrated and potential ability to research critical issues important to the organization.
- Ability to work independently with minimal oversight
- Existing research skills (confidence in producing literature reviews, library research, writing, and presentation skills)
- Existing statistical skills or the ability to learn necessary skills for analyzing data
2025-26 Research Placements and Projects
Innovate Memphis
Innovate Memphis is an independent nonprofit organization that partners with government, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners to solve civic problems. Innovate serves as a data partner for the Greater Memphis Housing Justice Project (GMHJP). A major goal of GMHJP is to collect data that explores housing as a social determinant of health to inform advocacy and policy efforts to improve tenants’ access to stable, high-quality housing. The CUR Fellow will support the development of a formal GMHJP data plan, facilitate the planning process with partners, provide expertise on data collection methods, such as survey design and interviewing, and identify, prepare, and analyze secondary data and produce reports. The ideal candidate will have experience in mixed-methods research, the ability to work with multiple stakeholders, strong communication skills, and an interest in exploring the intersection of housing and health. Apply for the CUR Fellowship with Innovate here.
Knowledge Quest
Knowledge Quest, located in historic South Memphis, is committed to vigorously equipping youth and their families to maximize their potential through education, wellness, and economic stability. The CUR Fellow’s research will explore the contributions of place-based organizations, like Knowledge Quest, to fostering community resilience and development while addressing disparities magnified in urban locales. The specific project will focus on focus on assessing the effectiveness of the Extended Learning Academy in its targeted approach of improving educational outcomes and college/career readiness for youth in one of the most economically disadvantaged geographic areas in the United States. The ideal candidate should have a strong background in mixed-methods research, experience collaborating with multiple stakeholders, and interest in exploring the intersection of community development and K-12 education, place-based intervention initiatives, and program evaluation. Apply for the CUR Fellowship with Knowledge Quest here.
The Memphis Applied Research and Community Action (MARCA) Institute
MARCA is an interdisciplinary community development research Institute housed in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Memphis. The institute supports local government, public service and nonprofit organizations, and grassroots groups to use and leverage data and empirical findings in their practices, policies, planning, advocacy, and decision-making. The CUR Fellow will work with local community-based organizations to address short-term data and research requests on a range of issues, including housing, transportation, blight, food access, and neighborhood improvement. The ideal candidate will have experience in mixed-methods research, the ability to work with multiple stakeholders, strong communication skills, and an interest in exploring community development policy and urban well-being. Apply for the CUR Fellowship with MARCA here.
BENEFITS: Students will receive a monthly stipend of $1800 for ten months, student health insurance,
and tuition remission. Students will be assigned a faculty mentor and receive a small
allocation for professional development.
QUALIFICATIONS: Full-time or part-time graduate students in the Ph.D. in Urban Affairs can apply
and will be selected based on their academic and professional promise and their potential
to contribute to selected placement agencies. Applicants may be required to complete an in-person or phone interview and submit
a background check if required by the host agency. ** You are encouraged to complete
your responses in a Word document and then cut and paste them into Qualtrics when
you are ready to submit your application.
Shelby County Government
Shelby County Government is the state of Tennessee’s largest county in terms of population and geographic area. The county is also part of the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, which comprises eight counties within the tri-state region (Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee). In total, the county government serves a diverse population through its eight divisions: Administration & Finance, Community Services, Corrections, Disproportionate Minority Contact, Health Department, Planning and Development, and Public Works. The county has a personnel staff of approximately 6200+ people, who have a duty to provide services for over 910,000 citizens. Shelby County recently adopted a new enterprise resource planning system and is undergoing training and testing cycles tied to system implementation. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are a category of business software that provides essential insights and internal controls, allowing organizations to integrate data and information from various departments. ERP systems require multiple organizational stakeholders to understand the necessary internal controls and data inputs to make the organization more effective in doing its job. Apply for the CUR Fellowship with Shelby County Government here.
The Shelby County Government is seeking a two-year CUR Fellow to track the implementation of the ERP system. The Fellow will study the needs articulated by the Shelby County Government employees as they work through the implementation process. The Fellow will also seek to triangulate these internal changes to the external communities the County serves. The Shelby County Government CUR Fellow will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Ability to gather and interpret qualitative data
- Ability to gather and interpret quantitative data
- Ability to design and coordinate data collection between different County offices
- Ability to design internal and external surveys
- Strong writing skills
- Knowledge of enterprise resource planning systems or a strong desire to learn about them
BENEFITS: The selected student will be paid a $1850 stipend for ten months, as well as student health insurance and tuition remissions. The selected student will be assigned a faculty mentor and receive a small professional development allocation. The Critical Urban Research Fellowship requires students to work 20 hours a week from late August 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026 and will be renewed for a second year based on a performance evaluation.
QUALIFICATIONS: Full-time or part-time students admitted to the PhD in Urban Affairs program can apply and will be selected based on their academic credentials and professional promise. Candidates will be interviewed and chosen by the host agency and may be required to pass a background check and submit additional information for work authorization upon appointment. **Students are encouraged to write their responses in Word and upload them to the Qualtrics application portal.