Description:

A research team, including Profs. Gustavo Bobonis, Raissa Fabregas, Orlando Sotomayor, Román Andrés Zárate and Philip Oreopoulos, are seeking a highly motivated pre-doctoral fellow to assist with their research projects. This is a full-time position for a duration of one year, with the potential to extend for a second year. The fellowship offers an opportunity to gain training in a broad set of economic research topics and approaches, including data-intensive methods that will give predocs an unparalleled window to research in applied microeconomics.

The selected fellow will work closely with the research team and the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE), assisting in the evaluation of several ongoing initiatives. In this role, you will have an opportunity to work with researchers across Canada, the US, and Puerto Rico,  public servants in Puerto Rico, and the evaluation staff at J-PAL North America.

This fellowship will help candidates moving onto Ph.D. programs to hit the ground running for their own graduate studies. This opportunity is most suitable for recent graduates with a master’s in economics, or a bachelor’s with substantial coursework in economics and applied econometrics, who are proximately planning to pursue a Ph.D. The role is based on-campus at University of Toronto’s St. George Campus, sharing workspace with other fellows to foster camaraderie and peer learning.

Duties:

As a Pre-Doctoral Fellow, you will:

• Analyze large and complex datasets, including data cleaning and management.
• Support research projects by preparing figures, tables, and visualizations from data.
• Conduct literature reviews, draft research proposals, and assist in writing academic papers.
• Prepare background materials, project reports, and research protocols.
• Contribute to the quality assurance of fieldwork.
• Participate in departmental research seminars and other educational activities to further enrich your learning.
• Contribute to writing grant proposals, budgets, and progress reports for funders, and assist in completing IRB applications for projects.

Education and Experience:

We are seeking candidates who:

• Have a strong academic background in economics, applied econometrics, or related fields.
• Hold a Master’s degree in economics or a Bachelor’s degree with significant coursework in economics and quantitative methods.
• Possess advanced programming skills, particularly in Stata and R.
• Are enthusiastic about pursuing a Ph.D. in economics, public policy, or a related discipline.
• Have legal work authorization in Canada (e.g., Canadian citizenship or an open work permit).
• Are fluent in Spanish—not required but will be considered an asset.

Desired Start Date:

This position is expected to start in June 2025.

Application Instructions:

If interested, please prepare a:

1. CV
2. Transcripts
3. Brief (one-page) cover letter describing:

• Your academic background and future goals.
• Research interests and relevant experience, including programming skills.
• Your work authorization in Canada.

Please submit your application to info@foslab.org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.