Postdoctoral Scholar, Evans School Policy Analysis and Research Group (EPAR)

Position Overview

School / Campus / College: Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Organization: Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Title: Postdoctoral Scholar, Evans School Policy Analysis and Research Group (EPAR)

Position Details

Position Description

The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, at the University of Washington, invites applications for a non-tenure position as a Postdoctoral Scholar. This is a full-time, twelve-month position with a possible extension dependent upon available funding and satisfactory performance in the role.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will work for the Evans School Policy Analysis and Research Group (EPAR) at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance. EPAR conducts rigorous interdisciplinary research on a range of topics related to agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, including digital financial services and other ICTs, small-scale producers, gender, health and nutrition, climate, markets, and development policy and finance. EPAR research streams focus on data and measurement, and we use statistical, spatial, and other analytics and promote open-access tools and programming. For more information about EPAR, please see: https://evans.uw.edu/policy-impact/epar

The Postdoctoral Scholar will provide support on several current contracts that involve constructing agricultural indicators, evaluating investments associated with agricultural transformation, and small scale producer climate adaptation. Priority skills are proficiency with Stata and spatial mapping, and familiarity with the LSMS-ISA and other agricultural and spatial data, and experience with experimental, quasi-experimental evaluation, mixed-methods and process evaluation.

This position may include preparing confidential reports for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, public research briefs and literature reviews, public coding syntax files, and peer-reviewed journal articles. Support for presenting at conferences is available, and supporting EPAR’s efforts to move technical reports to publication is a part of the position, though the range of expected activities is broader. The Postdoctoral Scholar will be expected to provide support and mentoring across a team of graduate students on other EPAR projects, and also pursue publication of EPAR research in reputable peer-reviewed journals.

Specific daily activities might include:

• Curating and analyzing panel socio-economic survey data
• Drafting and collaborating on manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and reports
• Preparing and delivering presentations at academic conferences and stakeholder workshops
• Developing conceptual frameworks and assisting with literature reviews
• Retrieving and conducting text analysis and topic modeling on large sets of regulatory filings, grant documents, and government regulatory and policy documents
• Collaborating with and mentoring graduate student researchers on research and analysis

Postdoctoral scholars are represented by UAW 4121 and are subject to the collective bargaining agreement, unless agreed exclusion criteria apply. For more information, please visit the University of Washington Labor Relations website.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in development, IO, agricultural economics or equivalent. Candidates should be no more than five years removed from completing doctoral level training. Doctoral level training must be completed by June 2020.
• Excellent writing, research, and analysis skills
• Good organizational and project management skills
• Strong statistical/econometric skills
• Experience with Stata and spatial mapping software
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work independently and on research teams
• Interest in rural economies in developing countries
• Some experience with text analysis (e.g., text mining, natural language processing, topic modeling) would be a plus

Training in economics is desirable, particularly if paired with other evaluation, data science and spatial training and experience programming in R, Stata, Python, and other languages. Other quantitative social scientists are also invited to apply, particularly with a background in agriculture and statistics. Candidates whose backgrounds or experience have provided them with current contextual knowledge of agriculture in Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia and/or India are particularly encouraged to apply.

Instructions

Initial review will begin April 15, 2020 and continue until the position is successfully filled. To be considered for this position, please submit the following materials:

1. Cover letter briefly describing your interest in the EPAR Postdoctoral Scholar position, your qualifications for the position, and your professional development goals.
2. Current resume or CV.
3. Three names and contact information for references. At least one reference must be an academic reference from your doctoral dissertation committee. Letters of reference will be requested for short-listed candidates.
4. A recent sole-authored writing sample.
5. Copies of transcripts and/ or proof of academic good standing (transcript of highest degree conferred; proof of academic good standing on official letterhead and signed by graduate program director, advisor, or equivalent).
6. Copies of official GRE score documents if those are not included on your transcript.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All
qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information,
gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status.