National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

We are looking to hire two highly skilled and motived full-time research assistants to begin in the summer of 2020 and to work for one year on projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our projects utilize cell phone ping data covering millions of devices and millions of identified locations to study movement and social contact. The immediate outputs of the project are data to enable COVID-19 research on human movement. Research assistants will help construct device exposure measures and study the suitability of smartphone data for quantifying movement and social contact. Research assistants will compare movement patterns in cell phone data to conventional survey data.
Bachelor’s degree required.

In addition, the ideal candidate will have

(i) strong quantitative background
(ii) strong computer skills including programming in SQL and R or Python
(iii) ability to work independently
(iv) long-term interest in pursuing a PhD in economics.

Background in economics a plus, but we welcome candidates with strong technical backgrounds who want more exposure to economics. Prior research assistant experience strongly preferred. Excellent grades required. Job is ideal for someone with an enthusiasm for empirical research, and the ability to learn new skills and take initiative as a project develops.