Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow

Department
 

Harris School Pre-Docs, Temps and Non-Student Research Assistants

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
 

The Harris School of Public Policy is seeking to hire a talented research professional to work with Professor Oeindrila Dube, Professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. The position would be a pre-doctoral fellowship within the Harris School’s Kevin Xu Initiative Technology and Development Initiative.
The research professional will play an integral part on projects that tackle important research questions in economics and political economy, answered through the use of big data sources. The focus of these research projects include understanding the economic drivers of religiosity, studying the impacts of climate change, and identifying the cultural origins of gender equity. The data sources used to answer these questions include terabytes of digital trace data from cell phone users as well as massive quantities of satellite and remote sensing data.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Doctoral Fellows will collaborate on research projects.

• 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.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in relevant discipline by Summer 2023, including but not limited to economics, public policy, political science, data science, computer science, or other related field.
• Candidates with a master's degree in the above fields and/or relevant work experience.

Experience:

• Creating compelling data visualizations of information and results, using econometric methods.
• Conducting interviews and survey research.
• Analyzing the resulting data.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

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

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 (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
 

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or 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.

 

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