Junior Research Economist​/ Research Assistant Professor

Description & Details:

Junior Research Economist at the Rank of Research Assistant Professor

The Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University seeks to appoint a promising early-career research economist to conduct grant-funded research, policy analysis, and market intelligence on U.S. agricultural policy and trade issues. The position will support applied research and stakeholder-oriented analysis on commodity markets, trade policy, and global market developments affecting U.S. and North Dakota producers and agribusinesses.

The appointment is a full-time, non-tenure track position at the rank of Research Assistant Professor. The initial appointment will be for two years with the possibility of extension based on performance and continued availability of external funding.

The successful candidate will join a research and outreach program led by Dr. Sandro Steinbach at North Dakota State University and affiliated with the Center for Agricultural Policy and Trade Studies. The position will help develop timely and rigorous analysis of agricultural trade, commodity market conditions, input market developments, policy changes, and global disruptions that shape opportunities and risks for U.S. and North Dakota agriculture.

Work may include analysis of trade measures, tariffs, sanctions, export restrictions, logistics disruptions, exchange-rate movements, fertilizer and energy market conditions, and international supply-and-demand shocks.

This position provides an outstanding opportunity for independent research, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement. The Research Assistant Professor is expected to actively participate in the University's intellectual life and contribute to peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, data products, conference presentations, and market intelligence outputs. Work will emphasize transparent documentation, reproducible research practices, and practical tools that help researchers, commodity organizations, policymakers, and industry stakeholders interpret agricultural policy and trade developments.

Hiring Range:

Pay is based on several factors, including budget, labor market, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and/or certification and other business considerations.

Minimum Qualifications:

* Successful applicants must have received a doctoral degree in agricultural economics, applied economics, economics, public policy, or a closely related field, preferably within the last two to three years (or expected before the start date). Equivalent foreign degrees are acceptable.

* Applicants must demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills and strong quantitative training.

* Applicants should have experience with applied microeconometrics, agricultural markets, trade policy analysis, commodity market analysis, or related empirical policy research.

* Applicants must demonstrate proficiency with large datasets and strong coding skills in one or more programming languages commonly used for empirical research, such as Python, R, Stata, or similar tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

* Proven record of relevant research publications or strong evidence of an active research pipeline.

* Experience working on agricultural trade, commodity markets, agricultural policy, market intelligence, or producer-relevant policy analysis.

* Familiarity with trade data, customs or value-chain data, commodity price data, farm policy data, high-frequency market data, or other policy and market information systems.

* Experience with causal inference, forecasting, machine learning, spatial or panel data methods, or reproducible data pipelines.

* Interest in North Dakota and Northern Plains agriculture, including corn, soybeans, wheat, specialty crops, livestock, biofuels, fertilizer, energy, or transportation/logistics issues.

* Demonstrated ability to work independently and collegially with interdisciplinary teams, commodity organizations, policymakers, Extension professionals, and stakeholder audiences.

* Interest in producing research outputs that are accessible and usable by researchers, analysts, producers, and policy audiences.

Core Competencies:

* Conduct independent and collaborative research on U.S. and North Dakota agricultural policy, agricultural trade, commodity markets, and market intelligence issues.

* Develop and maintain data resources that link North Dakota production and marketing conditions with domestic and international trade flows, commodity prices, basis patterns, input markets, value chains, and policy measures.

* Monitor and analyze federal, state, and international policy developments affecting agricultural markets, including trade policy, tariffs, sanctions, export restrictions, biofuel policy, crop insurance, farm program issues, and related market interventions.

* Apply applied econometric, causal inference, forecasting, and machine learning methods to evaluate trade shocks, commodity price dynamics, market access, supply-chain…