STAR Lab Postdoctoral Fellow

Department/Area

Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

The Sustainability, Transparency, and Accountability Research (STAR) Lab at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University invites applications for its postdoctoral fellowship. This fellowship aims to support postdoctoral scholars who have recently completed their PhD in economics, business, psychology, public policy, political science, statistics, or related fields, and whose research interests include private sector initiatives aimed at generating positive environmental and social impacts.

We currently offer one fellowship associated with a set of related research projects to be conducted in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) to examine applications of insights from behavioral economics to the design of financial products and services aimed at helping customers improve their financial well‑being. The research would focus on core insights from behavioral science associated with present bias, cognitive capacity, inattention bias, social influence, and trust.

It would aim to test interventions based on these insights that help individuals better align their actions with their intentions and improve their financial outcomes. The projects would be developed and completed in collaboration with CBA. Primary methods would include analysis of large‑sample behavioral data, surveys, and lab and field experiments.

The postdoctoral fellow will work full‑time on these projects, coordinating with CBA teams and the Director of STAR Lab, and serve as author or co‑author of published papers. The fellow will be based at STAR Lab but may also spend a period of time in Sydney at CBA offices to complete work on projects.

This is a short‑term position: beginning from August 1, 2026, and ending November 30, 2026, with the possibility of extension for an additional six months.

The fellow will be compensated based on an annual salary of $90,000, along with standard Harvard employee benefits and funding for research‑related travel to Sydney.

Eligible applicants must have recently completed their PhD in the fields of economics, business, psychology, public policy, political science, statistics, or another related field. The PhD degree/diploma must be conferred prior to the fellowship start date of August 1, 2026. An electronic PDF copy of doctoral degree verification is required for candidates who have received their degree within one year of the effective start date – either a certificate of completion from the degree‑granting institution or a letter from the institution’s registrar is acceptable.

Such documentation should state that all requirements for the degree have been successfully completed and should verify the date the degree has been or will be conferred.

None specified.

None specified.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Catherine H. Nehring
Coordinator, STAR Lab
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
Harvard University

The salary for this four-month position will be based on an annual salary of $90,000.

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• Corporate responsibility
• Behavioral economics
• Behavioral insights

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