I write to announce the beginning of this fall’s pre-doc hiring cycle at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and to provide information on how these pre-doctoral positions can help your students.  Pre-docs (sometimes called Research Professionals or full-time RAs) are two-year appointments working directly for faculty on their research in the quantitative social sciences (QSS).  Students who are interested in graduate study in QSS fields but do not yet feel ready for a PhD program, or who are uncertain whether they want to pursue a PhD, find these positions to be especially useful.  Students with rigorous quantitative backgrounds outside of the social sciences (e.g., physics, engineering) have used the pre-doctoral path to transition into QSS programs.  Through their work for faculty, pre-docs expand their research toolkit, learn more about the research process, and pick up important credentialing through faculty letters of reference.  These are competitively paid positions with full benefits.

If you know of students at any stage in their undergraduate career who might be interested in a research career, please encourage them to visit our website to learn more.  Students can sign up to hear about new job opportunities when they are ready to apply (e.g., a freshman could sign up to hear about new postings in three years).  The PREDOC Consortium also provides a wealth of programming and information sessions, as well as guides to the pre-doc application process.  PREDOC’s offerings are growing rapidly, so students should check back frequently.

Staff at Booth and PREDOC are more than happy to answer any questions you have about pre-doctoral opportunities.  Please reach out to ResearchProfessional@lists.chicagobooth.edu or info@predoc.org with any questions or to arrange a meeting.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out as one of our goals at Booth is to reduce as much as possible the informational frictions surrounding these positions, to help you advise your students effectively.

Sincerely,

Stephen Lamb

Senior Associate Director, Faculty Support

Faculty and Academic Services

The University of Chicago

Booth School of Business

5807 S. Woodlawn Ave.

Chicago, Illinois 60637

Pre-Doctoral Fellowship

(Profs. Laibson/Choi/Beshears)

Economics professors David Laibson (Harvard University), James Choi (Yale University), and John Beshears (Harvard Business School) are hiring a full‐time research assistant to start work in mid-June 2022. This position will last until mid-July 2023, with a potential second-year renewal, and will involve work on theoretical and empirical research related to behavioral economics, decision making, savings, and health behaviors. The research uses field data, experimental data, and field experiments.

Salary is $58,500 annually, plus benefits. Expected start date is mid-June 2022. Visa sponsorship is available.

For examples of our research, see our faculty pages:

• https://scholar.harvard.edu/laibson/home
• http://som.yale.edu/james-choi
• http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=8943

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Performing statistical analyses on large databases
2. Designing and running experiments
3. Programming simulations of theoretical models
4. Proving theoretical results

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree by start date (required)
2. Strong programming and quantitative skills, including coursework in multivariable calculus, matrix algebra, probability, and statistics (required)
3. Previous experience estimating econometric models (strongly preferred)
4. Interest in applying to a quantitative PhD program and pursuing an academic career (strongly preferred).

We prefer research assistants who want to become professional economists, but we're interested in future PhDs in any quantitative field. Our past full‐time RAs have enrolled in the following PhD programs: Harvard economics (13), Harvard business economics (5), Harvard public policy (1), MIT economics (8), MIT operations research (1), Princeton economics (1), University of Chicago GSB – finance (2), University of Chicago GSB – economics (2), University of Chicago history (1), UC Berkeley economics (1), Yale economics (1), Columbia economics (1), and NYU Stern economics (1).

Application Process:

1. Submit a single PDF containing your (1) cover letter, describing your interest in and qualifications for the position, (2) resume, and (3) unofficial transcript to: bclm.econ@gmail.com. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. 
2. Qualified applicants will be invited to complete a data analysis task to demonstrate quantitative and programming proficiency.
3. Highly qualified applicants will be invited to interview with our team and provide up to 3 references.

Good evening Professor,

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has numerous fall virtual programs available to you and your students!  For those interested in a career in economics, the Diverse Careers in Economics Conference (DivEc) provides undergraduate economics (and related fields) students with information on the range of career paths open to them and a forum to discuss the importance of having a variety of perspectives in the field of economics. Help us spread the word to your students and colleagues.  We also welcome students who are curious and would like to learn more about this field and future internship opportunities at the Fed.  Join us - Diverse Careers in Economics Conference – November 16-18 from 5-7:30 p.m. (EST) and with keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Blair, Harvard Graduate School of Education faculty on November 16^th. To learn more and to register click the link below. 

Diverse Economics Conference (richmondfed.org)

Our Richmond Fed on Campus Fall Webinar Series is back by popular demand!  We now have an economist and their Research Associate present some of their work followed by Q&A.  Join us for these timely topics.  The programs listed below will be recorded, and an access link will be sent to registrants.

Inflation:  Why it Matters, What to Look for and What’s Happening Today - Presented by Senior Policy Economist John O’Trakoun with Research Associate Zachary Edwards (October 14^th 10-11 a.m. EST) To learn more and to register click the link below.

Richmond Fed on Campus: Inflation: Why It Matters, What To Look For, and What's Happening Today

The Future of the Workforce - Presented by Sonya Waddell, Vice President and Economist with Research Analyst Hailey Phelps (November 18^th from 10-11 a.m. EST) To learn more and to register click the link below.

Richmond Fed on Campus: The Future of the Workforce and Changes to the Labor Market

We thank you in advance for your time and sharing these opportunities with your students and colleagues.  All programs are free and we hope you are able to attend.  We survey our professors, seeking innovative ways to provide content that is relevant to what they teach.  Let me know if you have questions or need additional information.

Yolanda Ferguson

Yolanda Ferguson

Economic & Financial Ed Outreach                                                     

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

704-358-2495

www.richmondfed.org

This semester, the Duke Economics PhD Student Committee on Diversity and Inclusion is launching a new mentorship program for students currently applying to Economics PhD programs and who self-identify as coming from an under-represented background. Current Duke PhD students will be paired with applicants to provide mentorship and advice on the PhD application process. Anyone who is planning to apply to an Economics PhD in the next few years is eligible – it is not required that they are applying to Duke or that they are applying in the current application cycle. The deadline to apply for the mentorship program is September 26. More information can be found here: https://econ.duke.edu/phd-program/prospective-students/graduate-mentorship-program

For any further question, don't hesitate to contact us at sarah.raviola@duke.edu or jeremy.lebow@duke.edu