May Newsletter

Spring is (finally) here!

In This Issue:

• Research Spotlight: Wrapping Up BARI Conference 2026
• Opportunities, Resources, and Events in Civic Research, Data, and Design

Research Spotlight: Wrapping Up BARI Conference 2026



Over 400 researchers, public servants, and community members gathered at Northeastern University on May 8th for the 10th Annual BARI Conference: Greater Boston's Insight to Impact Summit. It was a full-circle moment, as BARI returned to the location of its first conference, which drew 40 people to Northeastern in 2017. BARI Associate Director for Civic Research Kim Lucas shared, "I am so proud that in the last 10 years, the BARI community has grown tenfold, and with that, our collective knowledge and potential for action has grown as well. Community leaders, public servants, non-profit leaders, and academics bringing their expertise to serve the public good--all together!"

BARI Conference 2026 kicked off with a welcome from Northeastern's Chancellor Ken Henderson and remarks from Director Dan O'Brien and Professor Lucas. The keynote panel on affordability in Greater Boston featured Dr. Karilyn Crockett of MIT and Janelle Nanos of the Boston Globe in a moderated discussion with Kristin McSwain, Chief of Policy and Research for the City of Boston. Audience questions came from higher education leaders, civil servants, and AP Seminar students from Charlestown High School, demonstrating the wide range of experience represented in the room.

Attendees then moved throughout the Curry Student Center engaging with 12 panels on topics that ranged from extreme heat to procurement and families' interaction with education and health systems to expanding civic participation. "What I liked most was that the presentations were not just theoretical. Most focused on practical applications that cities and communities can actually use," said attendee Eleni Kalantzi, PhD, a Spatial Data Analyst and Urban Planner.

The day was jam-packed with opportunities to learn and share ideas, including the lunch "break," which offered even more ways to connect. Over 20 poster presenters, including students from Boston Latin Academy, Salem State, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Harvard, and MIT, hosted lively discussions on their research topics. Upstairs, innovators from academia and the public sector demonstrated new technologies and tools that make data more accessible to communities and residents. In synergy with the themes of the conference, the Scholars' Strategy Network facilitated a discussion on how to connect academic research to policy. Those ninety minutes were a microcosm of the larger event: a diverse group of civic-minded thinkers from across sectors bringing a wide range of expertise and a shared focus on addressing challenges facing our communities.

We are already thinking about BARI Conference 2027 and hope to see you there!

Read more about BARI Conference 2026 in The Bay State Banner here.

Check Out These Opportunities, Resources, & Events in

Civic Research, Data, & Design!

Hiring for a Health Policy Analyst at the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA)

CHIA serves as a steward of Massachusetts health data, employing multifaceted datasets and cutting-edge analytics to ensure transparency in our health care system. They seek a Health Policy Analyst to contribute to the growing portfolio of the Health Informatics and Reporting team. The Health Policy Analyst will develop analytic reports and data products to produce insights on a range of health policy topic areas including affordability, access to primary care and behavioral health services, prescription drug costs, quality measurement, and other emerging issues. 

Apply here

Call for Proposals for The 2026 Small Business Anti-Displacement Network Summit on Preventing Climate Displacement Summit

Nov. 12-13, 2026

Co-hosted by the Gentrification & Urban Displacement Lab at the Boston University Initiative on Cities, the summit will examine how climate displacement is increasingly affecting vulnerable communities and small businesses, including how climate disasters, the long-term effects of climate change, and climate adaptation or mitigation strategies can kickstart or compound gentrification.

Small businesses, support organizations and advocates, researchers, and policymakers are invited to submit proposals on topics at the intersection of climate displacement and small businesses. Proposals are due Tuesday, June 15, 2026, and applicants will be notified of decisions in early July.

Learn more and submit a proposal here

Budgeting in Place

May 28, 5:30 pm ET

Boston Public Library

Main Branch

Join us for a free in-person conversation and workshop to learn more about participatory budgeting and People’s Budgets campaigns, co-hosted with the Kirstein Business Library & Innovation Center. Moderated by LMEC Associate Curator of Digital & Participatory Geography Ian Spangler, this event brings together a panel of experts from Boston, New York City, and Nashville for a discussion about what participatory budgeting is, where it came from, and how you can get involved. Light fare will be provided by the Kirstein Business Library & Innovation Center.

Registration is required to attend

An Uncertain Future: 

How the Immigration Crackdown Threatens MA’s Labor Force

Thursday, June 4, 2026

9:00 to 10:30 AM

(Breakfast available at 8:30 AM)

On June 4, TBF will host a timely discussion on the release of An Uncertain Future: How the Immigration Crackdown Threatens Massachusetts' Labor Force, a new report from Boston Indicators in partnership with MassInc. Join researchers and community leaders as they examine the critical role immigrants play in our regional economy and challenge the false narratives that too often distort this vital conversation.

Register here

BARI pursues civic research to advance social, economic, & environmental justice in collaboration with the communities of Greater Boston.

Join Us!