Boston University Global Development Policy Center

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) seeks a Post-Doctoral Fellow with a strong background in global development policy, social science and development studies to support research and policy activities under the Program on Women’s Empowerment Research (POWER) within the Human Capital Initiative (HCI).

The aim of the POWER is to advance women’s empowerment in order to improve human well-being in low- and middle-income settings through collaborative research, policy engagement and strategic communications. POWER was founded in 2020 and over the last three years, has conducted rigorous, interdisciplinary research that investigates the causes of women’s empowerment and its consequences on human well-being. To date, the program has established a body of evidence that critically investigates three core domains within the larger empowerment narrative: 1) health and human capital; 2) mobility and access and 3) sustainable social and economic empowerment.

POWER is seeking a Post-doctoral Fellow with a background and expertise in development economics, global studies or public policy, global health, demography or another discipline related to the quantitative social and behavioral sciences with a focus one or more of the POWER program’s core domains. The Post-doctoral Fellow will have significant interest and expertise (in research, policy and practice) on issues related to gender, women’s empowerment and well-being.

The Post-doctoral Fellow is expected to: lead and oversee ongoing POWER research and policy efforts; develop, plan, and execute new research projects (e.g. randomized controlled trials, impact evaluations mixed methods research) in collaboration with the POWER team and our global partners; support activities that relate to the dissemination of research findings and policy engagement with stakeholders and constituents where POWER projects are conducted and pursue independent projects in one or more of the priority areas of POWER.

Required Qualifications:

A completed doctoral degree, along with post-doctoral experience. The GDP Center will accept applications from all disciplines but is particularly seeking a candidate with a strong development studies background and associated expertise in economics, public policy, global health (with a focus on maternal and child health or reproductive health), demography or another quantitative social or behavioral science. Interdisciplinary research expertise across these and other related disciplines is particularly welcome.

Demonstrated expertise in analytic and quantitative skills (particularly in advanced statistics, econometrics, machine learning, inference etc.).

Experience with methods of causal inference and impact evaluation (both analytic and the implementation of programs and interventions).

Advanced programming expertise in Stata, R and/or Python.

Expertise in LaTeX and related document processing systems.

Well-versed with ongoing policy discussions and global debates in gender, women’s empowerment, human capital, and economic development, with particular knowledge and expertise on these issues in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

A strong track record of thought leadership and policy engagement on issues related to women’s empowerment, including engagement with collaborators based in the global south, and experience with research and program management in these contexts.

A strong research interest and proven track record in the POWER focus areas, including a firm grasp of policy discussions and debates.

Strongly Desirable:

A track record in qualitative and mixed methods.

Experience with qualitative analysis software (NVivo, Atlas.ti, etc.).

Expertise with spatial analysis and related tools (e.g. ArcGIS, QGIS).

Prior fieldwork experience and experience with overseeing field surveys, data collection, field team management, etc.

Experience with electronic survey data collection (CommCare, ODK, CSPro).

Research or professional experience in working in sub-Saharan Africa and/or South Asia.

Professional knowledge of French and/or other languages.

How to apply: Please send a cover letter and CV to mmvp@bu.edu with the subject line First Name Last Name_HCI Post-Doctoral Fellow.