"Postdoctoral Fellow, Digital, Data, and Design Institute - Laboratory for Innovation Science"

Position Description:

The Digital Data and Design (D^3) Institute at Harvard is accepting applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow for academic year 2026-2027 to work on research activities with the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard.

D^3 launched in the summer of 2022 working on research at the intersection of academia and practice. Business, the global economy, and societies around the world are facing dramatic upheaval as a result of rapid technological change driven simultaneously by digitization, the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to all facets of company, economic, and human data, and a new emphasis on the importance of design and innovation on value creation for stakeholders. For more information on D^3/LISH , please visit https://d3.harvard.edu and https://d3.harvard.edu/lish/.

Research Focus:

Postdoctoral Fellows at D^3 will conduct research at the intersection of innovation, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. Research areas span: Digital transformation of Business and Operating Models; Organizational and Workforce Transformation; Entrepreneurial Problem-Solving and Venture Development, and Innovation Contests and Crowdsourcing.

This research is conducted through collaborative partnerships with leading organizations including BCG, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, MIT Solve, Harvard Medical School, and NASA, providing opportunities to study real-world challenges across corporate innovation, scientific research, and technology development contexts.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will work under the direct supervision of faculty Principal Investigators (Professors Karim Lakhani and Jacqueline Lane) and the Senior Director of Labs (Dr. Ramona Pop). The position involves conducting rigorous empirical research using field experiments, large-scale data analysis, and computational methods to advance our understanding of innovation and digital transformation.

Candidate Profiles:

We seek candidates with strong quantitative and computational research skills in one of the following areas:

1. Economics: PhD in Economics or Strategy with expertise in causal inference, econometrics, experimental design, industrial organization, or applied microeconomics. Experience with field experiments, quasi-experimental methods, and/or structural modeling preferred.
2. Sociology: PhD in Sociology or Organizational Behavior with expertise in computational social science, organizational theory, social networks, science and technology studies, or economic sociology. Strong quantitative skills and experience with large-scale data analysis required.
3. Computer Science/HCI: PhD in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Science, or related computational fields with expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, human-AI interaction, or computational social science. Experience applying ML/AI methods to organizational or social science questions preferred.

All candidates should demonstrate advanced knowledge of quantitative research methodologies and data science techniques to manage, extrapolate and analyze research data, as well as strong publication records or clear potential for high-impact research.

There are no teaching requirements for these open positions.

Basic Qualifications:

A Ph.D. or equivalent degree in Business & Social Science for the management, strategy, economics, psychology or other related quantitative and/or social science domains.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have obtained your Ph.D. in the past 12 months you must be able to provide a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution OR a letter from the institution's Registrar stating all requirements for the degree have been successfully completed and should verify the date the degree has been conferred. No exceptions.

Contact Information:

Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02163

Contact Email: kdestadler@hbs.edu

Special Instructions:

Application Details:

Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. Please apply here via the Harvard system. Please do not contact lab faculty; if you have any questions, please contact d3@harvard.edu.

All applications must include the following:

• Curriculum vitae
• Statement of research
• Two representative publications
• Two letters of recommendation

Candidates may be asked to undergo an assessment as part of the interview process.

Additional Information:

This is a term position starting in July 2026 (with a flexible start date into the spring), through June 30, 2027, with anticipated renewal for an additional year based on funding and performance. Relocation funding not provided.

This role is offered as a hybrid (some combination of onsite and remote) where you are required to be onsite at our Boston, MA based campus. Specific days and schedule will be determined between you and your manager.

Please note that we will be conducting interviews virtually (phone and/or Zoom) for selected candidates.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.