What Is CIDER?

CIDER brings together experts in development economics—in particular on poverty, food insecurity, agricultural and rural development, health and education, risk management, and firm and market behavior—to build on Cornell’s legacy of global development innovation. Our programs foster collaborations among faculty, staff, students, and research fellows from four units across campus: the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy (Brooks), and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (SC Johnson College), to help sustainably solve the economic challenges people face around the world.

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Our Purpose

Cornell has long been a global leader in international development economics research, teaching, and outreach. Cornell was the main academic incubator of Asia’s Green Revolution and developed the world’s main poverty and food insecurity measures, along with other seminal theories, methods, and empirical findings. CIDER sustains that tradition, fostering collaborations among Cornell faculty, staff, students, and external partners worldwide by working to reduce poverty, hunger, and human suffering.

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Programs

STARS Fellowship

The Structural Transformation of Agriculture and Rural Spaces (STARS) Fellowship pairs early-career researchers who have earned degrees from low- and lower-middle-income countries with mentors at Cornell and affiliated institutions to strengthen research capacity, reinforce effective policy research, and build networks. Accepting applications for the 2025 Fellows now through January 17!

APPLY TO THE STARS PROGRAM

Predoctoral Research Fellows

The CIDER Predoctoral Fellowship Program provides one to three years of research experience and professional development training with core faculty, typically before entering a PhD program. Additionally, fellows audit coursework, participate in seminars, attend conferences, and network with faculty. We’re hiring for Summer 2025! Apply now to join our new cohort of Pre-Docs.

APPLY TO THE PREDOC PROGRAM

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Opportunities

CIDER offers a range of internships and fellowship opportunities, connecting you with Cornell faculty who are leaders in development research and practice.

EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES

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The People Behind CIDER

CIDER encompasses core faculty and research staff, affiliated faculty, graduate students, predoctoral research fellows, and external partners worldwide. These people make CIDER’s work possible.

EXPLORE CIDER faculty and staff


CIDER Events

Friday, January 17, 2025
All interested applicants are encouraged to visit the STARS websiteto learn more about the  Fellowship and the current call for...
11:59pm - 12:00am EST -05:00
January 24 2025

CIDER Weekly Tea

Friday, January 24, 2025
Join us each Friday for our internal works-in-progress seminar for graduate students, faculty, and research staff. Each week we will...
12:30pm - 1:45pm EST -05:00
TBD

Research and Publications

CIDER supports research by Cornell faculty and graduate students. The STARS Fellowship also promotes research by early-career academics from low- and lower-middle-income countries.

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CIDER Faculty
Research

CIDER faculty research spans a variety of contemporary development topics, including agriculture, food security, health and nutrition, environmental sustainability, structural transformation, emerging markets, and risk and resilience.

READ FACULTY RESEARCH

A woman in a lab coat and glasses holding a plant sprout in a greenhouse. STARS Fellows
Research

STARS alumni have conducted research on a variety of topics, including agriculture, diet and nutrition, food security, natural resource management, poverty dynamics, risk and resilience, technological change, and value chains.

Read STARS Fellows’ Research

Economics That Really Matters Blog

The blog, run by graduate students, postdocs, and predocs, invites posts by early-career researchers to highlight early-stage projects and research papers. It also posts interviews with faculty and practitioners to share their thoughts on the future of research in development economics and their advice for emerging researchers.

Read more from the blog


Learn More


Explore More Centers and Institutes

CIDER is dedicated to tackling the most challenging economic issues to mitigate poverty and hunger. Within the SC Johnson College, numerous other centers and institutes offer diverse areas of expertise. Take the opportunity to delve into these additional groups and the wealth of knowledge they offer.