Research Assistant; Pre-Doc Intern

Staff
- Union Job Category

CUPE 116

CUPE 116 Salaried
- Intern

Research Assistant (Pre-Doc Intern)

Administrative Support | CIDER Admin Support and RA's | Vancouver School of Economics

See details below.

October 4, 2026

Note:

Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

May 31, 2028

The expected pay for this position is $5,047.

The Vancouver School of Economics (VSE) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is a globally recognized leader in economic research and education. VSE faculty conduct cutting-edge research across a diverse range of economic subfields, including labor economics, development, economic history, political economy, public economics, the economics of crime, and applied microeconomics. The school is committed to fostering an inclusive academic environment and supporting the next generation of economists through rigorous training and mentorship.

The Centre for Innovative Data in Economics Research (CIDER) at VSE is a hub for data-intensive economic research. CIDER facilitates collaboration with leading researchers and institutions, providing access to advanced data resources and computational tools to support high-impact research projects.

The Pre-Doctoral Fellow/Research Technician position at VSE is a unique opportunity for aspiring researchers to gain hands‑on experience in economic research. Working closely with faculty members, fellows will contribute to a variety of research projects involving data collection, cleaning, and analysis; literature reviews; and preparation of research findings. Successful candidates will have a strong quantitative background, proficiency in programming languages such as Stata, R, or Python, and a keen interest in pursuing a PhD in economics or a related field.

The position offers a dynamic research environment and serves as an excellent stepping stone for those looking to advance their academic careers.

The job will entail close collaboration with VSE and CIDER faculty members on research projects in applied microeconomics involving large and complex data sets. The successful candidate will be involved in all aspects of research, from new project development to data acquisition, data analysis, and presentation of results.

• Oversees complex data collection, manipulation, and data storage.
• Plans and performs the outlines and looks after data retrieval (eg, data scraping) and analysis (eg, big data analysis) using existing tools and methods.
• Responsible for complex tasks in relation to data retrieval and analysis.
• Works with senior level faculty in the design and execution of empirical tests. Supports the project/study by surveying literature and using existing tools to generate data.
• Conducts literature reviews and contributes to the development of research projects.
• Writes reports and assists with writing grant applications in terms of conceptualization and articulation.
• Oversees the day‑to‑day research project operations and oversees and directs work of undergraduate research assistants.
• Oversees data reporting and prepares information to be displayed for presentation and publication.
• Carries out any other related duties as required in keeping with the qualifications and requirements of positions in this classification.

This is a research assistant position within a research project involving a variety of projects and sophisticated research methods. The work requires considerable judgement in the management of research priorities, data, applications, schedules, and task delegation.

Employees of the University of British Columbia always work under strict confidentiality because of the nature of the data holdings. Any breach in data security would place the future of the school, and its many programs of research, at risk.

Accuracy is essential since errors may have implications for published reports, grant funding, data access, and public relations. The Research Assistant is responsible for checking the reliability and accuracy of work done and reporting challenges and threats directly to her/his supervisor.

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of the Research Manager of the Centre for Innovative Data in Economics Research, along with UBC research faculty.

May coordinate and organize tasks of research…