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.
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The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is seeking to hire multiple full-time Research Professionals to work with Professors Manasi Deshpande, Magne Mogstad, and Evan Rose on ongoing and new research projects related to applied econometrics, labor and public economics. Applicants must be available to begin work in July 2025.
Successful candidates will work directly with Professors Manasi Deshpande, Magne Mogstad, and/or Evan Rose and co-authors as part of BFI’s Ronzetti Initiative for the Study of Labor Markets and BFI’s Predoctoral Research in Economics Program (PREP). The position entails collaboration on new and ongoing research projects, with specialization in using applied microeconometric techniques to analyze labor markets and social policy in developed economies, including (but not limited to) 1) understanding changes in labor demand (e.g., international competition and trade, regulation and firm dynamics), 2) understanding labor supply (e.g., household labor supply, barriers to geographical and occupational mobility), 3) understanding the determination of the labor market equilibrium, 4) understanding the role of policy and institutions (e.g., the insurance and incentive effects of social insurance and safety net programs, quantifying monopsony power and implications), and 5) understanding interactions between labor markets and the criminal justice system (e.g., effects of economic shocks on crime and recidivism).
The program is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. Former Research Professionals have been admitted to PhD programs at the highest ranked economics programs in the US.
Applicants must have completed a Bachelors degree by June 2025 and have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, Julia, Python, and/or Matlab. The ideal candidate would begin on July 1, 2025, and work for BFI for two years before applying to graduate school in Economics or another quantitative social science. BFI offers competitive salary and employee benefits.
Unit-specific Responsibilities:
- Write programs in Stata or other languages to analyze large datasets
- Construct maps, figures, and tables for economics papers
- Identify new data sources
- Conduct background research
- Edit papers
- 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 and R 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. Background in economics is a plus, but not necessary — we welcome candidates with strong technical backgrounds and strong analytical skills who are looking for more exposure to economics.
Experience
- Relevant research experience as a research assistant (especially with data).
Technical Knowledge/Skills
- Knowledge of R, Julia and/or Python preferred
- Knowledge of 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 Research Professional for Chicago Experiments collaborates on new and ongoing research projects with a focus on, but not limited to, the implementation and empirical analysis of field experiments and observational/administrative data. Specifically, the Research Professional is involved in advanced empirical work on labor economics, education/human capital, discrimination, behavioral economics, and other topics within applied microeconomics.
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.
Past Research Professionals have received admission offers from top PhD programs including Columbia, Maryland, NYU, Stanford, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, UPenn, Yale, among others.
This position requires a commitment of at least two years.
Applications will be reviewed from October on a rolling basis. Only successful candidates will be contacted for a data task.
Responsibilities:
- Collects, cleans, manipulates, and analyzes experimental datasets
- Contributes to writing, proofreading, and fact-checking papers and presentations
- Implements experiments, conducts data analysis, and modifies existing codes to provide robustness of test results
- Ensures compliance with institutional, state and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
Competencies:
- Analytical skills required.
- Attention to detail required.
- Verbal and written communication skills required.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team required.
Education, Experience, and Certifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
Required Documents:
- Cover Letter
- CV
- Transcript (unofficial)
- Most advanced writing sample in economics (if available)
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 with Professor Joshua Gottlieb, Harris School of Public Policy, Co-Director of BFI’s Health Economics Initiative, and Professor Matt Notowidigdo, David McDaniel Keller Professor of Economics and Business and Public Policy Fellow, Professor Zarek Brot-Goldberg, Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, and Professor Maggie Shi, Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy,, and their students and coauthors. The Research Professional will be involved in all stages of ongoing and new research projects related to health and urban economics. Their current research can be viewed at the BFI website. Previous RPs working for the Health INitiative have gone on to PhD programs at Stanford, Yale, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern, and become co-authors on projects commenced during their tenure as RPs.
Successful candidates will work directly with Professors Gottlieb, Notowidigdo, Brot-Goldberg, and Shi, 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 Bachelor’s degree by June 2024 and have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, and/or Python. The ideal candidate would begin on July 1, 2024 (flexible) and work for BFI for 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, R, and/or Python to analyze large datasets
- Code economic models in Julia
- 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 Stata, R, Python, and/or Julia, 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 science, physics, engineering, or other quantitative 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.