Staff Associate - Economics

Columbia Business School is seeking to hire up to two Staff Associates for the Economics Division. The work will include empirical research on the microeconomic determinants of productivity growth and innovative behavior by firms in both developed and developing countries, under the supervision of Prof. Joseph Stiglitz and other Columbia University IPD-affiliated faculty. This position provides an opportunity to gain experience in academic business research, with a special focus on fields such as finance, economics, statistics, and data science; and would be ideal preparation for a Ph.D. program or other graduate study. This is a two-year position with a possible extension to a third year. The role is dependent on funding. 

The Staff Associate duties involve work in one or more of the following areas of research: finance, economics, and statistics. Specific duties include:

• Collect, clean, and maintain datasets and databases. Extract and link data from multiple databases for analysis. Prepare detailed documentation.
• Develop models and implement program code (STATA, Python, SQL, R, SAS, Matlab, etc.).
• Perform statistical analysis, including regression analysis and machine learning techniques.
• Assist with data analysis and dissemination of findings through the preparation of reports, journal articles, presentations, websites, and other research outlets.
• Perform case-based research, including work with detailed primary documents.

Applicants for the Staff Associate position are expected to have the following:

•  Programming experience in STATA is required. Strong preference for those who also know Python.
• Additional programming experience in one or more of the following languages: R, SQL, SAS, Matlab, and/or C is preferred.
• Familiarity with statistical tools such as linear regression is required.
• Demonstrated exceptional written and oral communications skills needed – a writing sample is required.
• At least 6 months of research experience in a research role as a research assistant during the academic year or a summer internship in a research lab or governmental institution such as the NY Fed.