Faculty-Student Research Partnership
Information for Undergraduate Students
About the CAS Research Partnership
The Center for African Studies (CAS) Research Partnership pairs undergraduate students with Stanford faculty to work collaboratively on innovative research projects. Students will work directly with a faculty mentor during spring or summer quarter and receive funding up to $2,500, which will be paid via timecard reporting in Axess.
The Center for African Studies invites applications for the Faculty-Student Research Partnership with a focus on African Digital Futures, a dynamic opportunity supporting students and faculty whose research explores the transformative role of digital technologies in shaping Africa’s present and future.
This fellowship is designed for scholars in the Humanities and Social Sciences who are investigating how digital tools, platforms, and infrastructures are redefining knowledge production, cultural expression, governance, labor, and everyday life across the continent. From AI and mobile technologies to digital archives, social media, and virtual realities, African Digital Futures are at the forefront of scholarly inquiry and innovation.
As digital transformations become central to social and political life, this fellowship supports projects that critically engage with questions of access, equity, and agency in African digital spaces. We are especially excited to fund work that is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and grounded in African contexts and perspectives.
Fellows will receive funding, research support, and opportunities to present their work through the Center’s programming. This is more than a fellowship, it’s an invitation to help shape a growing field and imagine bold futures for the continent and its diasporas.
Join us in advancing the conversation on what Africa’s digital futures can and should look like.
Apply for the CAS Research Partnership
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate in the CAS Research Partnership, you must:
- Be a current undergraduate at Stanford
- Not be serving a suspension or be on a Leave of Absence (LOA)
- Co-term students and seniors are eligible only if the bachelor’s degree will not be conferred before the end of the research appointment.
- Student athletes should confirm the impact of any funding on their athletic eligibility by contacting the Compliance Services Office prior to applying.
Expectations
- Each undergraduate student will work on a faculty-led research project with a defined deliverable.
- Work may be completed in-person or remotely during spring quarter 2026 or summer quarter 2026, depending on the project.
Apply for the CAS Research Partnership
- Please click on the application form and use it to express your preference regarding faculty mentors and research projects (please see the list below for project descriptions).
- You will be asked to submit a statement of interest, resume, and unofficial transcripts through the application form.
- If your application is approved, someone will contact you to set up an interview.
Click here to view Approved 2025-2026 Research Project Descriptions
Deadline
- Undergraduate applications are due January 31, 2026
Funding
- Each undergraduate research assistant will up to $2,500 for spring or summer quarter 2026.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact Joel Cabrita, Susan Ford Dorsey Director of the Center for African Studies at jcabrita [at] stanford.edu (jcabrita[at]stanford[dot]edu).