Pre-Doctoral Researcher - Technical Associate (Jackson Lu) 2026

Professor Jackson Lu (http://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/jackson-g-lu) is seeking a full-time Predoctoral Associate in the Work and Organization Studies Group at MIT Sloan School of Management. The position is for one or two years, beginning in the summer of 2026. Day-to-day responsibilities will mostly be conducted remotely.

Background: Professor Lu is an organizational behaviorist and cultural psychologist at MIT Sloan School of Management (www.jacksonlu.net). He currently serves as a Senior Editor for Organization Science and an Associate Editor for Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He has published in top general science journals (e.g., Nature Human Behaviour, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), management journals (e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Organization Science), and psychology journals (e.g., Annual Review of Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Science). His research has been featured in over 300 media outlets (e.g., BBC, The Economist, The Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, NPR, The Boston Globe, The New York Times). His previous full-time research assistants have all been placed at top PhD programs, including Berkeley, Duke, MIT, and Stanford.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone seeking research experience in quantitative social science before entering a PhD program in organizational behavior, psychology, sociology, economics, data science, etc. The Predoctoral Associate will support all aspects of social science research, including idea generation, data collection (e.g., web scraping, lab experiments, and surveys), data analysis (e.g., econometrics, machine learning, social network analysis, and text analysis), and manuscript preparation (e.g., literature reviews and revisions). The role involves analyzing large-scale quantitative and qualitative datasets, working with both individual- and organizational-level data, and leveraging AI tools to collect and process data.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

• Visa sponsorship is not available for this position, but OPT is acceptable
• Advanced statistical/programming skills (R or STATA preferred)
• Native-level or advanced English proficiency
• Conscientious and motivated
• Passionate for social science research

• A self-introduction video (< 5 min) explaining why this position aligns with your research interests and goals
• CV
• Academic transcript
• Proof of English proficiency (if non-native speaker)
• Writing sample

Pay range:

• $50,000-$63,000/year