Research Assistant

Recruitment began on September 21, 2026. The job listing expires on October 21, 2026. Applications will be accepted until October 16, 2026.

Position is hybrid: regular in-person presence at our Washington, DC office with option of two days remote work each week. This position is included in the staff bargaining unit, Brookings United, affiliated with the IFPTE Local 70 union, and covered under the collective bargaining agreement.

Contract Type:
Full-time

The Economic Studies program analyzes current and emerging economic issues facing the United States and the world and, based on that research, provides innovative, practical policy recommendations. ES's work covers a broad array of economic issues, including economic growth, economic opportunity and mobility, the labor market, regulation, health policy, the environment, tax policy, retirement policy and fiscal and monetary policy. Economic Studies scholars influence key economic policies by conducting rigorous and relevant research and then disseminating and communicating their findings to the policy community and to the broader public.

We are recruiting for multiple Research Assistants for the following Centers or Projects. You will be asked to rank your interest in the following:

• The Center for Economic Security and Opportunity (CESO). CESO works at the interface of economic and social policy to promote three foundational pillars for broad-based prosperity: (1) Meeting fundamental needs through a robust safety net and good jobs, (2) Building skills through quality education, training, and opportunities for personal development, and (3) Strengthening capacities of families and communities through investment in the care economy, immigrant integration, and other social infrastructure.
  
  Our work is non-partisan and data driven.
• The Hutchins Center. The mission of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy is to improve the quality and efficacy of fiscal and monetary policies and public understanding of them. It does this by conducting and commissioning research, convening public and private events, and explaining current economic policy issues for a broad audience.
• Center on Health Policy (CHP). Produces rigorous research and analysis that informs the national health care policy debate. Recent and ongoing research examines impediments to prescription drug competition, strategies to enhance insurance coverage, provider consolidation, insurance market design, and policies to improve mental and behavioral health care in the U.S.
• The Center on Regulation and Markets (CRM). Provides independent, non-partisan research on regulatory policy making, the regulatory process, and the efficient and equitable functioning of economic markets. CRM accomplishes this through a broad range of research, publications, and events that foster informed debate among academic experts, practitioners, and policymakers. CRM currently has several focal areas, including (1) artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, (2) climate change & energy, (3) the future of work, (4) financial markets and fintech, and (5) consumer protection.
• The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center (TPC). Aims to provide independent analyses of current and longer-term tax issues and to communicate its analyses to the public and to policymakers in a timely and accessible manner. The Center combines top national experts in tax, expenditure, budget policy, and microsimulation modeling to concentrate on overarching areas of tax policy that are critical to future debate.

Research Assistants support scholars across a variety of quantitative, analytical, and communications activities. The allocation of duties below describes the average division between tasks; the actual work will vary depending on the project needs of the scholars or centers to whom the Research Assistant is assigned and some assignments emphasize policy research and communications more than quantitative analysis.

• Work closely with senior scholars, prepare and revise programming code, simulation macros, and regression estimates.
• Analyze data, using statistical software (e.g. Stata, R) and spreadsheets.
• Prepare tables and graphs output from model simulations.
• Assemble, consolidate, update, and check data from new sources and existing databases.

• In collaboration…