Research Assistant, Behavioral Economics & Data Analytics

University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 58,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, Berkeley is seeking candidates for the position of Junior or Assistant Specialist in the O'Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics at the Haas School of Business. The role supports research in behavioral economics and finance, under Professor Ulrike Malmendier, with data workflows, econometric analyses, and scholarly output a core focus.

The appointment is initially one year with potential renewal, 100% time, located in Berkeley, CA, with start anticipated Spring/Summer

Qualifications

• Enrollment in a Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent international degree at time of application.
• Bachelor's degree required by start date.
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Economics) with both theoretical and practical application.
• Advanced degree by the start date is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a research team and/or prior experience working with data in a research context.

Responsibilities

• Develop and Execute Data Workflows: Clean complex datasets, identify and resolve technical coding issues, and monitor statistical deliverables to ensure rigorous quality assurance. (20% time)
• Implement Econometric Analyses: Write efficient, collaborative, and replicable code to maintain datasets and execute analyses using reduced-form (DiD, RD, IV) and structural econometrics (MLE, GMM, dynamic programming). (20% time)
• Support Research Design: Assist in the design and interpretation of causal inference models, collaborating with the research team and external experts to refine ongoing project analyses. (20% time)
• Manage Project Documentation: Maintain accurate, transparent documentation of all data processing and analytical steps to ensure research replicability. (20% time)
• Contribute to Scholarly Output: Prepare research manuscripts and project reports, including the generation of publication-quality tables and graphical visualizations of results. (20% time)

Education

Bachelor's degree by start date

Job description

University of California, Berkeley is seeking candidates for the position of Junior or Assistant Specialist in the O'Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics at the Haas School of Business. The role supports research in behavioral economics and finance, under Professor Ulrike Malmendier, with data workflows, econometric analyses, and scholarly output a core focus.

The appointment is initially one year with potential renewal, 100% time, located in Berkeley, CA, with start anticipated Spring/Summer