Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate | University of Southern California; USC at Universi

Postdoctoral Scholar – Research Associate

Los Angeles, CA.

The Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Economics to join its team. The Postdoctoral Scholar will provide analytic leadership and support to a portfolio of academic research primarily focusing on topics related to socioeconomic and policy environments and their influences on health and cognition in India.

The successful candidate will actively contribute to research activities across the team’s portfolio of projects. A primary focus will be on the second wave of data collection for the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). Additionally, the candidate will engage in analyses using data from related studies, such as the Longitudinal Aging Study in India Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASI-DAD) and the Gateway to Global Aging Data.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will work in a multidisciplinary environment as part of the larger research community within the Global Aging team and the Center for Economic and Social Research. Strong candidates will have an excellent quantitative background, strong writing skills, be highly motivated, and have excellent organizational and logical reasoning skills.

The position is ideal for candidates finishing PhD programs in economics, public policy, or other quantitative social science fields. During their training, the Postdoctoral Scholar will be expected to publish first‑authored manuscripts on projects aligned with the group and engage in collaborative research. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.

• Develop complex statistical code to extract, clean, manage, and analyze data in support of research projects.
• Conduct statistical analyses.
• Lead new and innovative research projects using the Longitudinal Aging Study in India.
• Identify and analyze natural experiments due to policy changes implemented in India that may have affected individuals' health and socio‑economic outcomes.
• Disseminate findings from analytic projects at conferences and in peer‑reviewed journal articles.
• Collaborate with team members on interdisciplinary projects.

• Expertise in quantitative analysis.
• Contextual knowledge of India and its institutional setting.
• The ability to produce careful and detail‑oriented work.
• Exceptional problem‑solving abilities and strong analytic skills.
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• Past research experience involving large datasets and complex computational tasks.

The salary range for this position is $70,000.00 – $95,000.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.

Education requirements:

PhD in economics, public policy, or other quantitative social science field.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.