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Postdoctoral Scholar - Global Policy Lab - Goldman School of Public Policy

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Position description

The Global Policy Lab in the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley is recruiting a full-time, one-year Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee (3252) (with the possibility of a one-year extension). The expected start date is May 2016 and the recruitment will be opened until filled.

The lab is beginning a two year research program bringing data science and econometrics to bear on the empirical measurement of sustainable development at an industrial scale in a real world setting.

Sustainable development is a well-established theoretical concept in environment and resource economics, requiring that a population invest new capital resources at least as rapidly as they are removed or damaged from a system, however it has yet to be determined if this condition is met in any real world scenarios.

Achieving sustainable development requires that we are able to quantitatively monitor economic and environmental conditions and decisions in real time, so that the costs and benefits of management choices can be evaluated as they arise.

Our team will design, develop, and deploy a system to quantify and monitor management decisions at a full-scale mixed agricultural-industrial site in New Zealand. Our findings and innovations will advance our understanding of how sustainable development can be effectively achieved at the firm level, with the goal of similar systems being developed and deployed around the world.

The five member team will be based at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and will be led by Prof. Solomon Hsiang.

The chosen candidate will be responsible for leading the academic research program for the project in coordination with Prof. Solomon Hsiang and the Project Manager. There are substantial opportunities beyond the scope of the central project for the candidate to develop their own research portfolio.

Basic qualification (at time of application): The completion of all PhD degree requirements except the dissertation at the time of application.

Additional qualifications: A PhD or equivalent degree in economics, environmental sciences, statistics, or related field by May, 2016. Candidates will have experience designing research, working collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams, and communicating scientific findings.

Preferred qualifications:
Expert in a statistical programming platform (e.g. Matlab, Stata, R, Python) and possess an understanding of techniques for causal inference, along with having excellent communication skills. Ideal candidates will have worked on the analysis of spatial data, experience publishing manuscripts, and fluency or strong knowledge of both environmental economics and earth, environmental, and/or agricultural sciences.

Salary will commensurate with experience and qualification. UC Berkeley offers excellent benefits packages as well as a number of policies and programs in to support employees as they balance work and family).

All interested applicants should apply at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00990. For information about the position or application process, please contact Emily Martinez at emartinez24@berkeley.edu. A complete application will include 1) Your most recently updated CV 2) cover letter 3) 2 writing samples and 4) 3 letters of recommendation.

All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

Application Requirements

Document requirements
  • Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.

  • Cover Letter

  • Writing Sample

  • Writing Sample

Reference requirements
  • 3 letters of reference required

Job location

Berkeley, CA