Pre-doctoral Researcher - Technical Associate (Tong Liu, Lira Mota, Christopher Palmer, Kerry Siani)

Description

Professors Tong Liu, Lira Mota, Christopher Palmer, and Kerry Siani are looking to hire two full-time pre-doctoral research fellows. The position duration is up to two years (one year, with potential renewal for a second), with a start date of July 1, 2025.

The job will entail close collaboration at all stages of the research process on new and ongoing empirical projects which utilize large, rich datasets to address questions in the fields of corporate finance, capital markets, macro-finance, household finance, and micro-econometrics.

This position offers the opportunity to gain exposure to and training in a broad set of economic research topics and statistical methodologies before pursuing a PhD in economics or finance.

The chosen candidate will also gain valuable experience analyzing large and unique datasets (e.g., restricted-use insurance claims, government administrative records on individuals and firms, textual analysis of corporate disclosures, investor holdings data, and proprietary company data), and working with programs such as Stata, R, MATLAB, and Python.

The chosen candidates will have the opportunity to take courses and attend seminars at MIT.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate should be highly motivated to pursue academic research in economics and related fields. The position is ideal for students who are planning to pursue a PhD in Economics or Finance. Further requirements include:

1. A 4-year undergraduate degree and/or Master’s degree that demonstrates a strong quantitative background. A background in Economics is helpful but not necessary.
2. Exceptional programming skills and experience, especially in Stata, R, MATLAB, or Python.
3. The ability to work independently to solve problems, communicate well, and maintain a strong attention to detail.
4. Previous research experience is a plus.

NOTE: 
Visa sponsoring is not available for this position. Candidates should have authorization to work in the US for the duration of the appointment.

Application Instructions

Please provide the following documents:

• A one page cover letter briefly describing your academic career and future study goals.
• A CV
• A transcript
• A writing sample. This could be any research paper or term paper that you think best reflects your abilities
• A sample of code(s) which you have written, along with a summary of the outputs it generates (logs/graphs) in a single document
• We will follow up with shortlisted candidates with further instructions. You may be asked to complete a coding task.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. MIT’s full policy on Nondiscrimination can be found here.

Background Check Policy
Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check, including possible verification of any findings of misconduct (or pending investigations) from prior employers.