Predoctoral Research Associate; Summer - Economics and Political Economy

Job Description

Harvard Business School (HBS) is seeking multiple Predoctoral Research Associates starting in Summer 2026 to support one of the following assigned faculty members:

• Livia Alfonsi
• Tomomichi Amano
• Zoe Cullen
• Natalia Garbiras-Diaz and Ambra Seck (paired together)
• Todd Lensman
• Madhav Kumar

You will see this posting updated with names of additional hiring faculty listed in the coming months as more needs are identified. We ask that you please indicate the faculty you are interested in supporting in your cover letter.

More information on career outcomes, including PhD programs recent Predoctoral Research Associates attended, can be seen here.

The Predoctoral Research Associate position reports directly to faculty supervisors and administrative manager in the Research Staff Services office. Ideal candidates will be comfortable in an environment that requires a high level of independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to use discretionary judgment.

• Work under the general direction of HBS faculty on topics central to HBS research agenda. Provide subject‑area knowledge, analysis and interpretation to faculty member. Identify and explore a wide range of questions related to faculty’s research agenda.
• Develop, design, conduct, analyze, and implement research using data science knowledge and prior knowledge of requested statistical packages. Perform statistical programming. Experience with NLP.
• Manage and manipulate data using requested packages, such as STATA, Python, R, or MATLAB.
• Ensure compliance with department, University, and federal regulations. Complete work with only general direction. Be aware of department, School, University policies and potential outside research policies.
• Under general direction of faculty member, must be able to take complex research ideas, concepts, and methodologies and apply them to new projects and situations. Must be able to structure assignments and keep faculty member informed as necessary, using own judgment.
• Build trust and collaboration by being present on‑site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a GPA above 3.5 is required.

Proven evidence of independent research in specific advanced field of study. Evidence of prior high‑quality, original academic writing, and background in analysis and interpretation of relevant data, research, news, and literature is helpful. Ability to read academic, subject‑specific information and write a reasoned and thoughtful analysis, as well as produce a creative interpretation, is a must.

The candidate must have extremely high standards in terms of quality of work, attention to detail, strong organization skills, and absolute commitment to task completion. Must be able to balance multiple tasks and shifting priorities under tight deadlines at an accelerated pace when necessary. It is helpful if the candidate is familiar with navigating a complex organization, such as Harvard Business School.

Appointment End Date:
June 30, 2027. These are term appointments starting summer 2026 through June 30, 2027, with an expectation of reappointment until June 30, 2028, based on funding and performance. All Predoctoral Research Associate roles at HBS are structured as one‑year term appointments, but faculty strongly prefer candidates willing to commit for two years.

Standard Hours/

Schedule:

40 hours per week.

Visa Sponsorship Information:
Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Pre-Employment Screening:
Education, Identity.

Other Information:
The recruiting process starts now and continues into 2026 with offers typically finalized in the late spring.

This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday – Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice.

We may conduct candidate…