Research Professional – Alex Torgovitsky (Full-Time, Benefits Eligible)

Job Title: Research Professional (RP) 

Location: Chicago, IL 

Salary Ranges: $55,000–62,000 annual salary, additional $2,000 professional development fund 

Terms: Seeking a Research Professional for a period of at least one but ideally two years 

Expected Start Date: July 1, 2026 

Department: Becker Friedman Institute  
 

Job Summary 

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics (BFI) is seeking to hire a full-time Research Professional to work with Professor Alex Torgovitsky  on ongoing and new research projects related to theoretical and applied econometrics with a focus on causal inference. Applicants must have completed a Bachelors degree by June 2026 and available to begin work in Summer 2026. The Research Professional’s responsibilities will span all stages of research, including collecting data of in both tabular and spatial formats, developing algorithms that clean and organize data, conducting statistical analyses, running simulations, and preparing manuscripts and presentations. 

The program is intended to serve as a bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in empirical economics. Applicants must have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with experience in Stata, R, Python or Matlab. The ideal candidate would work for BFI for one or two years before applying to graduate school in Economics or another quantitative social science. BFI offers competitive salary and employee benefits. 

Unit-Specific Responsibilities

• Implement new and existing statistical procedures in R, Python, and/or Julia 
• Conduct literature reviews and identify new data sources 
• Analyze data 
• Editing tasks 
• Other duties as assigned

Unit-preferred Competencies

• Prior coursework in math, statistics and econometrics required 
• Attention to detail is highly valued 
• Advanced familiarity with R, Python, or Julia is ideal. Although previous experience with any specific language is not essential, familiarity with at least one language is encouraged. 
• Ability to work independently 
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills 
• Strong academic writing and communication skills 

Preferred Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in economics, computer sciences, engineering, or related STEM fields is highly desirable.

Experience

• Relevant research experience as a research assistant.

Technical Knowledge/Skills

• Knowledge of R, Python and/or Julia, preferred 
• Knowledge of LaTeX

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)
• Writing Sample (required)
• Transcripts (unofficial is acceptable) (required)
• Two Professional References (required)

About the Department  

The Becker Friedman Institute for Economics aims to foster frontier research and apply those findings to achieve global impact. BFI brings together researchers from the Booth School of Business, the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, the Harris School of Public Policy, the Law School, and the entire University of Chicago Economics Community to leverage robust data, apply cutting-edge analytical tools, and uncover novel insights on the world’s most difficult economic problems. BFI then bridges the divide between academic researchers and relevant policy makers by translating and packaging rigorous research into accessible formats and proactively sharing those findings with decision-makers and thought leaders in business, government and nonprofit institutions. In this way, BFI has the potential to play a significant role in meet