Predoctoral Research Associate - Development Economics

Harvard Business School (HBS) seeks a full-time Predoctoral Research Associate to work with Professor Livia Alfonsi in the Negotiations, Organizations & Markets unit starting sometime between April 2025 and July 2025.

Prof. Alfonsi specializes in development economics, focusing on labor market frictions and the determinants of labor market participation in low-income countries. Her research focuses on identifying barriers preventing young adults and women in poor countries from successfully integrating into labor markets. She also works to develop and evaluate policies that help these populations secure regular, well-paying jobs with meaningful career prospects. For more information about her past and ongoing research, please visit: https://www.liviaalfonsi.com/research. The position will not be tied to a specific project, but it could be aligned with a few depending on how the pre-doc skills and interests complement ongoing research.

Her research primarily employs methods such as randomized controlled trials, instrumental variables, and fixed-effects models to achieve rigorous causal identification. The main data sources include large-scale surveys (in-person, phone, and audio recordings), observational data, and text data.

The position is an excellent opportunity for candidates planning to apply to PhD programs in Economics or Public Policy in the 2026 or 2027 cycle.

The Predoctoral Research Associate will report directly to the faculty and administrative manager in the Research Staff Services office. Ideal candidates will be comfortable in an environment that requires a high level of independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to use discretionary judgment.

Primary Duties:

Clean, synthesize, and analyze data in Stata.

Develop and maintain expertise in new research methodologies and techniques. Manage and manipulate data using requested packages

Explore and address key research questions through rigorous econometric methods.

Prepare reports, presentations, and white papers to summarize research findings. Provide statistical analysis and design for reports and presentations in Stata and LaTeX.

Provide guidance and supervision to research interns to ensure efficient project progress.

Occasional Responsibilities: Assist with the design and implementation of survey instruments and data collection activities.

Independently manage all timelines and deliverables. Exercise independent decision making with regard to progression of research project and methodologies.

Basic Qualifications :

Bachelor’s degree in economics, mathematics, quantitative sciences, or business-related field required.

Stata: Highly Proficient.

Strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.

Extensive experience working on research projects in a rigorous academic or field setting

Knowledge of quantitative methods and public policy evaluation (e.g. Randomized Controlled Trials).

Additional Qualifications and Skills :

Evidence of outstanding academic achievement. Indication of independent research experience and/or applied experience. Methodological interests in econometrics, statistics, machine learning, industrial organization, productivity, and economic theory are preferred.

Excellent communication, interpersonal, organization, research, analytical, writing, and editing skills are required. Proven ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and to adapt to changes in priorities; ability to work calmly under deadline pressure, work both independently and as a team member, take initiative; and follow projects through to completion.