The SIEPR/Economics Predoctoral Research Fellowship program is a full-time, one- to two-year post baccalaureate program designed to prepare individuals wishing to gain valuable training and experience toward a career in academic research in economics or public policy.
Fellows are appointed as non-matriculated graduate students and will be expected to fully engage in the intellectual life at Stanford University. They dedicate a significant portion of their time to an empirical research project and can take graduate-level courses at Stanford University for credit (up to one 3-unit course per quarter). The fellowship offers tuition, health insurance, and a living stipend.
Stanford Faculty interested in mentoring students through the program should consult our Information for Faculty.
The SIEPR Predoctoral Research Fellow program is committed to creating inclusive research spaces for all. We are a proud participant of Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC), and continue to value diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The goal of our program is to help foster the growth of the next generation of researchers in economics and public policy.
The Ideal Candidate
- Completed a 4-year undergraduate degree (bachelors or foreign equivalent) in economics, statistics, applied mathematics, or a related field;
- A strong quantitative background and interest in learning cutting-edge research methods;
- Creative and independent problem solving skills;
- Experience programming in Stata and R, and may have experience with GIS, Matlab, and other statistical packages; and
- An interest in pursuing a PhD in Economics or a related field.
Please review our Frequently Asked Questions before contacting SIEPR about this program.
We seek highly skilled and motivated individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to join our full-time Predoctoral Research Fellow Program for a one- to two-year appointment.
SIEPR is currently recruiting for open positions to start in Summer 2021. Positions remain open until filled.
The SIEPR Predoctoral Research Fellow program is committed to creating inclusive research spaces for all. We are a proud participant of Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC) whose goal is to help foster the growth of the next generation of researchers in economics and public policy.
SIEPR staff or faculty will contact candidates who are advanced to the next round by email, and you may be asked to complete a coding task. Given the high volume of applications we receive, we are not able to provide application feedback or individual responses to all candidates.
You will be asked to provide the following in your application:
- Cover Letter - Describe your interest in the program and specific faculty projects; whether you prefer a one or two year appointment; your familiarity with programming languages (Stata, R, Python, Matlab, etc.); your prior experience as a research assistant and with independent research (e.g., a senior thesis); any other relevant information.
- CV - Include all relevant education, research experience, work experience and skills.
- Undergraduate and (if applicable) Graduate Transcripts - You may submit an unofficial copy.
- Optional Writing Sample - A paper (or excerpt) that displays your writing and analytic skills and capacity to execute independent research. A senior thesis, Master's thesis, or a term paper are all fine choices. Any length is acceptable.
Open Positions
Bigtech and Fintech in Consumer Finance: Role of Technology versus Regulation
Professor Amit Seru
Professor Seru researches several topics in household finance and financial regulation, including the rising role of fintech and bigtech firms, financial advertising, intermediation, and the sources and measurement of technological innovation. The overarching theme behind projects on which pre-docs will work involve uncovering the drivers of the rise of bigtech and fintech firms in consumer finance -- from lending to payments. These projects will use large-scale data sets primarily from the United States, and the analysis will deliver implications for current policy debates. The fellow will help the team clean, process, and analyze the data towards these goals using programs such as Stata, Python, R, or SAS. Prior pre-docs that have worked with Professor Seru have gone to doctoral programs in Harvard and Northwestern. The ideal candidate brings both enthusiasm for research and coding experience, with some preference given to those with prior knowledge of either Stata, R, or Python.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.