Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Fellow

The International Food Policy Research Institute - IFPRI
Washington, DC - United States
S: Competitive

Job Summary:

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks two (2) economists to serve as Postdoctoral/Research Fellows in its Poverty Health and Nutrition Division (PHND). The Postdoctoral/Research Fellow(s) will conduct research in applied microeconomics and impact evaluation. Each position is two-year fixed term, exempt, renewable appointment. Please note that Postdoctoral Fellow appointments at IFPRI have a maximum term of three (3) years, inclusive of any approved appointment extensions. Both positions are based at IFPRI headquarters located in Washington, D.C.

PHND's dynamic research programs combine state-of-the-art empirical work, partnerships with developed and developing country researchers and policy dialogue with senior government officials and civil society organizations. Successful candidates will join our research teams contributing to research programs on social protection, on the interface between agriculture, health and nutrition, and on gender. Successful candidates will also have the opportunity to explore work on other research programs within the Division and Institute such as our work on large scale maternal and child health and nutrition programs.

Essential Duties:

Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Conduct innovative research and write analytical papers based in part on impact evaluations related to the Division's research programs and communicate these results to diverse audiences.
• Help design, implement and analyze individual, household and community surveys as part of the Division's impact evaluations.
• Help design survey instruments and train field workers and developing-country collaborators.
• Publish papers in peer-reviewed journals

Required Qualifications:

• Applicants considered for Postdoctoral Fellows must have a PhD in Economics or Agricultural Economics as of July 1, 2013
• Excellent econometric skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of statistical and econometric techniques used in impact evaluations (e.g., randomized assignment, matching, regression discontinuity, etc.) and panel data analysis
• Fluency in English
• Experience in using household survey data for econometric and statistical analyses
• Demonstrated capacity to produce quality research, including research suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Ability to work with researchers from other social and biological sciences
• Knowledge of and experience in analyzing poverty and poverty-related issues in developing countries
• Willingness to travel and work in developing countries

Additional qualifications at the Research Fellow Level:

• 3+ years of post-PhD experience relevant to the job and demonstrated fundraising experience
• Excellent publication record in peer-reviewed journals
• Major external recognition within peer professional network due to publications and other leaderships activities
• Demonstrated leadership skills and strong experience building and managing teams
• Demonstrated leadership in developing global research programs for policy recommendations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with complex household data sets from developing countries containing data on income, consumption, assets, health and nutrition
• Familiarity with the literature on human capital formation and evaluations, including gender and intrahousehold factors affecting these outcomes
• Field experience in collecting quantitative household data in developing countries
• Fluency in French is preferred.

Job summary