JOE Listings (Job Openings for Economists)

August 1, 2021 - January 31, 2022

Harvard University

This listing is inactive.
Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard
Postdoctoral Fellow

JOE ID Number: 2021-02_111468497
Date Posted: 11/24/2021
Date Inactive: 12/23/2021
Position Title/Short Description
Title: Postdoctoral Fellow
Section: US: Other Academic (Visiting or Temporary)
Location: Allston, Massachusetts, UNITED STATES
JEL Classifications:
C9 -- Design of Experiments
O3 -- Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
C -- Mathematical and Quantitative Methods
Keywords:
Open Innovation
Online Platforms
Economics and Management of AI
Science of Science

Status Update: Listing Removed - Posted in Error
Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard University (LISH) is accepting applications for multiple postdoctoral fellowships in economics. Candidates with a background in applied work with observational data establishing casual relationships, or experimental design in the lab or field settings would be well-suited.

LISH is a Harvard-wide research program led by faculty co-directors Karim Lakhani and Marco Iansiti of Harvard Business School; Eva Guinan, Harvard Medical School; and David Parkes, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. We focus on developing a science of innovation primarily through field-based experiments. The lab works with several partners (NASA, Harvard Medical School, and various other institutions and corporations) to investigate real-world innovation problems.

Multiple positions available. Fellows will focus on one of three areas: online platforms and contests, science of science, or the economics and management of AI systems. The online platforms and contests area addresses issues relating to open innovation that occurs now through online platforms such as Kaggle, Freelancer, Topcoder, etc., and has occurred historically with the Longitude Prize and X-Prize competitions. Past projects have examined how different kinds of incentives and different competition rules change contributor behavior and outcomes. The science of science area focuses on innovation in academia. Past projects have addressed the functioning of grant evaluation procedures, the information content of citations, and the management practices of research labs. The economics and management of AI systems area examines the effects of the introduction of AI systems into enterprises. Projects have looked at AI applicability to supply chain logistics through field experiments and AI adoption using survey data.

A typical empirical project involves refining a research question, designing an experiment or survey, analyzing historical and experimental data, and writing targeted at peer reviewed social science journals. Candidates should have some familiarity with:
• Experimental design: treatment selection, power analysis;
• Game theoretic modeling of behavior;
• Programming/scripting knowledge suitable for processing raw data for analysis (e.g., text manipulation);
• One or more computational environments for statistical analysis (e.g., MATLAB, R, or Stata).

LISH is looking for candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or new perspectives. There are no teaching requirements for these open positions.

Application Requirements:
  • Application Instructions Below
  • Letters of Reference Instructions Below
Application deadline: 01/31/2022
Reference Instructions:
Please send contact details of at least two references with your application materials to lish@harvard.edu.
Application Instructions:
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please email the following lish@harvard.edu with subject “Postdoctoral Fellowship (Area of Interest)”. Note the Area of Interest should be either Online Platforms and Contests, Science of Science, or the Economics and Management of AI systems.

• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of academic records (unofficial records are acceptable)
• 2-page description of relevant experience
• Two research papers
• Contact details of at least two references

Candidates may be asked to undergo an assessment as part of the interview process.