Percent time: 100%
Anticipated start: 2/16/2026
Position duration: 2 years
Application Window
Open date: November 2, 2025
Most recent review date: Friday, Jun 26, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Final date: Wednesday, Sep 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)
Position description
The Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley is seeking highly motivated individuals for the position of Junior or Assistant Specialist. The positions are to assist in research in economic development, labor, and health economics, applying rigorous methods for causal inference and machine learning.
The Institute for Business and Social Impact (IBSI) was launched in November 2013 at the Haas School of Business to train and empower leaders to address society's most pressing challenges. As part of the top-ranked Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, IBSI advances pioneering research at the intersection of business and social impact, with particular focus on workforce skills development, financial inclusion, and mental health in organizational settings. Building upon the school's unique and historic commitment to comprehensive excellence in research and public education, IBSI translates rigorous academic inquiry into actionable solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities worldwide. The candidate would work at the Haas School of Business IBSI under the supervision of Laura Chioda (manager) and Professor Paul Gertler.
General Duties:
- Research Design & Analysis (20%): Assist in designing and interpreting analyses using advanced econometric methods, including reduced form approaches (difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, instrumental variables) and structural econometrics (method of moments, maximum likelihood, dynamic programming), with a focus on causal inference.
- Data Collection & Field Operations (15%): Support the design and implementation of field experiments, survey development, and primary data collection activities; monitor data quality and coordinate with field teams to ensure research protocols are followed.
- Data Management & Programming (20%): Write efficient, well-documented code to manipulate large datasets and implement complex analyses; maintain data infrastructure using collaborative and replicable programming practices.
- Quality Assurance & Documentation (15%): Clean and validate data, identify and resolve technical issues with datasets or code, and maintain comprehensive documentation of all research procedures and analytical decisions.
- Research Communication (10%): Prepare materials for research manuscripts, project reports, and presentations; generate publication-ready tables, graphs, and visualizations that effectively communicate findings.
- Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing (20%): Work closely with faculty, research team members, and external collaborators to advance ongoing analyses, share methodological expertise, and contribute to the broader research agenda.
