Department: Kellogg GPRL
Salary/Grade: EXS/5

Job Summary:

Who we are (focus of the lab’s work):

At the Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL)—a research center based at Northwestern University—we generate empirical evidence on the effectiveness of policies and programs to help people throughout the world improve their standard of living. Our projects examine the interaction between poverty and topics such as finance, entrepreneurship, education, gender, agriculture, health, and the environment.

GPRL’s research primarily involves designing, monitoring, and analyzing data from multi-faceted randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We test whether interventions and programs such as crop insurance, job training, and cognitive behavioral therapy can improve the well-being of people in the developing world, and what are the most cost-effective ways of implementing them. We conduct or support dozens of RCTs in more than 10 countries in the Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, China, and Southeast Asia.

We believe we can produce more and better research by creating a common infrastructure whether geographic or sectoral, upon which to then engage in research and policy work. Geographic research clusters in Ghana and the Philippines collect long-term panel data on economic and social outcomes. Our researchers also work to improve research methodologies for using survey data, machine learning, and meta-analysis in the context of international development. For this purpose, the research methods initiative, in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action, supports systematic studies into how to improve the methods and measurement of key outcomes in global poverty research.

Our Team (Co-Directors, PIs, and team setup)

GPRL is co-directed by Dean Karlan and Christopher Udry, who are professors at the Kellogg School of Management and the Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences’ economics department at Northwestern University respectively. Professor Karlan studies the microeconomic factors affecting poverty, such as income generation, household and entrepreneurial finance, and health behavior. Professor Udry focuses on rural economic activity in Sub-Saharan Africa, including technological change, risk and financial markets, gender, and psychological well-being. Our staff, including research managers and research analysts, support our co-directors’ projects and work closely with GPRL’s many affiliated professors, as well as their coauthors at universities, NGOs, and research institutions around the world.

GPRL also works in close collaboration with research teams at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) to coordinate field data collection, disseminate evidence and create shared training and research resources.

The Position  

GPRL is hiring a full-time Research Analyst to work closely with Dean Karlan and Christopher Udry on cutting-edge research in the field of development economics. This position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand experience with managing and analyzing data from a range of sources, including surveys conducted as part of randomized field experiments, administrative records from financial institutions and NGOs, and long-term panel surveys.

Core responsibilities:

• Cleaning survey or administrative datasets and preparing them for analysis
• Conducting analysis using different statistical and econometric tools
• Preparing tables and figures with empirical results for publications and presentations
• Designing and programming survey instruments
• Supporting data quality checks for ongoing surveys
• Assisting in the writing of project reports

Additional responsibilities as needed:

• Supporting the PIs and other research staff with project management when required
• Corresponding with external partner organizations and donors as needed

The research analyst will work in an open, collaborative environment with other GPRL staff in our common lab space at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (Chicago area). The position offers the opportunity to interact with economics undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty at Northwestern, It is well suited to candidates interested in pursuing graduate study in economics or other social sciences in the future. The research analyst will be a full-time employee of Northwestern University with full benefits (including the ability to take classes at a highly-subsidized tuition rate). 

We are looking for a minimum commitment period of two years for this position.

Application Instructions

Candidates should submit a resume or CV, but should NOT submit a conventional cover letter. Instead, we would like you to answer the following 4 questions in a document and upload it to the cover letter section of the application. Please be as concise as possible, limiting your responses to up to 130 words per question. Responses to the 4 questions should be included in a single document that contains the questions along with your answers.

Questions:

• What is the most relevant experience (pick one) that has prepared you for this position and why?
• What do you hope to learn and achieve by working with us?
• Tell us about a time you could not complete a task or achieve a deadline. How did you deal with it?
• Have you ever taught yourself a skill? What was it and how did you teach yourself? Note: this does not have to be a skill related to this job.
• Have you applied for a role at GPRL previously? If yes, specify which role and in which year.

Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Cleans data, prepares data for analysis and assists in performing statistical analysis. Use statistical software (Stata) to process data.
• Assists in the writing of project reports. Drafts tables and other visual representations of data to be included in report. Edits draft reports written by the PI.
• Support data quality checks for ongoing surveys like programming/running high frequency checks and back checks using Stata and SurveyCTO
• Drafting and programming survey questionnaires using SurveyCTO
• Correspond with external partner organizations and donors as needed

Minimum Qualifications:

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in economics or another quantitative major

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Strong programming skills in Stata
• Strong quantitative skills (coursework in econometrics and statistics)
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials
• Excellent organizations skills
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and work in teams

Preferred Qualifications:

• An enthusiasm for empirical research, and the ability and interest to learn new skills.
• Experience living or working in a developing country

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Familiarity with other statistical, visualization or digital data collection software like R/ArcGIS/Python/SurveyCTO is a strong plus

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.