Research Economist

The University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute seeks a research economist to work with the economic research team researching and analyzing Utah's economy and related public policy topics. The research economist will collaborate with professional staff to help business and community leaders, and the public at large, make informed decisions.

The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute subscribes to five committable core values:

• Responsibility to the community: The Institute exists to serve Utah and help our state prosper, focusing on assisting communities within our state make informed decisions.
• Research integrity and relevance: The Institute adheres to ethical principles and professional standards for responsible research, valuing independent, relevant, meaningful, and understandable work.
• Accountability: Employees are held responsible for productivity, fiscal responsibility, and delivering high-quality products and services.
• Collaboration: The Institute actively partners with campus and community organizations, fostering teamwork to achieve its vision and mission.
• Positive and passionate: The Institute employs individuals committed to their craft, contributing to a positive, respectful, and congenial work environment where differences are celebrated.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on Utah's economy and other public policy topics, including preparing scopes of work, cleaning and analyzing data for trends and insights, and authoring reports.
• Build and maintain economic and public finance forecasting models using AI tools and various programming languages.
• Create and maintain data visualizations and dashboards using Excel, R Shiny, Tableau, and other software tools.
• Present research highlights, data, and analysis to clients, business and community leaders, and the public.
• Facilitate cooperative and collaborative relationships with clients, community, campus partners, and other institutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in economics, statistics, information systems, computer science, or a related area.
• Two years' work experience; programming experience with R or Python.
• Familiarity with model development.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel.
• Experience with data analysis and visualization.
• Effective human relations and communication skills.
• Knowledge of the Utah economy and public sector.
• Familiarity with AI tools such as Codex and Claude.
• Familiarity with R Shiny and Tableau.

Qualifications

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree in economics, statistics, information systems, computer science, or a related area.
• Four years' work experience (met through combination of work and post-graduate education).

This is a full-time, on-campus position (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.).

Pay

$65,000 - $88,000 per year.