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Research ProfessionaL– John List (Full-Time, Benefits Eligible)

Chicago, IL

Job Title: Research Professional

Location: Chicago, IL 

Full-time or Part-time: ​Full-Time​  

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

Projects: Projects in labor economics, education/human capital, discrimination, behavioral economics, and other topics within applied microeconomics. 

Department: Becker Friedman Institute

Salary Range: $55,000–62,000 annual salary, additional $2,000 professional development fund 

Expected Start Date: ​7/1/2026

 

Job Summary: 

The Research Professional for Chicago Experiments collaborates on new and ongoing research projects with a focus on, but not limited to, the implementation and empirical analysis of field experiments and observational/administrative data. Specifically, the Research Professional is involved in advanced empirical work on labor economics, education/human capital, discrimination, behavioral economics, and other topics within applied microeconomics. 

The Research Professional is part of the vibrant research environment at The University of Chicago and may attend and participate in seminars and workshops in preparation for a successful academic career. The program is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. Applicants must have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, Python or Matlab. The ideal candidate would 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. 

Past Research Professionals have received admission offers from top PhD programs including Columbia, Maryland, NYU, Stanford, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, UPenn, Yale, among others. 

Applications will be reviewed from October on a rolling basis. Only successful candidates will be contacted for a data task. 

 

Unit-Specific Responsibilities: 

  • Collects, cleans, manipulates, and analyzes experimental datasets 
  • Contributes to writing, proofreading, and fact-checking papers and presentations 
  • Implements experiments, conducts data analysis, and modifies existing codes to provide robustness of test results 
  • Ensures compliance with institutional, state and federal regulatory policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.  

Unit-preferred Competencies

  • Analytical skills required.  
  • Attention to detail required.  
  • Verbal and written communication skills required.  
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team required. 

Required Qualifications:

Education

  • Bachelor's degree in economics, computer sciences, engineering, or related STEM fields is highly desirable.

Experience

  • Relevant research experience as a research assistant.

Technical Knowledge/Skills

    • Knowledge of R and/or Python preferred 
    • Knowledge of STATA preferred 

Required Documents: 

 

  • Resume/CV (required)
  • Cover Letter (required)
  • Most advanced writing sample in economics (if available)
  • Transcripts (unofficial is acceptable) (required)
  • Two Professional References (required)

 

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. 

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