Pre-Doctoral Research Opportunities

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is seeking to hire a full-time Research Professional to work with Maggie Shi (joining University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy as an assistant professor fall 2023) and Zarek Brot-Goldberg.  The Research Professional will be involved in all stages of ongoing and new research projects related to research in health, labor, and regulation.

Successful candidates will work directly with Professors Shi and Brot-Goldberg and co-authors as part of BFI’s Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP). The program is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. Applicants must have completed a Bachelors degree by June 2023 and have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, or Python. The ideal candidate would begin on July 1, 2023 (flexible) and work for BFI for one or two years before applying to graduate school in Economics or another quantitative social science. BFI offers competitive salary and employee benefits.

Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received.

Unit-specific Responsibilities:

• Write programs in Stata to analyze large datasets
• Construct maps, figures, and tables for economics papers
• Identify new data sources
• Editing tasks
• Other duties as assigned.

 Unit-preferred Competencies:

• Desired (but not required) skills include advanced familiarity with numerical optimization and package development in R and/or Python, and the ability to use Stata to manage and analyze large datasets. Although previous experience with any specific language is not essential, familiarity with at least one scripting language is encouraged.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent organizational skills
• Attention to detail
• Strong academic writing/communication skills

 Preferred Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, computer sciences, engineering, or related STEM fields is highly desirable.

Experience

• Relevant research experience as a research assistant.

Technical Knowledge/Skills

• Knowledge of R, Python, Stata preferred

Required Documents:

• Resume/CV
• Writing sample
• Transcripts (unofficial is ok)

The University of Chicago provides equal employment opportunities to all employees, applicants, and job seekers. No person shall be discriminated against in employment or harassed because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, parental status, ancestry, source of income, or other classes protected by law. This policy includes the commitment to maintaining a work environment free from unlawful harassment.

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is seeking to hire a full-time Research Professional to work for Professor Christopher Blattman as part of BFI’s Development Economics Initiative. The Research Professional will collaborate on new and ongoing research projects with a focus on, but not limited to, the empirical analysis of field and quasi-experiments. More specifically, the Research Professional will be involved in advanced empirical and theoretical work on violence prevention, on the economics organized crime, as well as other topics on the intersection of development economics and political economy. The Research Professional is part of the vibrant research environment at The University of Chicago and may attend and participate in seminars and workshops in preparation for a successful academic career. This position requires a commitment of at least one year and applicants must be available to begin work as early as April 2023 and no later than July 2023.

BFI’s Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP) is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. Applicants must have completed a Bachelor’s degree by June 2023 and have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, Python or Matlab.

Responsibilities:

• Contributing to design and implementation of research in development economics.
• Conducting data cleaning and data analysis.
• Assistance drafting, fact-checking and proof-reading papers.
• Developing literature reviews.
• Scheduling and other administrative assistance

Preferred Qualifications: 

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, or related field with substantial training in economics
• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, or a related field

Experience

• Work experience in a research environment, with proven analytical and quantitative skills
• Experience conducting RCTs or other research in a developing country
• Experience with a statistical analysis package such as R, Python, or Stata

Preferred Competencies:

• Strong interest in development economics
• Ability to work both independently, in a self-directed manner, and as a team member
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear and compelling written materials geared towards technical and non-technical audiences
• Mature, self-directed individual with the ability to balance multiple tasks and prioritize effectively in order to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced working environment
• Ability to work efficiently with minimal supervision
• Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail

Working Conditions: 

• This position will perform tasks mostly indoors in an office setting.
• Requires the ability to work independently for periods of eight (8) hours or more.

Required Documents:

• Resume/CV (required)
• Transcripts (required)
• Writing sample (optional)

 About the Unit:

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) works with the Chicago Economics community to turn its evidence-based research into real-world impact. BFI takes a unique approach to bridging the divide between academic researchers and decision-makers in the business community and government by translating and packaging the rigorous work of the Chicago Economics community into accessible formats, and proactively sharing those findings with relevant decision-makers and thought leaders around the globe. BFI is a collaborative platform serving the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Law School. For more information visit https://bfi.uchicago.edu and https://bfi.uchicago.edu/info-for/prep/.

The University of Chicago provides equal employment opportunities to all employees, applicants, and job seekers. No person shall be discriminated against in employment or harassed because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, parental status, ancestry, source of income, or other classes protected by law. This policy includes the commitment to maintaining a work environment free from unlawful harassment.

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is seeking to hire a Research Professional to work on new and ongoing research projects in econometrics, with a special focus on causal inference and machine learning. The Research Professional will work under the guidance of Professors Guillaume Pouliot and Alexander Torgovitsky. The Research Professional will be involved in the development, implementation, and application of advanced statistical models on the frontier of methodological research in economics.

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) works with the Chicago Economics community to turn its evidence-based research into real-world impact. BFI takes a unique approach to bridging the divide between academic researchers and decision-makers in the business community and government by translating and packaging the rigorous work of the Chicago Economics community into accessible formats, and proactively sharing those findings with relevant decision-makers and thought leaders around the globe. BFI is a collaborative platform serving the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Law School. For more information visit https://bfi.uchicago.edu and https://bfi.uchicago.edu/info-for/prep/.

The candidate is welcome to take advantage of immersion in the Chicago Economics community and to attend student and faculty research workshops.

Unit-specific Responsibilities

1) Lead developer of software with primary role in design and testing.

2) Writes documentation and distributes the software to repositories.

3) Develops demonstrations and applications of the software.

4) Proof-reads papers and presentations about the software.

Unit-preferred Competencies

1) Strong programming ability with background in multiple languages.

2) Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

3) Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

4) Strong written skills.

5) Strong background with Python, R, and/or Julia.

6) Some knowledge of LaTeX.

Preferred Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a related field; advanced degree preferred

Experience

• Relevant research experience, especially with data, preferred

Technical Knowledge/Skills

• Knowledge of Python, Matlab, R, and/or Julia required
• Knowledge of LaTeX preferred

Required Documents

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter (include earliest available start date)
• Transcript (unofficial is ok)

The University of Chicago provides equal employment opportunities to all employees, applicants, and job seekers. No person shall be discriminated against in employment or harassed because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, parental status, ancestry, source of income, or other classes protected by law. This policy includes the commitment to maintaining a work environment free from unlawful harassment.

The Development Innovation Lab (DIL) at the Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) uses the tools of economics to develop innovations of practical use in  developing countries. By bringing together experts in different fields and working closely with nonprofit organizations, firms and governments in developing countries, we can simultaneously advance knowledge and generate solutions to development challenges which can reach hundreds of millions of people.

Job Summary

DIL is seeking to hire a full-time Research Professional to work with Professor Michael Kremer, Nobel Laureate, and possibly other faculty as part of the Development Innovation Lab. Successful applicants will collaborate on new and ongoing research in development economics.

Responsibilities

• Under limited direction, performs complex lab and/or research-related duties and tasks.
• Collects, records and analyzes data.
• Conducts literature reviews.
• Participates in writing reports and manuscripts.
• Ensures compliance with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
• Trains and oversees the work of research support personnel.
• Transcribes and codes data; develops data collection instruments.
• Presents research findings at staff meetings, seminars, and scientific conferences.
• Assists with building databases.
• Recruits and schedules research subjects.
• Supports data collection and analytical needs of research projects. Conducts literature reviews and helps write reports and manuscripts. Ensures project compliance with different policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
• Takes responsibility for the following non-laboratory duties: transcribing and coding data; developing data collection instruments; presenting research; and recruiting and scheduling research subjects. Acquires higher-level skills and knowledge in the process.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Analyzes and maintains data and/or specimens. Conducts literature reviews. Assists with preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents.
• Installs, sets up and performs experiments, interacting with students and other laboratory staff under the direction of the principal investigator.
• Conducting other relevant administrative tasks, as needed.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Advanced degree in economics, mathematics, computer science, finance, statistics, or comparable field.

Experience:

• A minimum of one to two years of relevant research experience, experience gained in school counts towards this qualification.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Advanced knowledge of research technique and methods in relevant scientific field.

 Preferred Competencies

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.
• Work both independently and as a team member.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

 Working Conditions

• Perform tasks mostly indoors in an office setting.
• Work independently for periods of eight (8) hours or more.
• Potentially traveling for field work.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• Professional References Contact Information (3)(required)

The University of Chicago provides equal employment opportunities to all employees, applicants, and job seekers. No person shall be discriminated against in employment or harassed because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, parental status, ancestry, source of income, or other classes protected by law. This policy includes the commitment to maintaining a work environment free from unlawful harassment.