"Senior Research Specialist"

Overview

The Princeton Program in Public Finance is looking to hire full-time pre-doctoral fellows (Senior Research Specialists). The position involves responsibilities that serve as excellent preparation for Ph.D. programs in economics, including data processing and analysis, survey design, simulation techniques, literature reviews, and presentations.

Research fellows will work with Professors Henrik Kleven, Ilyana Kuziemko, and Evan Soltas, along with their co-authors, on topics such as income and wealth inequality, entrepreneurship, gender equality, regional economic development, political economy, and the subsidies on the housing market and social insurance policies.

The position involves empirical analysis, including more sophisticated statistical modeling, and could also involve theoretical work such as coding of model simulations. The position is structured to help individuals prepare for doctoral programs in economics by gaining valuable research experience. In addition to working closely with faculty, senior research specialists have opportunities to participate in the vibrant academic life of Princeton University through attending seminars, attending classes, and interacting with students and fellows in the Department of Economics.

This is a one-year position with the possibility of renewal for a second or third year. The end date is dependent on the start date, which may vary, but will likely be during the Summer or early Fall of 2026.

Responsibilities

• Independent data collection, cleaning, and analysis
• Programming experiment designs and data collection tools
• Survey implementation and organization of focus groups
• Running and editing interviews
• Research summaries, literature searches, and reviews
• Admin support, including organizing logistics of experiments and data collection

Qualifications

The position requires:

• A BA/BS in Economics, Math, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field.
• Excellent research and writing skills.
• Fluency with statistics/econometrics.
• Knowledge of statistical programming, particularly STATA.
• Knowledge of standard internet tools and HTML.
• Familiarity with standard social science data sources.
• Experience with programs such as SAS, Matlab, and Python, LaTeX, Unix/Linux is preferred.
• A Master's degree is desirable but not required.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.