Job Title: Research Professional (RP)

Location: Chicago, IL

Salary Ranges: $59,000–62,000 annual salary, additional $2,000 professional development fund

Reporting to:  Professors Juanma Castro-Vincenzi, Alejandro Sabal, and Vincent Rollet

Terms: Seeking a Research Professional for a period of at least one year, ideally two years

Expected Start Date: To be determined - Summer 2027

Department: Becker Friedman Institute

Job Summary

The Becker Friedman Institute (BFI) is seeking a Research Professional (RP) to work on new and ongoing research projects in and related to urban economics, international trade, and industrial organization. The Research Professional will primarily work under the guidance of Professors Juanma Castro-Vincenzi, Vincent Rollet, and Alejandro Sabal. The research professional will be responsible for the construction of new datasets, reviewing relevant literature, estimation and data analysis, and the revision, extension, and description of results.

The program is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students. Applicants must have completed a Bachelors degree by June 2027 and have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, Git, Python, and/or Matlab. The ideal candidate would begin on July 1, 2027 and work for BFI for one or two years before applying to graduate school in Economics or another quantitative social science. BFI offers competitive salary and employee benefits. 

Responsibilities

• Cleans and analyzes data.
• Writes or finalizes replicable data files or scripts for publication.
• Assists with writing data analysis plans and contributes to preparing study registration documents.
• Maintains technical and administrative support for a research project.
• Analyzes and maintains data. Conducts literature reviews. Assists with preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

Experience: 3 months to one year of work experience in a related job discipline. Experience gained through coursework may be counted as relevant experience.

• Experience in with statistics and econometrics.
• Working as a research assistant.
• Analyzing large data sets, applying econometrics methods or machine learning techniques.
• Knowledge of Stata, Python, Matlab, Julia, or R required

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Master’s degree in economics, public policy, or a related field.

Experience:

• Previous research assistance experience contributing meaningfully to faculty research.
• Advanced knowledge of research techniques and methods in relevant scientific field.
• Knowledge of Git and LaTeX helpful
• Advanced knowledge of research technique and methods in relevant scientific field.

Preferred Competencies

• Understanding of academia and higher education in a research and teaching environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.
• Work both independently and as a team member.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV
• Cover letter
• Writing Sample
• Transcripts (unofficial accepted)
• Two professional references

About the Department 

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics aims to foster frontier research and apply those findings to achieve global impact. BFI brings together researchers from the Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the Harris School of Public Policy, the Law School, and the entire University of Chicago Economics Community to leverage robust data, apply cutting-edge analytical tools, and uncover novel insights on the world’s most difficult economic problems. BFI then bridges the divide between academic researchers and relevant policy makers by translating and packaging rigorous research into accessible formats and proactively sharing those findings with decision-makers and thought leaders in business, government and nonprofit institutions. In this way, BFI has the potential to play a significant role in meeting the most difficult challenges facing the global community.

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

Disclaimer: The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.