Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER)
The University of Essex is one of the leading universities in Europe for social science research, located 60 miles northeast of London. It is in the top 5 in the UK for social science, and the economics department is ranked 5th among all UK economics departments for research excellence (REF 2014). The Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) is a flagship department within the University, internationally recognised as a centre of excellence and expertise in quantitative social science and research methodologies.
ISER houses the ESRC-funded Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC). Since its inception in 1989, MiSoC has pursued a world-leading, multidisciplinary and quantitative research agenda to understand the interaction of changing circumstances at the macro-level with behaviour and values at the individual and family level. Our 2019-2024 programme continues this tradition with a novel research agenda that focuses on specific questions raised by technological change, new demographic patterns, and shifting policy priorities and political constraints, with special attention now placed on the social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our research is critical to understanding social mobility and the social distribution of life chances through the analysis of inter-generational transmission from parents to children within the family, the evolution of human and social capital over the life course, and the processes that generate and entrench social inequalities.
Duties of the Role
ISER is seeking appointment to two posts which will contribute to the MiSoC research programme working mainly under the direction of Professor Birgitta Rabe and/or other senior researchers on applied topics in labour economics, education and/or health.
The persons appointed will help to produce research outputs for publication. Specifically, the persons appointed will help scope literature, prepare data and conduct quantitative analysis on specific topics as directed by Professor Rabe and/or other senior researchers. Depending on the individual contribution they may have the opportunity to co-author papers and contribute to the development of the MiSoC research agenda.
A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found within the respective job packs.
Qualifications and Skills required
Applicants should hold a Masters (Grade 7 – Research Officer) or PhD or be close to completion (Grade 8 – Senior Research Officer) in either Economics or Data Science and have a strong background in applied economics, causal analysis and/or quantitative analysis. They should be proficient in a range of advanced econometric methods and have demonstrable experience of managing complex data sets and programming in Stata, R or similar software packages.
Appointments will be made at Grade 7 or Grade 8 and will depend on the candidates’ qualifications and experience. Please state clearly on your application the level for which you are applying.
These posts are fully funded by MiSoC for 12 months ending by 30 September 2024, the end of the current grant. These are research positions and there are no teaching duties associated with these posts.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives. For more information see: https://www.essex.ac.uk/life/student-facilities/religion-and-faith
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification, which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please email the Resourcing Team (resourcing@essex.ac.uk).
*More information: Working at the University
