Research Analyst

Location

Evanston, Illinois

Department:
Kellogg GPRL, Salary/Grade: EXS/5

The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) at Northwestern University is hiring several full‑time Research Analysts for a two‑year term appointment based in Evanston, Illinois (Chicago area). Research Analysts will support a diverse portfolio of applied research projects, including panel survey data collection and analysis, research methods studies, randomized controlled trials, and meta‑analyses in areas such as mental health and social protection.

Research Analysts gain hands‑on experience managing and analyzing data from multiple sources, contributing to research design discussions, and supporting project management across collaborative research teams. They work in an open, collaborative lab environment at Northwestern University and regularly interact with economics faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from the Kellogg School of Management and the Department of Economics, as well as research staff at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).

• Manage, clean, and analyze data from surveys, administrative sources, and experiments.
• Support the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials and methodological studies.
• Contribute to meta-analyses and evidence synthesis projects.
• Assist with project management, documentation, and coordination with external partners.
• Participate in research meetings and collaborate with faculty, students, and research staff.

Frontier Research
:
Conduct cutting‑edge research in development economics, including themes of mental health, agriculture, social protection, and renewable energy; co‑create and maintain long‑run panels with local universities, governments, and civil society that enable longer‑term insights and support layered randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Advance Research Methods
:
Develop and test improved approaches to measurement and learning, including questionnaire design, enumerator recruitment, and rapid‑cycle experiments (e.g., A/B, factorial, and micro‑randomized) that implementers can run using their own administrative data to tune delivery models, incentives, and other protocols.

Aggregate Global Evidence
:
Build semi‑automated pipelines and AI‑assisted workflows to compile and structure scattered evidence from RCTs into living knowledge bases and run rigorous meta‑analyses; deliver insights via evidence syntheses, interactive dashboards, and publicly accessible data for donors, investors, and practitioners.

Making Aid More Effective
:
Turn evidence into ready‑to‑use decision tools, "smart buys" menus, and ROI/cost‑effectiveness frameworks for donors, ministries, multilaterals, impact investors, and social enterprises.

• Must both apply through the Northwestern University Careers Site and complete the supplemental form located here: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./9
  
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• Successful completion of a full 4‑year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor’s or higher degree in economics or another quantitative major.

• Strong programming skills in Stata and/or R combined with the willingness to learn other statistical software.
• Strong quantitative skills (coursework in econometrics and statistics).
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English.
• Ability to seek resources and self‑teach new statistical, analytical, and programming techniques.
• Flexible, self‑motiving, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently.

• An enthusiasm for empirical research.
• Experiences living or working in a developing country.

• Experience with reproducible research workflows, version control (Git Hub), and modern documentation tools (Quarto, R Markdown).
• Familiarity with meta‑analytic methods or systematic review approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to build data quality assurance systems and manage collaborative data projects.
• Experience using advanced data infrastructure such as relational…