Research Area Specialist Assoc

About The Role

Professor Amanda Kowalski is currently seeking candidates for a Research Area Associate in the Population Studies Center (PSC) in the Institute for Social Research. PSC unites an interdisciplinary community of scholars across sociology, economics, public health, biostatistics, and more with a strong training program for both pre- and post-doctoral scholars. This position will collaborate closely with a research team on projects in the fields of health economics and applied econometrics and will contribute mainly on the project entitled "Tradeoffs Between the Equal and Equitable Distribution of a Scarce Health Resource: Evidence from a Large Randomized Natural Experiment with Targeting by Health, Social Vulnerability, and Race," a large interdisciplinary project joint with David Chan of Stanford and John Ayanian, Sarah Burgard, Sandro Cinti, James Henderson, Fiona Linn, Yanna Krupnikov, and Abram Wagner of the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine. For examples of previous research and related press coverage, see https://psc.isr.umich.edu/profile/kowalski-amanda/

Research Area Specialists are involved in all stages of the research process and are expected to work independently within the scope of their responsibilities. This position is ideal for candidates looking to develop their empirical research skills in preparation for applying to PhD programs in economics. For continuing education, research assistants have opportunities to attend weekly seminars in economics and to get feedback on their proposed research ideas.

Responsibilities

• Support specialized projects central to the larger research projects discussed in the job summary within a team environment.
• Work independently analyzing data, interpreting results, designing supplementary analyses based on results, suggesting options for improving quality, identifying potential problems, and recommending and implementing solutions.
• Be instrumental in identifying and applying for data, developing and submitting IRB applications, and hiring and training research assistants.
• Draft and edit manuscripts, grant applications, and presentations.
• Interact directly with the assigned Professor, the co-authors, and other research assistants on a regular basis.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in economics or a related field and 1 to 3 years of related experience
• Prior experience with data analysis and data analysis software
• Highly detail-oriented and display competence at following directions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Desired Qualifications

• Master's degree in economics or related field
• Prior experience in health economics or public finance
• Programming experience, particularly in working with large datasets in software such as Stata, SAS, R, or Matlab

How to Apply

To be considered for the position, you will need to provide all elements of the following as a single document with your application. If the file is too large, put your document into .pdf format and use either "Save as Other > Reduced Size PDF" in Adobe, or an online pdf compression app.

• A current cover letter describing your interest in this position and how you learned about it
• The start and end dates during which you would be available to fill this position
• Your familiarity with programming languages (e.g. Stata, SAS, Matlab, ArcGIS)
• Your prior experience as a research assistant, in the private sector, and/or with independent research projects
• A previous experience that involved working in a team environment
• Names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of 3 references (letters not required)
• A current CV
• All relevant undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial is fine)
• A written list of classes currently in-progress and taken in the past that are in economics, mathematics, or statistics. Please indicate the name of the course, semester/year taken, the institution at which the course was taken, and grade attained.
• An original research paper (if available) or writing sample

To ensure we receive your full application, please also email Professor Kowalski [email protected] and current research assistant Griffin Shufeldt [email protected] a single PDF document named 'Lastname_Firstname' containing the materials. The first-round interview consists of a data task exemplary of the work conducted by research assistants on our team.

Schedule

Shift: Days, Monday - Friday 9am-6pm with an hour for lunch

Pay

The salary range is $56,000 to $63,000. A higher salary may be possible for well-qualified candidates based on education and experience. Up to six candidates may be hired for this position. This is a 12-month term-limited position with the possibility of renewal based upon availability of work, funding, and performance. Strong preference will be given to applicants who have availability to work the two years of the term limit assignment.

Work Mode

Onsite. Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment.