Development Innovation Lab

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Weiss Fund Fellowship provides supplementary financial support for exceptional job market PhD candidates accepting positions in Weiss Fund-eligible countries and doing work aligned with the Weiss Fund's mission and objectives. The Fellowship award will be offered for a maximum of three years, with annual extensions based on performance evaluations at the end of every year.

Applicants are encouraged to seek and apply early to positions in Weiss-eligible countries, as receiving an offer from such a position is a core eligibility requirement. However, candidates do not need to have secured such a position at the time of application, and we encourage potential applicants with eligible jobs to apply for this fellowship as soon as possible. The fellowship is intended to support candidates for whom it is marginal to the decision to take a position in a Weiss-eligible country, that is, candidates weighing such a position against a competing option elsewhere.

Eligibility

Fellowships are awarded through a competitive selection process, with a limited number of offers. Applicants must be graduating from globally leading universities and fall into one of the following two categories:

Track 1: Assistant Professor Positions

Applicants with Assistant Professor position offers at an academic institution in a Weiss-eligible country. These are countries with a per capita GDP below $13,750 in current USD, with a preference for countries with a per capita GDP below $6,875.

Track 2: Postdoctoral or Equivalent Research Positions

Applicants who have an affiliation with a globally leading university (e.g. a postdoctoral fellowship or an equivalent academic research position) but who would be based in a country eligible for the Weiss Fund will also be considered. They would be expected to spend at least 65% of their time in Weiss-eligible countries. Applicants in this second track will submit a research statement covering project(s) they will pursue further during the fellowship. These proposals must align with the goals of the Weiss Fund. These applicants would be required to make themselves part of a research community in the countries or region where they're based. That could be by securing an affiliation at a university or another development-oriented institution in a research capacity (e.g. a World Bank country office or an office of an organization such as IPA).

We are looking for strong candidates who:
Are currently on the job market for a role starting 2027-28.
Have completed a PhD in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Resource Economics, Public Policy or a closely-related field by July 1, 2027. Applicants who completed their PhD prior to 2025 are not eligible to apply.
Will be based in a Weiss-eligible developing country with no other employment for the duration of the fellowship.
Will be conducting research that meets the eligibility criteria for support from the Weiss Fund.

Fellowship Benefits

The fellowship will provide $20,000 per year to supplement the Fellow's salary and $20,000 per year to cover research expenses aligned with the goals of the Weiss Fund and/or visits to globally leading economics departments.Applicants in category two (e.g. postdocs) could request flexibility between the funding categories.

For all recipients, the subsidy would be phased out with a marginal tax rate of 50% of the base salary over $40,000, and thus would fully phase out for those earning $80,000 or more. This calculation will not include in-kind benefits or amenities that may be part of your offer. More details will be shared at a later stage. Successful candidates will be eligible to apply to the Weiss Fund’s calls for proposals.

Selection Criteria

The Committee will select based on the following criteria:
Candidates will be selected to maximize the impact on useful research in development economics.
A key factor for selecting among applicants will be the strength of the applicant's research, but all else equal, the fellowship will have a preference for applicants taking assistant professor positions.

The committee will consider the likely long-run impact on the applicant's research trajectory.

Candidates will be expected to focus their research on development economics.

Candidates will be asked about their job market options, including competing offers, flyouts, and interviews. The fellowship is intended to support candidates for whom it is marginal to the decision to take a position in a Weiss-eligible country, that is, candidates weighing such a position against a competing option elsewhere. The subcommittee will give weight to these outside options, alongside research quality and fit, in making awards.

Duration

The award will be for three years, with annual renewals conditional on satisfactory performance, which will include complying with fellowship conditions (e.g. spending the majority of time in Weiss-eligible countries, evidence of participation in a research community in the region) and satisfactory progress on research, as judged by criteria such as securing funding for research, submitting pre-analysis plans, completing fieldwork, submitting papers, and moving papers through the publication process.

Required Materials

A current CV
Three letters of reference
Information on all interviews, flyouts, and offers, including Weiss-eligible positions applied to or under consideration
Research statement (no more than 3 pages)
Job market paper

Timeline

The review of applications will continue on an ongoing basis until the search is closed.

Questions?

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions at weissfund@uchicago.edu.