Empirical Research Fellow, Finance

Department: Finance, Kellogg School of Management

The Kellogg Finance Department is looking for highly skilled and motivated individuals to work as full-time Empirical Research Fellow for a period of at least one year. We will review applications on a rolling basis, with a target initial review on September 30, 2024. (We will also continue reviewing applications received after that date until the positions are filled.)

The position entails close collaboration on a number of finance projects with specific members of the department. Specifically, we are recruiting in the following areas (listed in alphabetical order by faculty sponsor); details are included in the attached pages for each position. Please indicate by checking boxes on the accompanying form the area(s) you are most interested in:

1.    Empirical Corporate and Business History. Faculty sponsor: Carola Frydman
2.    Finance and Development (2 positions). Faculty sponsors: Sean Higgins, Dean Karlan, Jacopo Ponticelli.
3.    Labor and Finance, Data, Payments, and Competition in Financial Intermediation. Faculty sponsors: Maddalena Ronchi, Lulu Wang.
4.    International Macro-Finance Theory. Faculty sponsors: Zhengyang Jiang, Konstantin Milbradt.
5.    Empirical Corporate/Household Finance, Innovation, and Labor Economics. Faculty sponsors: David Matsa, Filippo Mezzanotti.
6.    Macro-Finance, Technology and Labor. Faculty sponsors: Dmitris Papanikolaou, Bryan Seegmiller.
7.    Empirical Research Generalist. Faculty sponsor: Varies by project.

Research duties vary, but may include: performing statistical analyses on large databases utilizing Stata, MATLAB, Python, R and other programming languages; designing and running experiments; scraping data from websites and non-traditional data sources; conducting literature reviews; and writing up results for presentations and publications. Previous holders of this position have participated in graduate courses at Northwestern during their time as research fellows (including macroeconomics, microeconomics, asset pricing, and real analysis) and gone on to top Ph.D. programs in economics and finance including Chicago, Princeton, Kellogg, MIT, NYU, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Yale.

The ideal candidate will have a strong quantitative background and programming skills, and the ability to work independently. Prior background in economics or finance is useful but not necessary; we welcome candidates with strong technical backgrounds who are looking for more exposure in these fields. This opportunity is ideal for candidates looking to develop their empirical and theoretical skills in preparation for pursuing a graduate program in economics or finance.

Please attach the following to your application:
1.    The form indicating which position(s) you are interested in applying to.
2.    A cover letter briefly describing your career or academic goals, your experience as research assistant or other experience with economic research (e.g., senior thesis), and a description of          your programming background;
3.    A current CV;
4.    Complete undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial is fine).
 

The starting date is negotiable, but it should be no later than July 1, 2025. We pay competitive salaries and provide standard benefits such as health insurance. Note for international applicants: Kellogg will provide the research fellow with the necessary J-1 Research Scholar visa, subject to USCIS rules and regulations.  

Applications accepted here:
 

Positions (listed in alphabetical order by faculty sponsors)

1) Empirical Corporate and Business History . Faculty sponsor: Carola Frydman.

The position involves close collaboration on research projects on topics related to the evolution of business and financial markets over the long run, including financial and labor market inclusion, corporate governance, innovation, antitrust, and family enterprises. Research associates are expected to actively participate in project meetings and discussions with existing research teams.

Research duties include:
•    Performing statistical analyses on large databases utilizing Stata, Python, or R
•    Utilizing OCR tools, data parsing, AI, and text analysis to create novel datasets (e.g., based on historical records)
•    Writing up results for presentations and publications
•    Conducting literature reviews

2) Finance and Development (2 positions). Faculty sponsors: Dean Karlan, Jacopo Ponticelli, Sean Higgins.

Our research topics include financial development, financial inclusion, FinTech, climate finance in developing countries, and law and finance. For more information on the types of research projects you would be working on, please visit our websites.

Research duties include:
•    Performing statistical analyses on large databases utilizing Stata, Python, or R
•    Designing and running experiments
•    Writing up results for presentations and publications
•    Conducting literature reviews

4) Labor and Finance; Data, Payments, and Competition in Financial Intermediation . Faculty sponsors: Maddalena Ronchi, Lulu Wang.

The position entails close collaboration on a number of projects covering topics at the intersection between labor economics, personnel economics, and finance, often with a focus on inequality, and projects on industrial organization of the financial sector (for example, what are the effects of competition between payment systems? How is alternative data being used in consumer finance? And why are financial institutions so broad in their scope?). For more information on the types of research projects you would be working on, please visit our websites.

Research duties include:
•    Performing statistical analyses on large databases utilizing Stata, Python, or R
•    Data scraping from websites and other non-traditional data sources (e.g. historical records, contracts, etc.)
•    Writing up results for presentations and publications
•    Conducting literature reviews
 

5) International Macro-Finance Theory . Faculty sponsors: Zhengyang Jiang and Konstantin Milbradt.
 

We are looking for a research fellow for works related to International Macro-Finance Theory. Research duties include:

•    Checking and extending macro-finance models
•    Simulating models and relating the predictions to the data
•    Conducting literature reviews

6) Empirical Corporate/Household Finance, Innovation, and Labor Economics . Faculty sponsors: David Matsa and Filippo Mezzanotti.

Research topics include corporate finance, household finance, innovation, labor economics, and financial technology (FinTech). For more information on the types of research projects you would be working on, please visit our websites.

Research duties include:
•    Performing statistical analyses on large databases utilizing Stata, Python, and R
•    Data scraping from websites and other non-traditional data sources (e.g., historical records, contracts, etc.)
•    Conducting literature reviews
•    Writing up results for presentations and publications

7) Macro-Finance, Technology and Labor . Faculty sponsors: Dimitris Papanikolaou and Bryan Seegmiller.

Research topics primarily center on studying the impacts of artificial intelligence and other technologies on the risks faced by workers and firms, but may also cover other topics broadly in the intersection of technology, labor, and macro-finance. For more information on the types of research projects you would be working on, please visit the websites of Professors Papanikolaou and Seegmiller.

Research duties include:
•    Performing statistical analyses on large databases using Stata or Python
•    Implementing Python-based machine learning and natural language processing tools to create economic measures from textual data
•    Some economic modeling may be involved, including programming dynamic models 
Writing up results for presentations and publications

8) Empirical Research Generalist . Faculty sponsor: Varies by project.

The position entails close collaboration on a number of finance projects with several members of the department. Research duties vary, but may include: performing statistical analyses on large databases utilizing Stata, MATLAB, Python, R and other programming languages; designing and running experiments; programming simulations of theoretical models; and proving theoretical results. Research fellows work on a variety of projects simultaneously. Prior research topics have included, among others, the importance of information on trade relations, the effect of credit cycles on housing markets, the impact of tail risk on security pricing, and the importance of financial frictions on unemployment.

Salary

The expected base pay for this position is $50,000. This base pay range is for a twelve-month appointment. 

Benefits
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more Visit us at index.html to learn more.
 

Applications accepted here:

 

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.