General Data Research Associate in Melbourne

Start Date: Summer 2027 (exact date to be determined with hiring faculty members). The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and our partner organizations seek qualified applicants for positions as Data Research Associates to carry out data analysis under faculty guidance for projects throughout the J-PAL network. These positions offer a tremendous opportunity for highly qualified recent graduates to gain first-hand analysis experience in an organisation undertaking cutting-edge development research. These positions are located globally at the offices of our J-PAL affiliated professors, a group comprising the leading development and applied-micro economists worldwide.

Data Research Associates work hand-in-hand with faculty members to clean and analyze data collected from the field. They may also help write project reports, assist in the development of data collection protocols, prepare requests for approval to relevant internal review boards (IRB), and help with other research assistant tasks as needed. These positions are particularly interesting for recent graduates who are strongly considering graduate study in economics. In addition to learning more about the field of high-level economics research, selected candidates will gain excellent training in analytical techniques, advanced programming in Stata and/or R, and exposure to recently-collected field data. This experience with J-PAL affiliates and projects has proven to be an excellent preparation for applications to top graduate schools.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Data Analysis: Work with data sets, prepare and run code for data cleaning and analysis. Coding in STATA or R to perform custom analysis of large datasets, adapt modules and code to the specific project needs.
• Literature Research: Assist faculty with literature reviews, drafting such reviews or portions of such reviews.
• Project Work: Liaising with field staff running evaluations and collaborating with them including occasional travel to research field sites; focus of work is to advise on quality control of data collection practices.
• Reporting: As needed, provide input into technical aspects of project reports for funders.
• Human Subjects: Assist with technical aspects of new and renewal applications to Institutional Review Boards, reply to questions from J-PAL administrative staff working on IRB issues.
• Writing: Provide input as appropriate into academic papers; prepare data for publication and publish in publicly accessible repositories.
• Supervise: Supervise undergraduate interns who may assist with the PI’s project.
• Miscellaneous: Any other tasks assigned by the Principal Investigator.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience: Hands-on experience with Stata or equivalent statistical package; experience working with large data sets is required. Formal post-undergraduate professional experience is not required. Familiarity with randomized controlled trials preferred.
• Education: This position is usually filled by those with a Bachelor's or Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, public policy, mathematics, statistics, or related fields. Training in microeconomics, econometrics, and statistics is required. But, applicants with very strong grades – and demonstrated relevant technical skills – will be considered.
• Communication: Good oral and written communication skills.
• Time Management: Proven ability to handle several different projects/tasks at one time, successfully complete tasks assigned, and meet deadlines. A willingness to work hard, be self-motivated and learn will be essential for doing well in this position.