Research Analyst

Job Summary

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.

Kellogg GPRL

EXS/5

• 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

The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) is a research center based at Northwestern University that accelerates poverty reduction by generating frontier research and creating public goods—such as data, methods, and evidence syntheses—that enable others to design, test, and translate evidence into action. GPRL’s work spans four core pillars:

• 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).

• 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.

• Building 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.

• 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.

• GPRL is co-directed by Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry, and Nancy Qian, professors at the Kellogg School of Management and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Department of Economics at Northwestern University. Additional affiliated faculty include Andrew Dillon and Lori Beaman.
• Research analysts, research managers, and administrative staff support GPRL’s investigators while collaborating closely with universities, NGOs, and research institutions worldwide. GPRL also works in close partnership with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) to coordinate field data collection, disseminate evidence, and develop shared training and research resources.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

• 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 organizations skills
• Fluency and…