The NBER's office is closed and there is no immediate plan to re-open.The situation will be reviewed in December, and further information will be available then. All work by staff and researchers that can be carried out remotely is being performed that way. Employees who are hired before re-opening should anticipate working remotely for some time.
New NBER affiliates are appointed through a highly competitive process that begins with a call for nominations in January. Candidates are evaluated based on their research records and their capacity to contribute to the NBER's activities by program directors and steering committees. New affiliates must hold primary academic appointments in North America. On January 1, 2020, there were 1,581 NBER-affiliated researchers based at 180 institutions.