"Predoctoral Researcher"

Predoctoral Researcher

• Job Number: 25277
• Functional Area: Research - Scientific
• Department: Economics
• School Area: Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Employment Category: Exempt
• Visa Sponsorship Available: No

Posting Description

PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHER, Economics, to support work at all stages of the research process on a few new and ongoing research projects in the fields of industrial policy, international trade and development economics, under the guidance of Professor David Atkin or Professor Dave Donaldson. These positions offer the opportunity to gain exposure to and training in a broad set of economic research topics and methodologies. Specific responsibilities include collating, cleaning and organizing data, analyzing data using statistical software, presenting results, extending theoretical frameworks, and editing papers for publication. Data analysis work will include analyzing large datasets, including administrative datasets, credit registries, meteorological data and satellite imagery. They will be fully integrated into the research community at MIT. Attending seminars encouraged. The position is ideally suited to those planning to attend graduate school in economics.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in economics, computer science, mathematics, statistics or a related field; a minimum of two years of specialized experience with qualitative data analysis, research methods, social sciences (which may include experience gained as an undergraduate); strong quantitative and programming skills; time and project management skills, with high accuracy of details; ability to deal with confidential information and/or issues using discretion. PREFERRED: Knowledge of Stata, Matlab, R, GIS, and/or Python and research experience, acquired through an RA-ship or an independent research project.

Preferred start date is July 1st, 2026 with some flexibility. An employment term of 1-2 years is expected.

Please apply online with a single PDF attachment titled “RA_Application_[First name]_[Last name].pdf”, including: cover letter, resume, transcript if applicable. Direct questions to David Atkin or Dave Donaldson. A full copy of the job description can be viewed here.