Staff Associate I

The Department of Economics at Columbia University invites applications for a full-time Haddad Predoctoral Fellow (Staff Associate I) for the period of January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 to work with the faculty of the Department of Economics at Columbia University. Initial appointments are for one year with renewal for a second year based on satisfactory performance and the availability of funding. The positions will be based at Columbia University in New York City. The predoctoral fellows will work under the direction of faculty members Jose Scheinkman and Harrison Hong. Preference will be given to those who have lived, worked, or studied in Brazil, with a further preference for those who attended Insper. The fellowships will include a variety of tasks that provide preparation for graduate school, such as analyzing data, developing statistical models, creating presentations, and editing research papers. The fellows will interact regularly with professors and their collaborators. The program serves as an ideal bridge between college and graduate school for students interested in economics.

The current research of Prof. Jose Alexandre Scheinkman is aimed at developing and applying quantitative models to assess the potential of mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity in rainforest ecosystems, with particular focus on the Amazon Forest.

The research addresses three fundamental questions:

1. How can deep uncertainties in the impacts of land allocation in rain forests for carbon sequestration and biodiversity be systematically incorporated into policy evaluation frameworks?

2. How can uncertainty quantification improve the assessment of emerging decarbonization technologies in comparison to nature-based solutions?

3. What are the economic costs and benefits for preserving rain forests and what policies can best be employed?

The current research of Prof. Harrison Hong is aimed at modeling, estimating and managing extreme weather risks to the economic growth of nations in the age of climate change.

The research addresses the following questions:

1. What are the returns to adaptation at the country level?

2. Developing countries that stand to benefit the most from climate adaptations often do not have the debt capacity to finance adaptations. How large is their debt overhang problem?

3. Is there scope for debt renegotiation among international creditors, particularly as it frees up the capacity of these countries to spend on adaptations and reduce the displacement of their populations, which often come at a high cost to neighboring countries?

Applicants must have a Bachelor's degree by time of appointment and have strong quantitative and programming skills. Candidates with research experience are strongly preferred, especially those with programming experience in R, Python, and C++. Candidates need not be Economics majors, though they should have a strong interest in and some experience with Economics. Candidates would ideally begin around January 1, 2026 and work for two years before applying to graduate school in Economics or another social science.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.