Department
About the Department
Job Summary
The Pre-Doctoral Fellow will work directly with Professors Ariel Kalil and Susan Mayer as well as post-doctoral and graduate student researchers at the BIP Lab to make intellectual and analytical contributions to our research. Work at the lab focuses on young children’s skill development and how parents invest in their children’s development in the home environment. We are especially interested in income-based parenting gaps and designing and testing interventions to close these gaps. To do so, we focus on the factors that shape parental decision-making and the behavioral tools that help close the intention-action gap.
Some examples of current and upcoming projects at the BIP Lab include field experiments and an RCT on the role of education technology and parent engagement in early math learning; a large-scale survey designed to identify SES-based differences in parental investments in children’s early skill development; and an RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of motivating two diverging forms of parent-child learning actions for increasing child academic skill and curiosity.
Professors Kalil and Mayer are seeking to hire a full-time Pre-Doctoral Fellow to join the BIP Lab for a one-year term subject to renewal starting any time between now and Fall 2022. Review of applications will begin March 15, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Tasks the fellow may work on include, but are not limited to, informing the research design of field experiments, informing implementation methodology, data cleaning, data analysis, and academic writing. The pre-doctoral fellow will also have the opportunity to participate in the intellectual life of the Harris School and the University by attending seminars and local conferences and by interacting with fellows and students in other research groups.
The lab conducts field experiments, randomized control trials (RCTs), program evaluations, surveys, and secondary analysis of existing data. The research team works with organizations serving families in Chicago, Illinois, and nationally. We frequently consult with national and international organizations seeking to put our work into practice at scale and we present our work regularly at national and international conferences.
The BIP Lab’s work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, The Economist, AP News, Brookings, The Hill, and others.
Pre-Doctoral Fellows work closely with Professors Kalil and Mayer, Post-Doctoral Fellow Derek Rury, student researchers, and professional research staff at the BIP Lab in all stages of the research process. As a fellow, you will contribute to research project ideation and design; conduct and present literature reviews; design surveys and research instruments, create pre-analysis plans; conduct statistical power analyses and randomization procedures for experimental studies; use cutting edge statistical techniques to measure experimental and survey outcomes; manage and audit large datasets, conduct robustness and sensitivity analyses, conduct sophisticated empirical analyses that have the potential to transform our understanding of behavioral tools and parent behavior in relation to child skill development in highly vulnerable populations; prepare presentations and manuscripts; interact with outside academic experts and policy leaders involved with BIP Lab 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. This is the second year of the Pre-Doctoral Fellows program at the BIP Lab.
Responsibilities
- Pre-Doctoral Fellows will collaborate on research projects that build the BIP Lab research portfolio and use it to transform our understanding of children’s skill development, parental decision-making, and effective social policy 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:
---
Certifications:
---
Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Statistics or related disciplines.
Experience:
- Previous research experience.
Technical Knowledge or Skills:
- Proficiency in Stata required; ability to use other statistical software packages (e.g., SAS, R, or Python).
- Significant coursework or experience in programming, quantitative analysis, and program evaluation.
- Exceptional technical skills and a proven ability to creatively tackle difficult empirical problems, but who are also passionate about advancing our understanding of some of the most deprived segments of the U.S. population and the programs that serve them.
Preferred Competencies
- Strong interest in understanding human capital development, parental investments, and solutions to closing income-based gaps in parenting and children’s outcomes.
- Proven ability to work effectively in small teams, demonstrating a strong desire to both learn from and mentor other team members.
- Drive and ability to develop a detailed understanding of areas ranging from cutting-edge econometric techniques to institutional details related to marginalized populations.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- High attention to detail and quality in data analysis and written material.
- Significant knowledge of statistics and/or empirical economics research.
- Demonstrated ability to review and prioritize work independently and effectively.
- Demonstrated ability to be resourceful and creative in problem-solving.
Working Conditions
- The Pre-Doctoral Fellow will work in person at the Harris School of Public Policy in Chicago Illinois. A hybrid work arrangement is possible.
Application Documents
- Resume (required)
- Cover Letter (required)
- References (optional, but one preferred)
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Role Impact
FLSA Status
Pay Frequency
Scheduled Weekly Hours
Benefits Eligible
Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
Drug Test Required
Health Screen Required
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
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.
Department
About the Department
Job Summary
The Pre-Doctoral Fellow will work directly with Professors Ariel Kalil and Susan Mayer as well as post-doctoral and graduate student researchers at the BIP Lab to make intellectual and analytical contributions to our research. Work at the lab focuses on young children’s skill development and how parents invest in their children’s development in the home environment. We are especially interested in income-based parenting gaps and designing and testing interventions to close these gaps. To do so, we focus on the factors that shape parental decision-making and the behavioral tools that help close the intention-action gap.
Some examples of current and upcoming projects at the BIP Lab include field experiments and an RCT on the role of education technology and parent engagement in early math learning; a large-scale survey designed to identify SES-based differences in parental investments in children’s early skill development; and an RCT to evaluate the effectiveness of motivating two diverging forms of parent-child learning actions for increasing child academic skill and curiosity.
Professors Kalil and Mayer are seeking to hire a full-time Pre-Doctoral Fellow to join the BIP Lab for a one-year term subject to renewal starting any time between now and Fall 2022. Review of applications will begin March 15, 2022 and continue until the position is filled. Tasks the fellow may work on include, but are not limited to, informing the research design of field experiments, informing implementation methodology, data cleaning, data analysis, and academic writing. The pre-doctoral fellow will also have the opportunity to participate in the intellectual life of the Harris School and the University by attending seminars and local conferences and by interacting with fellows and students in other research groups.
The lab conducts field experiments, randomized control trials (RCTs), program evaluations, surveys, and secondary analysis of existing data. The research team works with organizations serving families in Chicago, Illinois, and nationally. We frequently consult with national and international organizations seeking to put our work into practice at scale and we present our work regularly at national and international conferences.
The BIP Lab’s work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, The Economist, AP News, Brookings, The Hill, and others.
Pre-Doctoral Fellows work closely with Professors Kalil and Mayer, Post-Doctoral Fellow Derek Rury, student researchers, and professional research staff at the BIP Lab in all stages of the research process. As a fellow, you will contribute to research project ideation and design; conduct and present literature reviews; design surveys and research instruments, create pre-analysis plans; conduct statistical power analyses and randomization procedures for experimental studies; use cutting edge statistical techniques to measure experimental and survey outcomes; manage and audit large datasets, conduct robustness and sensitivity analyses, conduct sophisticated empirical analyses that have the potential to transform our understanding of behavioral tools and parent behavior in relation to child skill development in highly vulnerable populations; prepare presentations and manuscripts; interact with outside academic experts and policy leaders involved with BIP Lab 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. This is the second year of the Pre-Doctoral Fellows program at the BIP Lab.
Responsibilities
- Pre-Doctoral Fellows will collaborate on research projects that build the BIP Lab research portfolio and use it to transform our understanding of children’s skill development, parental decision-making, and effective social policy 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:
---
Certifications:
---
Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Statistics or related disciplines.
Experience:
- Previous research experience.
Technical Knowledge or Skills:
- Proficiency in Stata required; ability to use other statistical software packages (e.g., SAS, R, or Python).
- Significant coursework or experience in programming, quantitative analysis, and program evaluation.
- Exceptional technical skills and a proven ability to creatively tackle difficult empirical problems, but who are also passionate about advancing our understanding of some of the most deprived segments of the U.S. population and the programs that serve them.
Preferred Competencies
- Strong interest in understanding human capital development, parental investments, and solutions to closing income-based gaps in parenting and children’s outcomes.
- Proven ability to work effectively in small teams, demonstrating a strong desire to both learn from and mentor other team members.
- Drive and ability to develop a detailed understanding of areas ranging from cutting-edge econometric techniques to institutional details related to marginalized populations.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- High attention to detail and quality in data analysis and written material.
- Significant knowledge of statistics and/or empirical economics research.
- Demonstrated ability to review and prioritize work independently and effectively.
- Demonstrated ability to be resourceful and creative in problem-solving.
Working Conditions
- The Pre-Doctoral Fellow will work in person at the Harris School of Public Policy in Chicago Illinois. A hybrid work arrangement is possible.
Application Documents
- Resume (required)
- Cover Letter (required)
- References (optional, but one preferred)
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Role Impact
FLSA Status
Pay Frequency
Scheduled Weekly Hours
Benefits Eligible
Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
Drug Test Required
Health Screen Required
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
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.
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