Harvard Growth Lab Research Fellowships, Applied Research (Immediate Vacancy and Summer 2025): Apply!!
Position Summary:
The Growth Lab, a research program at Harvard Kennedy School, offers a unique opportunity for a research fellow to contribute to cutting-edge economic research aimed at addressing real-world development problems. The lab’s dynamic, cross-disciplinary team studies economic growth and structural change to understand the challenges to economic development and identify effective policy responses. Research fellows work closely with government leaders and development practitioners to inform policymaking through research-based insights.
Under the guidance of Professor Ricardo Hausmann and other affiliated professors and senior researchers, fellows will engage in the lab’s core research agenda while contributing to impactful projects. The Growth Lab provides a supportive environment where fellows can refine their analytical and policy skills through hands-on experience and mentorship.
Responsibilities:
Policy Research Responsibilities:
- Contribute to the Growth Lab’s research agenda by identifying promising research questions, sourcing new datasets, and proposing quantitative methods or specific analyses.
- Execute research from analytical design to data collection, data analysis, visualization, and interpretation of findings.
- Apply research findings to policy development.
- Collaborate closely with stakeholders, including field visits to project sites.
- Write research publications, such as project reports, policy memos, and academic papers.
- Build and maintain networks with colleagues and other experts in economic growth, network sciences, and industrial policy.
Organizational Responsibilities:
- Support recruitment and mentoring of research assistants.
- Organize and present research at conferences and thematic presentations, both at the Kennedy School and in the field.
- Contribute to knowledge management, outreach, and dissemination of research findings.
- Expand internships and learning opportunities for Harvard students, with a focus on the Kennedy School.
Minimum Qualifications:
- A Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international development, statistics, business administration, or a related field (either expected by Spring 2025 or already completed).
- Proficiency in statistical software (STATA, R, and/or Python).
- Strong judgment in problem-solving and decision-making.
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with faculty, public and private sector leaders, students, and stakeholders.
- Flexibility, self-motivation, and the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently both independently and as part of a team.
- Excellent communication skills in English, with the ability to present research findings to senior officials and contribute to policy reports, academic publications, etc.
- Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Familiarity with the Growth Lab’s work in economic growth, growth diagnostics, Economic Complexity, and/or green growth.
- Experience working with public officials and civil servants (e.g., through work in government, multilateral development banks, or consulting/advisory roles).
- Experience conducting research in or living in developing countries, with flexibility to travel.
- Proficiency in Spanish, French, or Arabic is a plus.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to send their resume, cover letter, transcripts for all degrees (undergraduate and graduate), and a brief writing sample on a policy issue (1-2 pages, preferably a policy memo) to [email protected] by January 10, 2025. Applications should reference “Growth Lab Fellow 2025” in the subject line.
Please note: Applications will not be considered without all required documents. Interviews will take place in January/February 2025, with job offers extended by March/April 2025.
Learn More:
For more information on the types of projects Growth Lab Research Fellows work on, visit Growth Lab Research.
To learn more about the role, watch the video Joining the Growth Lab: A Behind the Scenes Look.
