Research Associate

Position Description

Professor Zoe Cullen, an economist at Harvard Business School, is seeking a full-time Research Associate - start date flexible.

The Research Associate will be based at Harvard and be a part of the Research Associate program within Harvard Business School.

However, the Research Associate will be joining projects with colleagues at other institutions, including projects with Nina Roussille (MIT), Ricardo Perez-Truglia (Berkeley), Danielle Li (MIT), Bobak Pakzad-Hurson (Brown), Shengwu Li (Harvard), and projects involving graduate students in the economics department at Harvard and MIT.

All potential candidates should read through the following details of this job with care before making an application.

Zoe Cullen graduated with a PhD from Stanford in Economics in 2016. Her interests are in the design of labor markets and the choices of employers and labor platforms that affect matters of public interest, such as pay transparency, pay inequality and criminal background screening.

She's an NBER Affiliate in Labor Studies, an Associate Editor at the Journal of Political Economy and an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (2024-2026).

Much of her and her colleagues' ongoing research uses experimental and quasi-experimental methods to identify causal effects and to propose and test economic models.

Examples of current research projects include understanding the potential role of labor contracts to direct the use of AI, labor market determinants of innovation, and the role of negotiations in wage inequality.

This position is ideal for candidates with an interest in empirical economics who have plans for doctoral studies after working for two years.

Prior Reseach Associates have matriculated in PhD programs at top 5 departments in economics. The Research Associate will report directly to Professor Cullen and an Administrative Manager in the Research Staff Services office.

Ideal candidates will be comfortable in an environment that requires a high level of independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to use discretionary judgment.

Primary Duties :

• Use statistical software to work with large data sets and develop statistical models and assist with the execution of human subject experiments.
• Participate in team meetings, conduct literature reviews, edit research papers, create presentations, and assist with case studies and original data collection, including correspondence with high-level decision makers.
• Independently manage all timelines and deliverables. Exercise independent decision making with regard to progression of research project and methodologies.

Must be able to structure assignments and keep faculty member informed as necessary, using own judgment.

Responsible for other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and advanced coursework in economics, mathematics, quantitative sciences, or business-related field required.
• Statistical programming and a basic understanding of econometrics. Proficiency in Stata, SAS, R, and / or Python.
• Experience with empirical research methods.
• Strong critical thinking and excellent writing skills to assist with drafting of manuscripts and presentations.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

• Evidence of outstanding academic achievement.
• Indication of independent research experience and / or applied experience. Methodological interests in econometrics, statistics, machine learning, and economic theory are preferred.

Must be able to take complex research ideas, concepts, and methodologies and apply them to new projects and situations.

• Ability to use own judgement, structure assignments, and keep faculty members informed are a must.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, organization, research, analytical, writing, and editing skills are required.
• Proven ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and to adapt to changes in priorities; ability to work calmly under deadline pressure, work both independently and as a team member, take initiative;

and follow projects through to completion.

Additional Information

Please do not contact Professor Cullen directly. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but priority will be given to those who apply by September 1st.

These are term appointments starting Fall 2024, through June 30, 2025, with an expectation of reappointment until June 30, 2026, based on funding and performance.

All Research Associate roles at HBS are structured as one-year term appointments, but Professor Cullen prefers candidates willing to commit for two years.

This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA based campus.

HBS expects all staff to be onsite 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.

We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and / or via Zoom) and / or in-person for this role.

A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity. All candidates will be expected to submit a writing sample, transcript, and a code sample to be reviewed by an HBS statistician.

Harvard Business School will not offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity.

Culture of Inclusion : The work and well-being of HBS is profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences.

Explore HBS work culture at https : / / www.hbs.edu / employment / .

Benefits

We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website (

J-18808-Ljbffr