Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Applied Microeconomics at University of Michigan
Professors Francesca Truffa (Michigan), Menaka Hampole (Yale) and Ashley Wong (Barnard) are seeking a full-time pre-doctoral fellow to contribute to a project entitled, “Diversifying Innovation: How Student Debt Affects Diversity in Entrepreneurship.”
The position is available at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a start date of Sept 2, 2025, though earlier start dates will be considered. Strong preference will be given to applicants who have potential to work for two years, with the possibility of an extension to a third year. Successful candidates will report directly to Professor Truffa and will interact with her coauthors and other research assistants on a regular basis. Professor Truffa’s current research is in the fields of labor, innovation, and education economics.
The pre-doctoral fellow is involved in all stages of the research process and are expected to work independently within the scope of their responsibilities. Duties include, but are not limited to, collaborating on research design, conducting data analysis, interpreting results, training other research assistants, and drafting and editing manuscripts and presentations. Candidates should have a long-term interest in pursuing research related to economics. Prior background in applied research economics is useful but not necessary. Preference will be given to detail-oriented applicants with previous work experience, particularly experience writing and working with large datasets in software such as Stata, Python, or R.
This position is ideal for candidates looking to develop their research skills in preparation for PhD programs in economics.
For continuing education, the pre-doctoral fellow will have opportunities to attend weekly seminars in economics, audit classes, and to get feedback on their independent research ideas. Salary will be competitive with other research assistant positions.
TO APPLY:
Please email Professor Truffa ftruffa@umich.edu a single PDF document named “Lastname_Firstname” containing the following materials:
1. A cover letter describing:
a. Your interest in this position and how you learned about it
b. The start and end dates during which you would be available to fill this position
c. Your familiarity with programming languages (e.g. Stata, Python, R)
d. Your prior experience as a research assistant, in the private sector, and/or with independent research projects
e. A previous experience that involved working in a team environment
f. Whether you require Visa sponsorship, and if so, what type
g. Names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of 3 references (letters not required)
2. A current CV
3. All relevant undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial is fine)
4. A written list of classes currently in-progress and taken in the past that are in economics, mathematics, or statistics. Please indicate the name of the course, semester/year taken, the institution at which the course was taken, and grade attained.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with applications submitted by August 8, 2025 receiving full consideration. This posting was updated on 7/15/2025. It will be taken down promptly from https://www.francescatruffa.com/job-opportunities if the position has been filled, so there is no need to inquire if positions are still available.
Link to job posting: https://www.francescatruffa.com/job-opportunities