Department: Kellogg GPRL
Salary/Grade: EXS/5
Job Summary:
The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) at Northwestern University is hiring several full-time Research Analysts for a two-year term appointment based in Evanston, Illinois (Chicago area). Research Analysts will support a diverse portfolio of applied research projects, including panel survey data collection and analysis, research methods studies, randomized controlled trials, and meta-analyses in areas such as mental health and social protection.
Research Analysts gain hands-on experience managing and analyzing data from multiple sources, contributing to research design discussions, and supporting project management across collaborative research teams. Research Analysts work in an open, collaborative lab environment at Northwestern University and regularly interact with economics faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from the Kellogg School of Management and the Department of Economics, as well as research staff at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA).
Specific Responsibilities:
• Manage, clean, and analyze data from surveys, administrative sources, and experiments • Support the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials and methodological studies • Contribute to meta-analyses and evidence synthesis projects • Assist with project management, documentation, and coordination with external partners • Participate in research meetings and collaborate with faculty, students, and research staff
About the Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL)
The Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) is a research center based at Northwestern University that accelerates poverty reduction by generating frontier research and creating public goods-such as data, methods, and evidence syntheses-that enable others to design, test, and translate evidence into action. GPRL's work spans four core pillars:
Frontier Research: Conduct cutting-edge research in development economics, including themes of mental health, agriculture, social protection, and renewable energy; co-create and maintain long-run panels with local universities, governments, and civil society that enable longer-term insights and support layered randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Advance Research Methods: Develop and test improved approaches to measurement and learning, including questionnaire design, enumerator recruitment, and rapid-cycle experiments (e.g., A/B, factorial, and micro-randomized) that implementers can run using their own administrative data to tune delivery models, incentives, and other protocols.
Aggregate Global Evidence: Building semi-automated pipelines and AI-assisted workflows to compile and structure scattered evidence from RCTs into living knowledge bases and run rigorous meta-analyses; deliver insights via evidence syntheses, interactive dashboards, and publicly accessible data for donors, investors, and practitioners.
Making Aid More Effective: Turn evidence into ready-to-use decision tools, "smart buys" menus, and ROI/cost-effectiveness frameworks for donors, ministries, multilaterals, impact investors, and social enterprises.
Our Team
GPRL is co-directed by Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry, and Nancy Qian, professors at the Kellogg School of Management and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Department of Economics at Northwestern University. Additional affiliated faculty include Andrew Dillon and Lori Beaman. Research analysts, research managers, and administrative staff support GPRL's investigators while collaborating closely with universities, NGOs, and research institutions worldwide. GPRL also works in close partnership with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) to coordinate field data collection, disseminate evidence, and develop shared training and research resources.
Application Instructions
To be considered, applicants must both:
• Apply through the Northwestern University Careers Site • Complete the supplemental form located here: https://forms.gle/9Jve4ySMzJKBueDY9
Cleaning survey or administrative datasets and preparing them for analysis.
Conducting analysis using advanced statistical and econometric tools and seeking out the resources to learn new analytical techniques as needed.
Assisting research manager with project development and dissemination tasks such as:
Planning and executing project scoping activities, including procuring publicly available data and communicating with potential research collaborators.
Developing analysis plans that detail the statistical and analytical techniques to be used to answer the study's research questions.
Submitting applications and modifications to the Institutional Review Board.
Cultivating a relationship with implementing partners, including extensive non-technical communication about study design.
Supporting research design tasks like power calculations, sampling, and randomization.
Assisting in writing grant proposals and reports.
Supporting the development of presentations to communicate study results to academic and lay audiences.
Presenting analysis to investigators, including communicating proactively and setting meeting agendas to facilitate productive discussions.
Incorporating feedback into subsequent analysis.
Conducting literature reviews for analysis plans, working papers, and grant proposals, using an organized approach that takes account of results, analytical methods, and intervention design.
Supporting data collection and process monitoring by:
Supporting questionnaire design through reviews of similar surveys;
Programming survey instruments in SurveyCTO or Qualtrics.
Running high-frequency data quality checks and communicating findings to aid conversations with partners.
Working with implementing/research partners to monitor their programs, including developing monitoring tools.
Preparing tables and figures with empirical results for publication, along with data replication packages.
Assisting with paper revisions for peer-reviewed journal submissions.
Contributing to Lab-management activities such as:
Participating in lab interviews for other Research Analysts, including reviewing completed coding tests performed by prospective candidates.
Mentoring new analysts and leading training sessions during onboarding on topics like Advanced Stata and Project Management.
Supporting logistics at Lab-hosted events.
Participating on teams that produce research resources for the Lab.
Supervising undergraduate research analysts as needed, including mentoring, managing workload, allocating tasks, and proactively communicating expectations.
Miscellaneous
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelors or higher degree in economics or another quantitative major
Minimum Competencies:
Strong programming skills in Stata and/or R combined with the willingness to learn other statistical software
Strong quantitative skills (coursework in econometrics and statistics)
Familiarity with randomized controlled trials
Excellent organizational skills
Fluency and excellent communication skills in English
Ability to seek resources and self-teach new statistical, analytical, and programming techniques
Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently
Preferred Qualifications:
An enthusiasm for empirical research
Experiences living or working in a developing country
Preferred Competencies:
Experience with reproducible research workflows, version control (GitHub), and modern documentation tools (Quarto, R Markdown)
Familiarity with meta-analytic methods or systematic review approaches
Demonstrated ability to build data quality assurance systems and manage collaborative data projects
Experience using advanced data infrastructure such as relational databases, API connections, and cloud computing
Familiarity working with a variety of machine learning models
Familiarity with other statistical, visualization, or digital data collection software like ArcGIS/Python/SurveyCTO
The expected pay for this position is $58,500 annually, in alignment with departmental equity and market data.
Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts, and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.
Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.
Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.