Doctoral Associate

About the Role

The Department of Economics and Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy seeks a full-time Pre-Doctoral Associate for a period of two years, working with Professor Jonathan Colmer and Professor Jay Shimshack. This role will also involve close collaboration with John Voorheis, Principal Economist at the U.S. Census Bureau, supporting partnerships between the professors and the U.S. Census Bureau. Projects are anticipated to focus on the interaction of economic activity, policy, and the environment, and the evaluation of interventions to increase resilience and sustainability. The appointment is scheduled to begin in June 2027.

Key Responsibilities

• Data cleaning and organization
• Writing code and documentation
• Data analysis
• Conducting literature reviews (as needed/interested)
• Writing policy briefs (as needed/interested)
• Participating in group research meetings
• Receiving academic advising for PhD preparation
• Attending research seminars
• Interacting with other pre-docs, graduate students, faculty members, visiting experts, and external collaborators

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related field
• Quantitative background with strong programming skills in statistical analysis software (e.g., Stata, R, SAS, Python)
• Ability to work efficiently and independently to solve problems and manage multiple tasks
• Excellent communication, time management, and organizational skills
• Interest in pursuing a PhD in Economics or a related field
• Intellectual curiosity, internal drive, and a desire to do things well (can compensate for technical qualifications)
• Ability to meet the qualifications for Special Sworn Status or have Special Sworn Status with the U.S. Census Bureau

Qualifications

• Exposure to and training in a broad range of research topics and methodologies
• First-hand experience conducting cutting-edge economics research in environmental economics and applied microeconomics
• Development of advanced programming and data analysis skills
• Opportunities to work with confidential microdata

This position is based in Charlottesville, VA, and must be performed on-site. Occasional off-site work arrangements in Charlottesville may be required, related to work with restricted data sets.