Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

Position Overview

MIT FutureTech is seeking to hire 3 Post-Doctoral Associates starting in 2026 for 1-3 years (one-year appointment positions are only available to applicants who have secured a subsequent appointment as an assistant professor, research scientist, or research economist).
This Postdoctoral Associate position will be appointed at MIT FutureTech, in the Sloan School of Management’s Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE) and pursue research on topics related to AI progress, The Effect of AI on Science, The Future of Work and the Labor Market Effects of AI and ICT, and The Impact of AI on Market Structure and Industry and Firm Performance.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

Research
Perform Academic research in the following areas:
AI Progress and Timelines
This area studies the pace of AI development and future trajectories. Work includes measuring scaling laws, analyzing constraints (hardware, data, energy, talent), and modeling economic, regulatory, and geopolitical drivers. The goal is to clarify realistic timelines, identify uncertainties, and inform strategic decisions for AI preparedness and governance.

AI and Science
AI is transforming fields like drug discovery, materials, and weather prediction. This project examines how AI reshapes the R&D production function, accelerates scientific progress, and impacts economic growth. It also explores implications for researchers, firms, and policy.

Future of Work
Research here focuses on how AI and ICT affect labor markets: who benefits, who is displaced, and how tasks and jobs are complemented or substituted. Using firm-worker data, task-level datasets, and surveys, we study how AI adoption changes wages, job structures, and overall labor demand. Examples: Beyond AI Exposure; Expertise.

Market Structure and Firm Performance
This area investigates how AI adoption influences firm productivity, competition, and market concentration. We develop measures of industry AI exposure and collect firm-level data to analyze impacts on performance, market share, and aggregate productivity. Example: IT and RTS.

Analysis and Reporting
Contributes to and supports grant proposals and other research writing
Develops methods for collecting project data and ensures tracking of key program/project metrics.
Tracks and analyzes program/project data and provides recommendations
Prepare and oversee the preparation of program documentation and reports

Project Planning
Assists in developing project plans for FT
Develops methods for tracking progress and key metrics
Analyzes data on progress to suggest next steps and resolve issues

Talent Management
Assists in FT talent acquisition and recruiting efforts
Reviews job expectations, focused on meeting specific standards or targets with program staff
Ensures key research guidelines and initiatives are met
Ensures staff issues are elevated to the Project Manager and/or Director
Provides feedback to employees and training, helps them to meet research goals

Other duties as needed or required.

Supervision Received
Reports to the Director of Futuretech
Works under general oversight with direction on non-routine issues

Supervision Exercised
May guide the work of internal and external research staff and writers
May provide coaching and on-the-job training to junior research staff

Qualifications & Skills
Minimum Required Education and Experience:
PhD or equivalent in economics or related field
Demonstrated expertise in computing / AI
Strong data analysis skills, including statistical/econometric training
Knowledge of relevant theoretical models
Proficiency with a modern programming language, e.g., Python, R
Solid English communication skills (verbal and written)
Desire and skill (e.g. organizational abilities) to work in teams


Preferred Education and Experience:
Research paper and grant writing experience.
Experience in working with U.S. census data would be a plus
Prior experience in research project management, academic, or technology-oriented environment


One-year term based on research grant funding.
Work is primarily on-site in the lab.

To comply with regulations by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the principal duties in position descriptions must be essential to the job. To identify essential functions, focus on the purpose and the result of the duties rather than the manner in which they are performed. The following definition applies: a job function is essential if the removal of that function would fundamentally change the job.

Provided as background: About MIT FutureTech

MIT FutureTech is an interdisciplinary group of computer scientists, engineers, and economists who study the foundations of progress in computing and Artificial Intelligence: the trends, implications, opportunities, and risks. Economic and social change is underpinned by advances in computing: for instance, improvements in the miniaturization of integrated circuits, the discovery and refinement of algorithms, and the development and diffusion of better software systems and processes. We aim to identify and understand the trends in computing that create opportunities or risks and help leaders in computing, scientific funding bodies, and government to respond appropriately.

Our research, therefore helps to answer important questions, including: Will AI progress accelerate or decline – and should it? What are the bottlenecks to growth from AI, and how can they be solved? What are the risks from AI, and how can we mitigate them?

To support our research, we run seminars and conferences to better connect the field of computer scientists, economists, and innovation scholars to build a thriving global research community.

To disseminate it, we advise governments, nonprofits and industry, including via National Academies panels on transformational technologies and scientific reliability, the Council on Competitiveness’ National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers, and the National Science Foundation’s National Network for Critical Technology Assessment.
Our work has been funded by Open Philanthropy, the National Science Foundation, Microsoft, Accenture, IBM, the MIT-Air Force AI accelerator, and the MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

You will be working with Dr. Neil Thompson, the Director of MIT FutureTech. Prior to starting FutureTech, Dr. Thompson was a professor of Innovation and Strategy at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His PhD is in Business & Public Policy from Berkeley. He also holds Master’s degrees in: Computer Science (Berkeley), Economics (London School of Economics), and Statistics (Berkeley). Prior to joining academia, Dr. Thompson was a management consultant with Bain & Company, and worked for the Canadian Government and the United Nations.