University of Warwick

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Department of Economics is looking to appoint two Research Fellows with a strong background in applied microeconomics to collaborate with Professor Sonia Bhalotra on research in relation to an ERC research program on violence against women. The successful candidate(s) are invited to generate new ideas that fit within the frame or that are broadly related.

Full time, fixed term contract, ideally to start by 1 April 2024 with some flexibility in start date and duration. The expected duration is 2-years subject to performance-based probation, and there may be a possibility to extend it further.

The positions are research intensive. There is no teaching requirement and only occasional and small administrative tasks related to data access or project reporting for instance. The candidate will be invited to participate actively in department seminars and research group reading groups and research away days. They will benefit from and contribute to the broader research environment which, in Warwick, is one of the best in the country (and internationally).

The posts are funded by the ERC. Project summary: Violence against women (VAW) is both a cause of and a manifestation of gender inequality. It generates significant constraints on women’s lives, with spillovers for society, the economy and the next generation. The project will investigate institutional designs that encourage women to report VAW and that deliver justice on VAW; the role of information and support in inducing behavioural change among men and women; the likely value of policies addressing proximate causes; and the potential of women’s political mobilisation. It will use natural experiments, analysed with administrative data, and field and lab experiments. The project addresses issues on the frontier of economics research, including inequality, productivity, institutional design, political economy, and legislative reform.

We will consider applications for employment on a part-time or other flexible working basis, even where a position is advertised as full-time, unless there are operational or other objective reasons why it is not possible to do so.

Candidates are expected to hold a PhD in Economics or Data Science. The ideal candidate will have a background in applied microeconomics, be ambitious, organized, able to work independently, but also with a collaborative team spirit. Applicants with training in labour economics, contemporary quasi-experimental research designs and/or structural estimation, and with experience working with large register data sets and collecting data from public agencies, web scraping and/or running field and/or lab experiments are particularly encouraged to apply. Knowledge of Stata and programming skills in Matlab, Python, or a similar software at advanced level is a plus; as is knowledge of numerical methods for solving and estimating dynamic models. An understanding of equal opportunity issues as they may impact on areas of research content.

If you are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD but have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant at the top of level 5 of the University grade structure (£32,411). Upon receipt of evidence of the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure (£33,348).

To enquire about the positions, please email: Professor Sonia Bhalotra, sonia.bhalotra@warwick.ac.uk.

Please note that there is a two-stage application process as follows:

1. Apply through EconJobMarket.org. To receive full consideration, this application should be submitted by 5 December 2023 (midnight GMT). Please submit a cover letter, a CV, two research papers and three letters of reference.

Complete a Warwick University application form. This is a short form and should not take more than 5 minutes to complete. Please do not include research papers, your CV or academic references with this application. To access the Warwick application, please visit the University’s online recruitment system by clicking on this link: https://warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-1/brand-4/user-11595/xf-287774c8e052/candidate/so/pm/1/pl/3/opp/593-Research-Fellow-x2-107168-1123/en-GB

The interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed. Interviews may be held in two stages. Candidates that proceed to the second round will receive a brief assignment to complete and return within two weeks.