Development Economics Predoctoral Research Fellow

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About the Center for Effective Global Action

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research, training and innovation headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley. We generate insights that decision-makers can use to improve policies, programs, and people’s lives. Our best‑in‑class academic network includes nearly 200 faculty, 80 scholars from low- and middle‑income countries (LMICs)—primarily from East Africa, and hundreds of graduate students from diverse academic disciplines who produce rigorous evidence about what works to expand education, health, and economic opportunities for people living in poverty.

Our business model involves curating policy‑relevant research agendas in collaboration with development leaders, overseeing competitive grant‑making to answer critical questions, investing in research capacity, and strategically connecting research and ideas to inform decision‑making by governments, NGOs, and the private sector.

Position Overview

Edward Miguel, affiliated with CEGA, seeks an outstanding predoc (Junior or Assistant Specialist) to support empirical analysis and administration for rigorous impact evaluations spanning forced displacement, health, and development in Kenya and Jordan. Predoc will work directly with Edward Miguel on his portfolio of projects, which are contingent on funding. They will perform data cleaning, data analysis and background research such as in‑depth literature reviews and evidence synthesis for technical and non‑technical audiences.

The predoc will also support research partnership development by cultivating strong relationships with organizations providing research support and data collection services, and may have the opportunity to travel to field sites. Other key responsibilities include: providing research assistance to research projects and papers using empirical approaches; contributing to technical grant proposals, progress reports for current funding sources; and other administrative tasks related to the projects, CEGA, and the Principal Investigator(s) (PI).

Predocs may also support additional research and policy efforts relevant to the goals of the PIs and CEGA.

Responsibilities are complex and require at least a college degree or equivalent. Candidates must also be familiar with advanced econometric analysis, as well as with programming using Stata, R, and/or Python. Knowledge of LaTeX and Git Hub is also necessary.

Predoc positions are ideal for graduating seniors or master’s degree students interested in pursuing a PhD in economics or related fields. In addition to working closely with faculty, candidates will have opportunities to participate in UC Berkeley’s vibrant academic life through attending seminars, attending classes, and interacting with students and other CEGA predocs.

The predoc has access to a $1,000 professional development fund to use throughout their appointment.

Basic qualifications required at time of application

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent international degree or enrolled in a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent international degree program.

Some preferred (but not required) qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent international degree in Economics, Public Policy, Political Science, Business, or related discipline.

• Strong interest in development economics, causal inference in applied microeconometrics, research design, program evaluation, cost‑effectiveness analysis, and/or big data/remote sensing.

• 1–2 years experience conducting empirical research including contributing to data collection and cleaning activities.

• 1–2 years experience and competency with statistical software packages such as STATA, R, Python, Julia, and/or Matlab and ability to render accurate statistical analysis; as well as proficiency with LaTeX and Git Hub.

• Familiarity with standard social science data sources, internet tools, and HTML.

• Familiarity working with large‑scale datasets, e.g., through cloud or cluster computing.

• Ability to read and analyze published papers in economics, and accurately understand their…