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
 

The Harris School of Public Policy seeks applicants for a one-year Research Professional position, with the potential for one-year renewal, to be part of a Department of Energy funded project. The project will examine whether homebuilder contractors have the potential to accelerate the U.S. residential rooftop solar market by incorporating solar photovoltaics (PV) into their business models.
The ideal candidate will have core interests in human behavior/decision-making particularly as it applies to business strategy, new energy technologies and/or organizational decision-making. The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Dr. Kim Wolske but be part of a larger project team that includes Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Responsibilities

• Leadership role in managing the research effort.
• Leads the planning, conducting, and analysis of semi-structured interviews with home building contractors.
• Substantially contributes to the design of a complex survey instrument targeted to builders and home remodelers.
• Prepares, cleans, and analyzes interview and survey data.
• Contributes to the preparation of high-quality journal articles and presents results at conferences and stakeholder events.
• Helps oversee master's and undergraduate students who contribute to the project.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Analyzes and maintains data and/or specimens. Conducts literature reviews. Assists with preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents.
• Installs, sets up and performs experiments; interacting with students and other laboratory staff under the direction of the principal investigator.
• Maintains recruiting and scheduling research subjects; assisting with developing or amending study protocols; assisting with developing data collection tools; assisting with building databases; and providing general administrative support. Has general awareness in research techniques or methods, regulatory policies and procedures, and relevant scientific field.
• 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 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

• Depending on COVID conditions, some domestic travel to collect data and present results at conferences.

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)
• Two Writing Samples (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

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

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.

 

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