Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Cornell Collaborative for International Development Economics Research (CIDER), Cornell University

The Cornell Collaborative for International Development Economics Research (CIDER) is a new cross-campus venture at Cornell University encompassing 23 faculty from multiple units across the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. Cornell has a prominent brand name and a rich history of leadership in international development economics research and outreach, perhaps especially in the economics of poverty, food insecurity, and agricultural and rural development. Cornell was arguably the main academic incubator of Asia’s Green Revolution. The world’s main poverty and food insecurity measures were developed here. So were other key theories, measures and evidence around labor markets, nutrition, poverty traps, poverty-environment interactions, power, resilience, structural transformation, etc. Rigorous applied research to influence public and private decision makers globally is a part of Cornell’s role as “the land grant university to the world”.

   

The CIDER Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship Program:

The CIDER Pre-doctoral Research Fellowship Program is a full-time, post-baccalaureate program designed to prepare individuals wishing to apply for a PhD in Economics, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Development Studies, Public Policy, or a related field.

The pre-doctoral research fellow will work closely with one or more faculty whose research interests fall within the broad domain of development economics. The CIDER faculty can be found at https://business.cornell.edu/centers/cider/. Faculty members hiring this year include Chris Barrett, Heather Schofield, and John Hoddinott.

The role will primarily entail supporting quantitative research and data analysis under various on-going research projects. Field research opportunities are also available for those with necessary language skills and an interest and ability to travel. CIDER Pre-doctoral fellows also have access to broader economics, public policy, and agricultural, environmental and nutritional sciences communities at the university, including weekly seminars, brown-bag lunches, etc. We provide cohort-based training and professional development throughout the course of the fellowship. We expect to hire a cohort of multiple pre-doctoral fellows to join continuing pre-docs.

General duties include, but are not limited to:

• Participation in empirical research projects guided closely by faculty members
• Engagement in the intellectual life at Cornell

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a psychologically healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Required Qualifications

• Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Bachelor's degree and 2 to 4 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination.
• Previous coursework in econometrics and statistics and familiarity with statistics software such as Stata or R
• Strong knowledge of economics research techniques and/or methods, manifest in coursework and/or prior research experience
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Excellent and professional verbal, written, and presentations skills
• Ability to work well independently, as well as with others, and to meet deadlines
• Ability to seek out, coordinate, and appropriately disseminate information

Preferred Qualifications

Though not required, the following qualifications will give priority to applicants:

• Bachelor's degree in economics, business, public policy, mathematics, statistics, or a related field.
• Master’s degree in economics, business, public policy, mathematics, statistics, or a related field
• Relevant research experience (e.g., a senior thesis)
• Additional computer programming languages such as ArcGIS, Python or SQL
• Foreign language fluency – especially in French, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, and/or Portuguese

This is a 1-year term staff positio