Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks an Economist to serve as a Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Fellow for a two (2) year, fixed term, renewable appointment in its Poverty Health and Nutrition Division (PHND). This position is based at IFPRI headquarters located in Washington, D.C., but would involve travel to any of the countries in which IFPRI carries out its research. Please note that Postdoctoral Fellow appointments at IFPRI have a maximum term of three (3) years, inclusive of any approved appointment extensions. PHND’s dynamic research programs combine state-of-the-art empirical work, partnerships with developed and developing country researchers, and policy dialogue with senior government officials. The successful candidate will primarily work with our team researching the impact of social protection/welfare programs that have a strong emphasis on human capital formation. In addition, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to explore potential work on other research programs within the Division and Institute such as our work on gender, our research on the linkages between agriculture, health and nutrition, and our work on large scale maternal and child health and nutrition programs.
Essential Duties:
Specific duties include but are not limited to:
- Help design, implement and analyze individual, household and community surveys.
- Help design survey instruments and train field workers and developing-country collaborators.
- Conduct innovative research and write analytical papers based on the household surveys and communicate these results to diverse audiences.
Required Qualifications:
- Applicants must have a PhD in Economics or Agricultural Economics by July 1, 2011
- Excellent econometrics skills
- Demonstrated knowledge of statistical and econometric techniques used in evaluations (e.g., randomized assignment, matching, regression discontinuity, etc.) and panel data
- Fluency in English and at least one other language (preferably French or Spanish)
- Outstanding ability to perform thoughtful, critical analysis of own as well as existing research
- Experience in using household survey data for econometric and statistical analyses
- Demonstrated capacity to produce quality research, including research suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals
- Ability to work with researchers from other social and biological sciences
- Knowledge of and experience in analyzing poverty and poverty-related issues in developing countries
- Willingness to travel and work in developing countries
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working with complex household data sets from developing countries containing data on income, consumption and nutrition
- Familiarity with the literature on human capital formation and evaluations, including gender and intrahousehold factors affecting these outcomes
- Field experience in collecting quantitative household data in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa or South or East Asia
IFPRI is one of the international agricultural research institutes organized under the umbrella of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The mandate of IFPRI is to identify and analyze alternative national and international strategies and policies for meeting world food needs in ways that conserve the natural resource base, with emphasis on low income and on the poorer groups in the countries.
IFPRI offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits. IFPRI is an international and equal opportunity organization and believes that diversity of its staff contributes to excellence. We encourage women and developing country professionals to apply.
TO APPLY:
Internal Candidates: Please send cover letter & resume – via email – to Alma López.
External Candidates: Go to www.ifpri.org . Click on “Careers” and “Research” to link you to Position # 10-175 – POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW/RESEARCH FELLOW. Please complete on-line application, including a complete curriculum vitae and a detailed letter of interest. Also complete section providing 3 references.
For more information on IFPRI, please visit our website at www.ifpri.org. EOE
