Predoctoral Research Associate - Economics and Accounting

Predoctoral Research Associate

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

• Zoe Cullen
• Madhav Kumar
• Yuan Zou

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.

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.

Primary duties include:

• Working under the general direction of HBS faculty on topics central to HBS research agenda.
• Developing, designing, conducting, analyzing, and implementing research using data science knowledge and prior knowledge of requested statistical packages.
• Managing and manipulating data using requested packages, such as STATA, Python, R, or MATLAB.
• Ensuring compliance with department, University, and federal regulations.
• Taking complex research ideas, concepts, and methodologies and applying them to new projects and situations.
• Building trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned.

Basic qualifications include:

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

Additional qualifications and skills include:

• Proven evidence of independent research in a 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.
• High standards in terms of quality of work, attention to detail, strong organization skills, and absolute commitment to task completion.
• Ability to balance multiple tasks and shifting priorities under tight deadlines at an accelerated pace when necessary.

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 interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in-person for this role. A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity. All candidates will be expected to submit a writing sample, transcript, and at times a code sample to be reviewed by an HBS statistician.

Salary grade and ranges:
This position is salary grade level 055. Please visit Harvard's Salary Ranges to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits:
Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement…