J-PAL MENA Post-Doctoral Fellow

About The American University in Cairo:

Founded in 1919, AUC moved to a new 260-acre state-of-the-art campus in New Cairo in 2008.  The university also operates in its historic downtown facilities, offering cultural events, graduate classes, and continuing education.  Student housing is available in New Cairo.  Among the premier universities in the region, AUC is Middle States accredited; its engineering programs are accredited by ABET, its chemistry program is accredited by the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the School of Business is accredited by AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS, and the Master of Public Administration and the Master of Public Policy programs of GAPP are accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and administration (NASPAA).  The AUC libraries contain the largest English-language research collection in the region and are an active and integral part of the university's pursuit of excellence in all academic and scholarly programs.  AUC is an English-medium institution; eighty-five percent of the students are Egyptian and the rest include students from nearly ninety countries, principally from the Middle East, Africa and North America.

Job Description:

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Middle East and North Africa (J-PAL MENA) regional office, based in the AUC School of Business is accepting applications for a post-doctoral fellowship position starting the academic year 2024/2025 for a period of 2 to 3 years. The J-PAL MENA Post-Doctoral Fellowship, which is open to recent graduates of PhD programs and junior academics, will provide opportunities to conduct randomized evaluations on topics related to development, climate change, inclusive growth, human capital and labor, and other topics in Egypt and other MENA countries. The fellow will work in partnership with the J-PAL MENA Scientific Directors and with J-PAL affiliated professors and will contribute to the development of the J-PAL MENA research team. The J-PAL MENA Post-Doctoral Fellow will work with J-PAL affiliates and co-PIs to develop research designs, participate in field activities, contribute to managing partner relationships, and conduct data analysis.

Responsibilities:

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will work full-time at J-PAL MENA. The responsibilities of the candidate will be divided as follows:

Fifty percent of their time will be dedicated to conducting own research projects independently or with J-PAL affiliates. As part of developing own research agenda, the Post-Doctoral fellow is expected to contribute to project development including matchmaking with potential policy partners, working on designing, setting up, and running randomized evaluations in Egypt and possibly other MENA countries.

The other 50 percent of the Post-Doctoral time will be spent on supporting J-PAL MENA research and institutional priorities. Responsibilities and activities in this area include:

?Serve as a resource for J-PAL MENA leadership on research matters and help in the efforts towards improving the ecosystem of research in Egypt and the MENA region;

?Support regional capacity building activities, such as serving as a trainer for J-PAL training activities targeting policy makers and helping J-PAL MENA training team in developing technical training content for introducing randomized evaluations to partner organizations and other stakeholders in Egypt and the region;

?Offer help in designing and organizing internal capacity building activities for the research staff of J-PAL MENA and for successful candidates of the forthcoming MENA Scholars Fellowship;

?Play active role in mentoring and coaching junior J-PAL MENA staff;

?Co-organize scientific research seminars, academic conferences, and workshops with the research team of J-PAL MENA both internally and in cooperation with other research institutions;

?Support the J-PAL MENA team in different research activities related to the Egypt Impact Lab;

?Facilitate connections between the research and university networks at J-PAL and universities in the MENA region;

?Provide technical oversight on project implementation in the field;

?Write drafts and reports and help the J-PAL MENA team in developing and preparing different materials related to research development, evidence dissemination, and policy outreach.

The Post-Doctoral Fellow will be supervised by the J-PAL MENA Executive Director and advised by the J-PAL MENA Scientific Directors.

Requirements:

• Applicants should have a PhD in the field of economics, political science, public policy, or a related field
• Demonstrated interest in conducting high-quality research and impact evaluations, particularly randomized evaluations
• Prior research experience on topics related to development economics/public policy is required
• Fellows must be willing to be based in Cairo, travel within the MENA region and/or occasionally to the field outside of Cairo, including rural areas of Egypt on supervision missions
• Applicants of any nationality are eligible to apply; preference for junior scholars from the MENA region or Egypt specifically.

Application Instructions:

All applicants must submit the following documents online: URL: www.aucegypt.edu/about/jobs/faculty-vacancies  

And emailed to [email protected] :

• Cover letter tailored to indicate why a post-doctoral fellowship with J-PAL MENA aligns with your research goals
• Current resume
• Job market paper
• Completed AUC Personnel Information Form (PIF); and,
• Three names of reference to [email protected] with the subject line J-PAL MENA Post Doc.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

URL: www.aucegypt.edu/about/jobs/faculty-vacancies