Professors Dmitry Taubinsky of UC Berkeley, Benjamin Lockwood of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and Luigi Butera of Copenhagen Business School are hiring a predoctoral research assistant who will assist with research at the forefront of Behavioral and Public Economics, with topics including optimal taxation, retirement savings, and Artificial Intelligence. The position will start in the Summer of 2026 and is intended to be a two-year position. The position will entail analyzing survey and administrative datasets, aiding with literature reviews, helping design and implement randomized experiments online and in the field, using computational methods to test predictions of economic theory and evaluate public policies, and managing the research process using collaborative tools like GitHub.
Examples of current research projects include the analysis of administrative data linked to surveys and experiments to investigate: how financial uncertainty and financial literacy relate to savings patterns, and how the usage of AI tools relates to financial planning and decision making.
The researcher will perform data analysis using statistical packages such as Stata and numerical simulations using software such as Matlab, and will work closely with the Principal Investigators and collaborators as an integral part of the research process. The researcher will also be encouraged to participate in all aspects of the academic community at UC Berkeley, such as attending seminars and conferences on campus.
We hope that this will be a great opportunity to acquire skills in data analysis, experimental design, theory testing, and quantitative methods. We will offer opportunities for co-authored work, and we will help prepare the researcher for applying to PhD programs in economics or related fields. Past research assistants have placed at a variety of top graduate programs. We are committed to diversity and encourage applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in economics.
Interested applicants should:
1. Indicate interest through our google form, here. This is the first round of the process.
2. We will prompt you to fill additional forms from UC Berkeley when needed.
We will review applications on a rolling basis starting February 25, with the intention of making a final hiring decision by April 25. Following the google form application, the second and third rounds of the application process will consist of a coding task and a Zoom interview, respectively.
We will begin to make second-round invitations starting February 25.
If you have questions you can reach out to Benjamin Lockwood at
ben.lockwood@wharton.upenn.edu.
