Research Specialist — NLP, ML & Data for Economics Lab

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

Job summary

Princeton University in Princeton, NJ seeks an Associate Professional Specialist to work on Bleemer Lab research. The role focuses on building a novel database from historical transcripts and applying econometric models to examine higher education policies.

The APS will lead data engineering efforts on encrypted GPU clusters, supervise staff, and contribute to policy briefs and publications, with occasional travel to research sites. The appointment is one-year, with renewal potential.

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Economics, applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, or related discipline.
• Experience with real-world education data sets is required.
• Graduate-level coding/algorithm skills and proficiency in statistical programming (Stata, R, Python, MATLAB, SAS, LaTeX).
• Proficiency in quantitative text analysis methods (LIWC, LDA) preferred.
• Experience with large language models (Qwen, Dots LLM) is a plus.
• Experience with cluster computing resources and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Employing NLP and ML techniques to construct and categorize transcript records from images and text.
• Geolocating schools/addresses and merging multiple data sources into research databases.
• Applying frontier statistical methods and ML to study admissions and housing policies.
• Supervising undergraduate researchers, data engineers, and staff.
• Producing policy briefs, slides, and academic studies; presenting at lab meetings.
• Assisting with drafting materials for publication and IRB submissions.

Skills

Quantitative text analysis

NLP

Machine learning

GIS

Cluster computing

Written and oral communication

Data analysis

Education

Master's degree in Economics or related field

Tools

Stata

R

Python

MATLAB

SAS

LaTeX

Job description

Princeton University in Princeton, NJ seeks an Associate Professional Specialist to work on Bleemer Lab research. The role focuses on building a novel database from historical transcripts and applying econometric models to examine higher education policies.

The APS will lead data engineering efforts on encrypted GPU clusters, supervise staff, and contribute to policy briefs and publications, with occasional travel to research sites. The appointment is one-year, with renewal potential.