BSE Research Assistant Part-Time Project ESG and MUTUAL FUND COMPETITION 25 hours/week

Barcelona School of Economics; España; On-site; EUR 20,000 - 24,000; Part time

Job summary

Barcelona School of Economics invites applications for a part-time research assistant position to support Prof. Javier Gil-Bazo on a project examining how sustainable investing influences competition in the mutual fund market.

The successful candidate will contribute to econometric analysis, work with large financial datasets, and collaborate with senior researchers in a vibrant economics community in Barcelona. Fluency in English and a strong quantitative background are essential.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD student in finance or economics.
• Strong analytical skills and particularly in econometrics.
• Proficiency in programming languages (Stata, R, or Python).
• Experience cleaning and managing large panel datasets.
• Familiarity with financial data (a plus).
• Spanish working permit (recommended).

Responsibilities

• Assist in econometric analysis of ESG mutual funds.
• Handle large datasets using Stata, R or Python.
• Collaborate with Barcelona School of Economics researchers.
• Document code and data work clearly for the research team.

Skills

Stata

R

Python

Experience handling large datasets

Education

Master's or PhD student in finance or economics

Tools

Morningstar Direct

Job description

Organisation/Company Barcelona School of Economics Research Field Economics » Financial science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions Master Positions Application Deadline 15 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Andorra) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Part-time Hours Per Week 25 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number CEX2024-001476-S Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Prof. Javier Gil-Bazo is looking to hire a research assistant to work with him at the Barcelona School of Economics on a project studying how sustainable investing influences competition in the mutual fund market.

This project tests whether investors' heterogeneous sustainability preferences weaken competition among ESG mutual funds. Using data on U.S. and European equity funds, we examine whether ESG funds show greater dispersion in performance, lower exit rates when they underperform, and lower average managerial skill than conventional funds.

The candidate will be supervised by Prof. Javier Gil-Bazo The successful applicant should have graduate-level training in econometrics, ideally but not necessarily familiarity with financial data, and experience handling large datasets in Stata, R, or Python. The role is full-time for two months.
The applicant will join a vibrant Economics community in Barcelona and have opportunities to get involved with the academic life at the Barcelona School of Economics. This is a 3-month position starting on December 2026. The annual gross salary is 22.020€.

The project is one of the BSE Seed Grants 2026, one of the initiatives of the Severo Ochoa accreditation, supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) through the Severo Ochoa Program: Grant «Excelencia Severo Ochoa» CEX2024-001476-S funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/.

• Master's or PhD student in finance or economics
• Strong analytical skills and particularly in econometrics
• Proficiency in programming languages (Stata, R, or Python)
• Experience cleaning and managing large panel datasets
• Familiarity with financial data(a plus)
• Spanish working permit (recommended)

• Strong problem-solving skills and a solution-oriented approach to data issues
• Rigorous attention to detail and careful documentation of code and data work
• Highly self-motivated, able to work independently and meet deadlines within a short contract
• Collaborative and able to communicate progress clearly to the research team
• Willingness to learn new tools and data platforms
• Availability to work full-time for two months

Languages ENGLISH Level Good

Research Field Economics » Financial science Years of Research Experience None

Additional Information

• Hands-on experience in empirical finance research
• Training in Morningstar Direct, a leading database of mutual fund data
• Close collaboration with senior researchers at UPF and the Barcelona School of Economics
• Exposure to the full research process, from building a dataset to econometric analysis

Eligibility criteria

Based on Programming Skills (50%), Experience (20%) and Qualifications and Skills/Knowledge of the area (30%)

Selection process

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted via email to arrange an online