Director, Research Support

SSRN; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania seeks a Director, Research Support to advance analytics for the WRDS community, collaborating with faculty and corporate clients. The role focuses on building research programs, refining tools, and guiding empirical studies using large finance and accounting datasets.

The position requires a Ph.D. in Finance or Accounting, plus hands-on experience with Python/SAS, ML, and big data environments. Travel for trainings and site visits may be involved.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Finance or Accounting or ABD with anticipated degree this year.
• Minimum 1 year post-bachelor's experience in research analytics and data tools.
• Experience with Python and/or SAS in big data environments; ML/AI methods.
• Experience conducting empirical research using WRDS datasets (CRSP, Compustat, IBES).

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality analytics, research programs, applications, and tools to the WRDS Academic Research Community and Corporate Clients.
• Offer consultative guidance on empirical research best practices, troubleshoot data/tool issues, and conduct site trainings to promote effective WRDS use.
• Keep track of evolution of top academic research in finance and accounting to inform signature products and new data sources.
• Construct and enhance data-research products by refining analytics, tools, and applications using WRDS data.
• Evaluate and recommend new datasets based on potential to advance research and WRDS offerings.

Skills

Python

SAS

Machine Learning

Textual Analysis

Empirical Research

Education

Ph.D. in Finance or Accounting

Tools

CRSP

Compustat

IBES

Household-Finance datasets

Job description

• Location

  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. United States

Posted

• Posted

  31 Jul 2026

Director, Research Support

Job Description & Qualification

Job Description
Responsibilities will include:
Provide to WRDS Academic Research Community and Corporate Clients high quality Analytics, Research Programs, Applications, Financial engines and related research tools to improve their research productivity.
Provide support to faculty and PhD users by offering consultative guidance on empirical research best practices, troubleshooting data and tool issues that may affect research results, and conducting site visits and training sessions to promote the effective use of WRDS for academic research.
Keep track of the evolution of top academic research in finance and accounting to help WRDS both creating their own signature research products and providing new data sources to the research community.
Construct and enhance existing data-research products by refining analytics, research tools, and applications using WRDS data to improve data usability, research accuracy and efficiency.
Evaluate and recommend new datasets based on their potential to advance new research and enhance WRDS data offerings.
Perform additional duties as assigned
Qualifications
Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in Finance or Accounting. The requirement of a Ph.D., usual for faculty recruiting, means that an applicant must have received the degree or be at least “ABD,” meaning all requirements for the degree except the dissertation have been completed, with an understanding that the dissertation would be completed in the same academic year.
Must have 1 year of post-bachelor's experience (may be gained pre-Ph.D. degree), in the following:
Providing high-quality research programs, analytics, applications, research replications, and related research tools.
Constructing and enhancing data-research products by evaluating research datasets focused on new research and providing new data sources to the research community.
Performing academic research through the WRDS system on finance or accounting using Python and/or SAS programming skills in big data environments and Textual Analysis using Machine Learning, LLM and AI;
Performing empirical academic research with CRSP, Compustat, IBES and/or Household-Finance datasets.

About the Organization

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic community of staff, bringing a wide range of skills, experiences, and perspectives. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.
Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is a comprehensive research platform operated by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania that provides research tools and access to a wide range of financial, economic, and business research datasets. It is widely used by academic institutions, researchers, and professionals for data analysis, empirical research, and financial modeling.