Columbia Business School is seeking to hire a Staff Associate of research for the Decision, Risk, and Operations (DRO) Division. The work will include quantitative and qualitative research and analysis involving the collection, coordination, and management of information and data; development and implementation of computer models and simulations; preparation of research materials (figures, presentations, papers, etc.); and contributions to special projects in relevant areas of the division’s research. This position provides an opportunity to gain experience in academic business research, with a special focus on fields such as operations research, operations management, statistics, and economics; and it would be ideal preparation for a PhD program or other graduate study.
Project specifics:
The staff associate will support research related to digital platforms and marketplaces, spatial and urban economics, the design of randomized experiments, and the economic and societal impacts of AI and AI-assisted decision-making.
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Economics or Finance or in a quantitative discipline such as Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, etc.
- Proficiency in Python and/or R for data analysis, scripting, and reproducible research workflows
- Strong communication and collaboration skills
- Basic knowledge of statistics and causal inference, including experimental design, regression modeling, and identification strategies
- Experience with linear regression
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with web development technologies (e.g., JavaScript, HTML/CSS), especially for building browser-based research tools or experimental interfaces
- Familiarity with platforms for deploying online experiments (e.g., Empirica, oTree, jsPsych), including use with participant recruitment platforms such as Prolific
- Experience with web scraping and building structured datasets from online sources
- Ability to write efficient, scalable code and optimize algorithms for large datasets
- Experience working with foundation model APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) and/or deploying and using open-source LLMs locally (e.g., LLaMA, Mistral)
Application deadline: May 15, 2025
Anticipated start date: August 1, 2025