Pre-Doctoral Research Specialist

University of Pennsylvania

6d•$57,000 - $61,000

About The Position

The successful candidate will support research by Professors Arthur van Benthem, Susanna Berkouwer, and Shing-Yi Wang. Topics include energy and the environment and/or development economics. There are several open positions. Examples of recent projects include: van Benthem: efficiency losses from imperfect environmental policies, carbon offsets and carbon markets, and land protection and biodiversity, vehicle fuel efficiency standards. Berkouwer: energy efficiency adoption, credit constraints and behavioral biases, energy infrastructure construction, carbon offsets and carbon markets, clean cookstove adoption. Wang: returns to temporary migration, incentives to improve worker effort, and the labor supply consequences of having a Child in China. You will join Wharton’s Department of Business Economics and Public Policy (BEPP) and become part of a cohort of predoctoral research fellows. BEPP offers many opportunities for personal and professional development through learning new technical skills, attending seminars, and taking courses. In some instances, predoc RAs have become co-authors of academic papers.

Requirements

BA/BS in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or a related quantitative discipline
Ability to process and analyze large data sets and write reports
Self-directed, intrinsically motivated, capacity to manage work independently and organize workflows across multiple projects

Nice To Haves

Previous experience as a research analyst or conducting independent research using statistical software such as STATA or R is preferred

Responsibilities

performing a variety of statistical and econometric analyses
cleaning and analyzing data
writing research reports
conducting background research and literature reviews
identifying and obtaining secondary data
coding survey questionnaires
managing field activities

Benefits

Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare.
You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.