Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M • College Station, TX

10d

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work with Dr. Andrew Fieldhouse and Dr. Adam Kolasinski in the Adam C. Sinn ’00 Department of Finance at Texas A&M University. The position is a 15-month appointment on a funded research project measuring the firm-level effects of federal contract R&D. The associate will use restricted-use U.S. Census Bureau firm microdata under approved Census Project TX03195 and will be required to obtain Special Sworn Status (SSS) to work in the Texas Federal Statistical Research Data Center on the Texas A&M campus. Candidates who already hold SSS are strongly preferred. SSS applicants must have lived in the United States or its territories for 36 of the past 60 months and pass a federal background investigation. SSS clearance typically takes about three months and may take longer for foreign nationals. Before clearance, work that does not require TXRDC access may be performed remotely, subject to university approval.

The role offers an opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research about how federal investments in R&D affect firm innovation, performance, and economic outcomes; develop a publication pipeline; and present research at conferences and seminars. Funded conference travel is budgeted, and travel may be required as needed. The associate may need to work weekends or outside normal hours. Salary is $5,981.25 per month.

Requirements

• PhD in economics or finance, completed or expected to be completed by the start date.
• Strong applied microeconometrics skills, particularly panel instrumental variables and two-stage least squares designs.
• Ability to build and work with large administrative and firm-level datasets.
• Advanced coding skills in Stata or a comparable statistical package such as SAS, R, or Python.
• Strong writing skills and ability to draft publication-quality text.
• Understanding of, or willingness to learn, Census disclosure avoidance rules and stewardship requirements for Title 13 and Title 26 data.
• Strong attention to detail and high ethical standards.
• Ability to work independently and think critically.
• Integrity and trustworthiness in professional interactions.
• Discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive or confidential information.
• Ability to work cooperatively with others and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• SSS applicants must have lived in the United States or its territories for 36 of the past 60 months and pass a federal background investigation.

Nice To Haves

• Existing Special Sworn Status with the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Prior experience with restricted-use Census Bureau or Internal Revenue Service data.
• Prior experience with firm-level microdata such as BRDIS, SIRD, RADS, or Compustat.
• Research interests in innovation, corporate finance, public economics, or macroeconomics.
• Research output, or clear evidence of potential, at the level expected for placement in a research-active department.

Responsibilities

• Conduct empirical analysis in the TXRDC under approved Census Project TX03195.
• Construct or revise firm-level panels linking federal contract R&D to self-funded R&D, patenting, profitability, market share, and stock returns.
• Implement econometric designs, including panel instrumental variables and two-stage least squares estimation, and distinguish direct effects from spillovers.
• Prepare and submit Census disclosure avoidance requests and respond to Disclosure Review Board feedback.
• Retrieve and document research data and maintain replicable code.
• Evaluate and summarize estimation results.
• Coauthor papers targeting leading finance and economics journals.
• Present research results at academic conferences and seminars.
• Contribute to project reporting for the funding agency.
• Support faculty with short-term research tasks, including data retrieval, literature reviews, paper editing, and mentoring junior research staff.

Benefits

• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life and AD&D, flexible spending accounts, and long-term disability insurance.
• Texas A&M contributions to employee health and basic life insurance premiums.
• 12–15 days of annual paid holidays.
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
• Free exercise programs and release time for health and wellness.
• Free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support for conferences, workshops, and other professional development.
• Educational release time and tuition assistance for completing a degree while employed at Texas A&M.
• Funded conference travel is budgeted for presenting the project's papers.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree