Postdoctoral Position in Applied Economics

Institution: Charles University
Position: Postdoc
Deadline: 17 January 2023

The Department of Economics at the Faculty of Law, Charles University in Prague is seeking candidates for a three-year position at the post-doctoral level, starting Spring 2023. English is the only language required.

The selected candidate will primarily work on the EQUALSTRENGTH research project under the supervision of Dr. Josef Montag and closely collaborate with Prof. Valentina di Stasio (Utrecht). The project will investigate structural ethnic discrimination from a comparative, cumulative, and intersectional perspective using correspondence and survey experiments.

The position is funded primarily by a Horizon Europe grant and is embedded within a research consortium led by the University College Dublin (PI: Professor Mathew J. Creighton). The consortium brings together scholars from a broad range of social sciences (economics, sociology, demography, social psychology, and social policy). Other participating universities and research institutions are Amsterdam, Free University Brussels, Lausanne, Oxford, Utrecht, the Budapest Institute, the German Center for Integration and Migration Research, and the Spanish National Research Council.

Core project-related duties:

• Contributing to the design and implementation of field and survey experiments on ethnic discrimination.
  
• Organizing and coordinating data collection with the members of the consortium.
  
• Co-organizing consortium meetings (e.g., preparatory meetings, dissemination and impact meetings, academic conferences and workshops).
• Writing research papers.
  
• Reporting results at conferences, impact events and dissemination activities, and in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
  
• Assisting with administrative tasks and project management.

Additional duties:

• Teaching at most one class (90 minutes per week) per semester.
  
• Subject to the successful delivery of the project-related research outputs, pursuing own research agenda is welcome and supported (including grant applications).

The Postdoc will be employed in a full-time position. The formal status, according to the Czech university regulations, is Assistant Professor - Postdoc („odborný asistent - postdoktorand“). The contract is for 3 years. After that, the contract may be prolonged further into a tenure-track or tenured contract, subject to positive performance evaluation and funding availability. The salary is approx. EUR 2650 per month. Postdocs are eligible for publication bonuses.

The starting date is April 1, 2023, although this can be accommodated to individual circumstances.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicants must satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• A Ph.D. degree in Economics or other social science with rigorous training in research methods, earned by the beginning of employment, or the candidate must be on track to complete the Ph.D. degree by September 2023.
• Experience with experimental techniques, particularly field/correspondence studies.
• Knowledge of R or Python (or another programming language and a willingness to learn R).

The selection committee will evaluate the candidates based on the following criteria:

• The quality and quantity of the candidate’s research output, taking into account the years of research experience;
• The quality of the presented research agenda;
• Experience with experimental techniques, particularly field/correspondence studies.
• Knowledge of R or Python.
• Independence and responsibility.
• Teamwork and communication skills (the postdoc will work in a larger network of scholars).
• Background related to Law and Economics or Empirical Legal Studies is a plus.
• Motivation in the research project and potential for contribution to the Department and the Faculty.

Application

The applicants should submit the following documents to econjobs@prf.cuni.cz:

1. A brief cover letter describing the candidate’s background and motivation (including any constraints or special requirements)
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. A description of your current research agenda (other than the job market paper).
4. Job market paper.
5. Two letters of recommendation (can be submitted by the applicant or directly by the recommendator to econjobs@prf.cuni.cz)
6. PhD diploma or other proofs of higher education (copies suffice).
7. Application deadline: January 17, 2023. Selected candidates will be interviewed in late January/early February 2023, online. Short-listed candidates will then be invited to discuss their Job Market Paper (online or at our research seminar).

About the department:

Department of Economics at the Faculty of Law, Charles University is located in the historical center of Prague. It focuses on research and teaching in the fields of Law and Economics or Empirical Legal Studies. The members have an international background as well as a publication record.

Beyond the department, there is a larger community of experimental economists in Prague and several relevant seminar series.

Prague is one of the most livable cities with a wide range of free-time options and amenities and cultural opportunities, good public transport, and a somewhat lower cost of living compared to other European capitals.

More info / Apply here