Predoctoral Research Associate (Summer 2027)

Posted 17 days ago

harvard business schoolEast Boston (MA)

SENIORITY

Mid

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About the role

Predoctoral Research Associate (Summer 2027) Harvard Business School is seeking multiple Predoctoral Research Associates starting in Summer 2027 to support an assigned faculty member in one of the following academic units: Accounting & Management, Business, Government and the International Economy, Entrepreneurial Management, Finance, General Management, Marketing, Negotiation Organizations & Markets, Organizational Behavior, Strategy, Technology and Operations Management. Research subjects can include but are not limited to: labor economics, marketing economics, private equity / venture capital disclosures and taxation, decision making and gender stereotypes in shaping beliefs, industrial organization and the market design of digital platforms, media economics and economics of digital platforms, emerging financial technologies and alternative data, political economy and empirical corporate finance, R&D strategy and the economics of innovation, entrepreneurial management, corporate social responsibilities focused on climate change and gender diversity, asset pricing shaping politics and markets, specialized knowledge commercialization and micro-geographic environments shaping innovation, behavioral economics, intergroup inequity, and tech strategy. The Predoctoral Research Associate position reports directly to faculty supervisors and administrative manager in the Research Staff Services office. Ideal candidates will be comfortable in an environment that requires a high level of independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to use discretionary judgment.
Primary duties include: working under the general direction of HBS faculty on topics central to HBS research agenda; writing cases, case supplements, project reports, and policy memos from start to finish; developing, designing, conducting, analyzing, and implementing research using data science knowledge and prior knowledge of requested statistical packages; managing and manipulating data using requested packages, such as STATA, Python, R, or MATLAB; ensuring compliance with department, University, and federal regulations; taking complex research ideas, concepts, and methodologies and applying them to new projects and situations; building trust and collaboration by being present on-site and engaging directly with colleagues and various constituents; and being responsible for other duties as assigned. Basic qualifications include a bachelor's degree with a GPA above 3.5. Additional qualifications and skills include proven evidence of independent research in a specific advanced field of study, evidence of prior high-quality, original academic writing, and background in analysis and interpretation of relevant data, research, news, and literature. The candidate must have extremely high standards in terms of quality of work, attention to detail, strong organization skills, and absolute commitment to task completion. It is helpful if the candidate is familiar with navigating a complex organization, such as Harvard Business School. This position is approved for a 1-year term (with possibility of renewal/extension) starting summer 2027 through June 30, 2028, with an expectation of reappointment until June 30, 2028, based on funding and performance. All Predoctoral Research Associate roles at HBS are structured as one-year term appointments, but faculty strongly prefer candidates willing to commit for two years. The recruiting process starts now and continues into 2027 with offers typically finalized in the late spring. The recruiting process is rolling. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Candidates with external deadlines should notify the recruiter as soon as possible. This is a hybrid position which we consider to be a combination of remote and onsite work at our Boston, MA based campus. HBS expects all staff to be onsite a minimum of 3 days per week and departments provide onsite coverage Monday – Friday. Specific hours and days onsite will be determined by business needs and are subject to change with appropriate advanced notice. We may conduct candidate interviews virtually (phone and/or via Zoom) and/or in-person for this role. A cover letter is required to be considered for this opportunity. All candidates will be expected to submit a writing sample, transcript, and a code sample to be reviewed by an HBS statistician. Harvard Business School will not offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity.

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