Research Specialist I - Princeton University - Princeton, NJ

The Empirical Study of Conflict (ESOC) Project seeks to hire several Research Specialists to provide quantitative and/or qualitative research on a short-term project to evaluate foreign aid programs in Afghanistan. Quantitative research will include measurement and modeling of micro-level data, managing large datasets, and summarizing results. Qualitative research will include reviewing relevant academic literature and government reports and summarizing research findings.

The Research Specialist will work under the direction of senior ESOC scholars, including Professor Jacob Shapiro, and will also work collaboratively with at least one other Research Specialist.

This is a 6.5-month term position, with an anticipated start date in April 2016. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Work will be conducted at Princeton University (no international travel required.)

Applicants should submit a cover letter and C.V. online. Upon request, candidates should be prepared to submit references, transcripts, coding samples, and/or writing samples.

Essential Qualifications

Position requires:

• BA or more advanced degree, preferably in social science or statistics


• Academic experience conducting micro-economic and statistical analysis or historical research


• Proficiency with or ability to rapidly learn R, STATA, and ArcGIS software or academic experience conducting literature reviews and qualitative research


• Excellent writing and analytical skills


• Evidence of ability to take the initiative in solving practical research problems


• Ability to work independently and with careful attention to detail


• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

The final candidate will be required to complete a background check successfully.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Political Science, or other social science


• Experience working on impact evaluation projects involving randomized trials or matched control designs


• Knowledge of South Asian languages or civilizations


• Knowledge of governance and development initiatives


• Familiarity with the use of ESRI suite of products and Python scripting


• Familiarity with SQL or other database systems


• Experience with automated scraping of data from websites