Research Professional – Marianne Bertrand, Chang-Tai Hsieh (Full-Time, Benefits Eligible)

Job Title: Research Professional – Marianne Bertrand, Chang-Tai Hsieh (Full-Time, Benefits Eligible)

Location: Chicago, IL – Hyde Park Campus, Saieh Hall 

Expected Start Date: July 1, 2024

For questions about this position, please email bfipredoc@uchicago.edu 

Job Summary:

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is seeking to hire a full-time Research Professional to work with Professors Marianne Bertrand and Chang-Tai Hsieh on ongoing and new research projects related to global innovation, China's economic growth, and technological revolution in the US service sector. Applicants must be available to begin work in July 2024.

Successful candidates will work directly with Professors Marianne Bertrand and Chang-Tai Hsieh 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, Python or Matlab. The ideal candidate would begin on July 1, 2024 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.

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 Matlab, Stata, R and/or Python required.

Required Documents:

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

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