Postdoctoral Associate – Inclusion Economics at Yale University

Employer: Inclusion Economics at Yale University

Location: New Haven, CT, USA

The Role:

This Yale Inclusion Economics (YIE) Postdoctoral Associate position will provide an excellent opportunity for an early career economist or political scientist to develop top-tier research with mentorship by Professor Rohini Pande and additional Principal Investigators at top economics programs. Ideal candidates will have experience and a track record developing research in one of our core research areas, along with solid analytical and team skills. The selected candidate(s) will gain first-hand experience conducting development economics research while contributing to an agreed upon project portfolio and building their own research portfolio.

The Postdoctoral Associate will support research within the YIE portfolio which matches the associate’s interest, experience, and skills. Responsibilities span the entire research pipeline and include supporting research design and implementation; overseeing data collection and analysis; interacting with internal (Fellows, research staff based in our affiliated country offices) and external stakeholders (including policymakers, donors, and other academics); fundraising; cleaning, processing and analyzing data; and writing papers, reports, briefs, and so on. This position requires a self-starting candidate with proven expertise in applied development economics research and interest in aligned research.

Who We Are:

Inclusion Economics at Yale University is a policy-engaged research initiative based out of the Economic Growth Center and the MacMillan Center, collaborating with Inclusion Economics India Centre at IFMR and Inclusion Economics Nepal at Governance Lab – as well as colleagues at other leading universities. The initiative builds on a number of multi-year studies and policy engagements that began at Evidence for Policy Design at Harvard Kennedy School, as well as new projects. Program-affiliated hub offices based outside of Yale are independent research centers accountable to their home institutions.

Yale Inclusion Economics draws upon economics, political science, and related fields to conduct cutting-edge research to understand how policy can promote inclusive, accountable economies and societies. Our core research focuses on gender as it relates to labor economics and broader economic empowerment, political economy and governance, and environmental economics. We also aim to build a culture of evidence and increase data literacy in the public sector, strengthening leaders’ ability to identify and implement evidence-informed policies. Throughout the research life cycle, we engage closely with policy counterparts to ensure we address questions of immediate relevance, and we regularly communicate data-driven insights with policy counterparts and the general public.

Responsibilities:

· In collaboration with the research team, oversee and guide country-based teams implementing technical aspects of assigned research studies, including intervention implementation, and contributing to field-based scoping, survey design, survey testing, data quality monitoring, and more.

· Conduct econometric analysis under the direction of senior researchers.

· Manage relationships with collaborating institutions, including policy counterparts and potential donors; work with partner institutions and governments to set priorities and coordinate project administration and logistics.

· Compile, assess and synthesize research into relevant outputs with guidance and oversight of Yale-affiliated research faculty.

· Provide appropriate inputs and support for administrative requirements of the project portfolio, upon request, which may include financial management, budgeting, procurement, contract set-up and compliance, grant reporting, deliverable tracking, etc.

· Contribute to overall management and strategic vision by identifying new research projects and partners and applying for additional sources of funding in partnership with research team.

Basic Qualifications:

· PhD in economics, public policy, political science, statistics, econometrics or related field by the start of the appointment

· Advanced coursework in empirical methods, including econometrics and economics, with strong demonstrated academic performance

· Solid understanding of research design and experience with data collection and field work and excellent attention to detail

· Proven analytical skills and proficiency in Stata and/or R; experience in Python a plus

· Capacity to maintain an organized and structured work style in a fast-paced environment

· Ability to adapt to quickly to changing environments

· Strong interpersonal skills, and willingness to interact with a wide range of individuals ranging from Research Associates to academics, donors, research institutions, etc.

· Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

· Ability to work in a multicultural environment

· Willingness to travel and spend significant time at research project sites, as needed

Preferred Qualifications:

· Ability to independently drive research projects and produce independent, high-quality original empirical research in mutually agreed upon areas

· Field research management experience in international development or related field

· Experience with grant and project management

· Proven success in fundraising for research studies with clear policy relevance

· Demonstrated interest in public policy and South Asia

How to Apply:

All applications must be submitted online via Interfolio. To apply, please visit: https://apply.interfolio.com/107888.

Applicants should submit a CV, cover letter, academic transcripts, and writing sample. Letters of reference are not required at the initial stage but will be requested later.

We will accept applications immediately with review beginning on June 5, 2022 and continuing until the selections are final.

To view other open positions, visit the Inclusion Economics Opportunities jobs page.

Yale is an Affirmative Action Equal Opportunity Employer. Yale values diversity in its faculty, students, and staff and encourages applications from people of diverse backgrounds, particularly women, members of minority groups, protected veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who have been historically underrepresented in the field of economics.