Research Assistantships

Research assistantships (RAs) support HST PhD students engaged in research under the supervision of Harvard or MIT faculty members. This includes labs located at many institutions affiliated with Harvard and with MIT.

Looking for a research project? See these resources on Finding a Lab.

Questions about HST RA appointments? Ask laurie [at] mit.edu (Laurie Ward) in E25-518 at MIT.

RA Cost Sheet

2024-2025 Cost Sheet for HST PhD students with funding from off-campus labs

RA Appointment Processing

RA appointments for MEMP PhD students are processed through MIT. A guarantee of payment – in the form of an MIT cost object, purchase order, check request, or billing agreement - is required. For non-MIT labs, this may take up to three months. As a result, students are advised to submit their RA application form as early as possible.

Billing information is provided on the RA application form by the RA supervisor or their designated billing contact. Students are responsible for confirming that the information on the RA application form is accurate, especially the name and email of the Billing Contact Person.

Methods of Payment for Off-campus RAs

Purchase Order

If the billing contact can provide a Purchase Order number (PO#) on the RA application form, then HST will issue an invoice. This is generally the most efficient option.

Send Invoice or Check Request

If this option is selected, HST sends an invoice, and then the billing contact person submits a check request according to their institution's procedure. The billing contact should share either a copy of the submitted check request or a purchase order number (PO#) with the HST office.

Billing Agreement

When a funding source has required terms, the Billing Contact Person may determine that a billing agreement is required. Billing agreements involve staff from multiple offices, at both institutions, and can require several months for processing. Students will also need to complete and return an HST Billing Agreement Questionnaire along with their RA application form.