Predoctoral Research Assistant

Department
 

Harris School Unassigned Positions

About the Department
 

Why Policy? For a better world. Why Harris Public Policy? Because when it comes to better policymaking, evidence matters. We work at the frontiers of data collection and analysis, using the latest technology and social science methods to design policies that work for society. We conduct rigorous inquiry in an environment of innovation and risk taking. We collaborate across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, adopting new methodologies to drive better solutions. We engage with our city, our world, and our leaders every day to evaluate and test our ideas. And we lead with our passion for driving social change, knowing that passion alone does not equal impact.

Job Summary
 

Professor Bruce D. Meyer, the McCormick Foundation Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School, is seeking to hire full-time Pre-Doctoral Fellows to join the Comprehensive Income Dataset (CID) Project for a two-year term to start anytime between now and Summer 2023. The CID links government surveys with an unprecedented set of tax records and administrative program data, with the ultimate goal of being the most comprehensive and accurate income-related dataset ever created for the United States. The CID Project’s research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and featured in media outlets such as the Economist, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Pre-Doctoral Fellows work closely with Professor Meyer, Ph.D. researchers—including Kevin Corinth, Nikolas Mittag and James Sullivan—and graduate students at the CID Project in all stages of the research process. As a fellow, you will link novel administrative and survey data sources and develop statistical approaches to incorporate them into CID-based income measures; use the CID to identify sources of error in government surveys and develop new methods to address them; identify the most deprived segments of the population using an unprecedented set of material hardship measures and uncover the underlying factors that lead to poverty; examine the short- and long-term effects of government programs on accurately measured income, poverty and economic well-being; estimate trends in poverty and the distribution of income over multiple decades and study the material well-being of the U.S. homeless population using the CID and other data sources rarely used to study this population.
The Pre-Doctoral Fellows will also use cutting edge statistical techniques to create more accurate measures of income and material deprivation; conduct sophisticated empirical analyses that have the potential to transform our understanding of economic well-being, poverty and highly vulnerable populations; prepare presentations and manuscripts; interact with outside academic experts and policy leaders involved with CID projects; and ultimately, coauthor papers submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
The Pre-Doctoral Fellow position is ideal preparation for top Ph.D. programs in economics and related fields. Previous fellows have gone on to attend Ph.D. programs at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Doctoral Fellows will collaborate on research projects that further build the CID and use it to transform our understanding of economic well-being in the United States.

• Perform routine assignments related to scientific research projects.

• Assists in drafting presentations on research findings.

• Analyzes possible solutions using standard procedures.

• Ensures compliance of research activities with institutional, state, and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives and mandates.

• Writes articles, reports and manuscripts.

• Analyzes and maintains data and/or specimens. Conducts literature reviews. Assists with preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents.

• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.

• 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 in a relevant discipline by the time the position begins, including but not limited to psychology, marketing, behavioral economics, decision science, organizational behavior, management studies, business.

• Candidates with a master’s degree in the above fields and/or relevant work experience.

Experience:

• Conducting interviews and survey research.

• Analyzing the resulting data.

• Familiarity conducting randomized survey experiments.

• Creating compelling data visualizations of information and results, and using econometric methods.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Proficiency in leading statistical packages (e.g., STATA, R, SPSS).

• Programming Qualtrics surveys.

Preferred Competencies

• Professional/academic level English language skills, both written and verbal.

• Excellent organizational and time management skills with meticulous attention to detail.

• Work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team.

Working Conditions

• Position will consist of some remote work.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)

• Cover Letter summarizing your qualifications, areas of expertise, research interests, career goals, and a statement of how you meet the qualifications described above (required)

• Two References Contact Information (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Research

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.