Policy Impacts at MIT is hiring 3 Pre-Doctoral Research Assistants

The pre-doctoral fellow will work directly with Professor Hendren on research topics in applied micro-economics and empirical welfare analysis. Topics likely include the welfare analysis of environmental and criminal justice policies, empirical macroeconomics, and the impact and incidence of labor market shocks. Work will involve detailed and careful coding of the welfare impacts of government policies, analysis and coding of large microdatasets, literature reviews, and advanced meta-analysis methods using Stata and GitHub. It will also build upon earlier work studying the welfare impacts of government policies and the impact of local labor markets on upward economic mobility.

The pre-doctoral position is intended to provide experiences that will be most beneficial to applicants intending to pursue graduate work in economics. The work will include in-depth exposure to a broad set of literature in economics and experience with advanced empirical and statistical methods. Pre-doctoral fellows are invited to participate in broader activities at MIT, including seminars and courses, and will be connected to a broader community of pre-doctoral fellows at MIT, Blueprint Labs, and OpportunityInsights.

The expected starting salary range is $65,000-$66,000. This position is not eligible for any visa sponsorship.

Qualifications and Skills

Successful candidates have come from a variety of backgrounds (including from undergraduate and graduate programs, industry jobs, and other research assistant positions), and have a range of skill levels and experience with coding. Applications are especially encouraged from backgrounds under-represented in economics.

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Education: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in economics, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a related field.

• Experience: Minimum 2 years’ specialized experience with quantitative data analysis, research methods, and/or social sciences research (which may include course work or experience gained as an undergraduate).

• Skills: Programming skills, particularly around data analysis, cleaning, and simulations. Previous fellows in this position have used Stata, R , or Python to conduct analyses.

• Ability to work independently in a self-directed role across multiple projects, managers, and teams.

• Responsibility and Judgement: Deals with confidential information and/or issues using discretion and judgement.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Education: Advanced undergraduate coursework in public or labor economics and/or computer science

• Experience: Knowledge of Stata, Python, and/or R, and previous research experience, acquired through a research assistantship or an independent research project. Some background or willingness/ability to learn Stata is particularly important.

• Skills: Ability to work well in teams and strong communication.

Learn more and apply