Live in 17 cities globally

Meet researchers in your city — over lunch.

Each month we match you with two other researchers nearby. Your group picks a day and a spot, and you meet in person. Small groups, real conversation, no networking-speak.

Join us →
Real lunches, real researchers

Don't just take our word for it

Snapshots from recent Research Lunch Club meetups around the world.

Researchers meeting for lunch Researchers at a Research Lunch Club lunch Researchers connecting over lunch A Research Lunch Club group meetup Researchers sharing a meal Researchers at lunch together A Research Lunch Club table Researchers meeting in person Researchers over lunch A Research Lunch Club lunch Researchers at a meetup in London Researchers smiling over lunch
How it works

Three researchers, one lunch, every month

No app fatigue, no awkward mixers. Just a standing reason to get out of your own head and talk to peers.

🤝

Get matched

Each month we pair you with two other researchers in your city — across disciplines and seniority.

💬

Pick a day

Your group sorts the time and place in a shared chat. Lunches happen when everyone's free.

🥗

Have lunch

Show up, swap notes, and build the kind of relationship that outlasts a conference badge.

New: the member app

Everything your group needs, in one app

From the moment you're matched: meet your group, say hi, find a day that works for everyone, lock it in — then add it straight to your calendar. No more 14-message scheduling threads.

Become a member → Open the app
The Research Lunch Club app cycling through its core flow: see your match, say hi, pick a day, lock it in, add to calendar, get reminded
Where we meet

Researchers are already meeting in 17 cities

Across the UK, Europe, North America, Asia & Oceania — from PhD students to research directors.

17
active cities
4
continents
∞
disciplines welcome
See all cities →
Membership

The cost of a coffee per quarter

One simple membership covers your monthly match and the app for the cost of a coffee per quarter. Not feeling the lunches in your first 90 days? We'll refund you.

  • 🔁 A fresh match every month
  • 📱 The member app to plan it all
  • 🎁 Your first lunch is on us*
  • 🛟 90-day money-back guarantee
  • 🎟️ Free tickets to our lunch & dinner meet-ups (from July 2026)
Join us → Read the FAQ
From the blog

Stories from the lunch table

Read the blog →
15 June 2026 Why postdocs feel isolated — and what helps Postdoc isolation is real and specific. Why it hits harder than PhD or faculty life, and three things that quietly make a difference.
15 June 2026 PhD Networking: a guide to making it less awful Most PhD networking advice feels transactional and gross. How to build a real peer network without the awkward elevator pitches.
8 March 2026 What we learned from the first thousand lunches A year of small-group research lunches across our cities. Five things that consistently produced follow-ups.
Questions

The short version

Other researchers in your city — a mix of disciplines and career stages. Everyone's there for the same reason: to meet peers in person.

The cost of a coffee per quarter, with a 90-day money-back guarantee. That covers your monthly match and the member app; you just pay for your own lunch.

Add it to the waitlist — we open new cities as enough researchers sign up nearby.

All questions →

Ready to meet your next two lunch guests?

Join researchers meeting monthly for new ideas and real connections.

Join us → Check your city