Professors Lawrence Schmidt and Taha Choukhmane are looking for one or more highly skilled and motivated individuals to work as our full-time research assistant for a period of at least one year, ideally two. The appointment will start ideally in June or July 2026, though we are open to earlier and later start dates as well. The job will entail close collaboration at all stages of the research process on new and ongoing empirical projects which utilize large, rich microeconomic datasets to address questions in the fields of asset pricing, household and consumer finance, behavioral economics, macroeconomics, and micro-econometrics. This position offers the opportunity to gain exposure to and training in a broad set of economic research topics and statistical methodologies before pursuing a PhD in economics or finance. The chosen candidate will also gain valuable experience analyzing large and unique datasets (including restricted-use government administrative records on individual incomes and firm operating activity, textual analysis of patents, and proprietary company data), and working with programs such as Stata, R, Python, and GIS. The chosen candidate will also make connections with faculty at several other institutions involved in the research projects, and will have the opportunity to take courses and attend seminars at MIT.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Bachelor’s Degree in Economics or related field (the position may be of interest to those with a background in Statistics, Computer Science, or Engineering), Master’s degree preferred; minimum 2 years’ specialized experience with qualitative data analysis and/or research methods, social sciences (which may include experience gained as an undergraduate.; exceptional programming skills and experience, especially in Stata, R, or Python (experience with a low level language such as C or Fortran is also a plus but not a requirement for the position); ability to work independently to solve problems. The position is ideal for students who are planning to pursue a PhD or advanced Master’s program in Economics, Finance or a related field. Visa sponsoring will not be available for this position. Candidates should have authorization to work in the US for the duration of the appointment. Please also indicate in your cover letter whether or not, as of June 30, 2026, you will have been a resident in the US for at least 3 years (this is a requirement for working with Census restricted-use data). The pay range for Technical Associate I is $50,000-$63,000.
Application Instructions
If you are interested, please provide the following documents:
NOTE
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Candidates should have authorization to work in the US for the duration of the appointment.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. MIT’s full policy on Nondiscrimination can be found here
Background Check Policy
Employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background check, including possible verification of any findings of misconduct (or pending investigations) from prior employers.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as rapid system prototyping and demonstration. These efforts are aligned within key mission areas. The Laboratory works with industry to transition new concepts and technology for system development and deployment.
