Research Specialist: Data & ML for Poverty Policy

Princeton University; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 72,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Princeton University is seeking an Associate Professional Specialist to contribute to Professor Will Dobbie’s research in the Industrial Relations Section. The role involves creating and managing administrative datasets, building ML models, and performing econometric analyses using Stata and R.

The position is primarily on-campus in Princeton, NJ for a one-year term with potential renewal. Collaboration with engineers and contractors, IRB compliance, and dissemination of findings are key duties.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in Economics, applied math, CS, statistics, or related field.
• Prior research experience in economics or related domains.
• Strong coding and quantitative analysis skills.
• Experience with real-world administrative data sets and education data is a plus.
• Experience with or exposure to large language models in research context is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Construct and manage administrative datasets in high-stakes settings (criminal justice, child protective services).
• Build advanced machine learning models using structured and unstructured data.
• Maintain a multi-module codebase and data models (e.g., Pydantic).
• Perform econometric tasks in Stata or R with rigorous controls and fixed effects.
• Coordinate and supervise work by contractors and engineers.
• Prepare detailed reports, policy briefs, and publication materials.
• Submit applications for IRB review and ensure compliance.

Skills

Data management

Written and oral communication

Italian language

Machine learning basics

Real-world datasets experience

Education

Master's degree in Economics / related field

Equivalent combination of training/experience

Tools

Stata

R

Python

MATLAB

SAS

LaTeX

Job description

Princeton University is seeking an Associate Professional Specialist to contribute to Professor Will Dobbie’s research in the Industrial Relations Section. The role involves creating and managing administrative datasets, building ML models, and performing econometric analyses using Stata and R.

The position is primarily on-campus in Princeton, NJ for a one-year term with potential renewal. Collaboration with engineers and contractors, IRB compliance, and dissemination of findings are key duties.