RTI International's Center for Applied Economics and Strategy is accepting applications for the early-careereconomist position at its Research Triangle Park, NC headquarters. This position will initially begin in a virtual setting, but will switch to being located at RTI's facilities in North Carolina when conditions safely allow.

This research analyst position supports a diverse portfolio of economic analyses in the areas of innovation policy, technology development, and entrepreneurship. This position is an excellent opportunity to work with interdisciplinary teams, strengthen quantitative analysis and writing skills, and gain exposure to public policy analysis at the intersection between innovation and social issues through engagement with subject matter experts and clients.

Early-career economists will typically work on multiple project teams concurrently, working closely with senior and mid-level staff to execute a range of analysis, literature review, data collection, qualitative research, and policy assessment tasks that further our objective of delivering sound policy and impact analysis guidance to our clients. In this project environment, excellent time management, communication, and collaboration skills are essential.

Current research topics include technology accelerator programs, basic science portfolios, social impact of advanced technology development programs, global health technologies, and economic development impacts of innovation policies and strategies. Clients include the government agencies, international organizations regional authorities, and private foundations.

Responsibilities

* Assist in the development of technical reports and professional publications by providing qualitative and quantitative research support for staff leading economic and policy analyses

* Review technical and professional literature to identify specific findings, build background knowledge, and inform research design

* Participate in interviews and meetings with subject matter experts, senior executives, and other stakeholders to glean insight into the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and policies

* Collect, clean, merge, and manage datasets using Stata or R and Excel

* Perform cost-benefit analyses or econometric/statistical analyses using Stata or R, under direction of senior or mid-level staff

* Prepare data visualizations, including tables, figures, and charts

* Write sections of reports, presentations, and manuscripts

* Compile meeting notes and manage basic project correspondence

Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in economics, public policy, political science, or related social science or business field

* Pursuit of rigorous undergraduate coursework and study; candidates selected for interview will be asked to submit a writing sample and transcript

* Between 0 and 2 years of work experience following undergraduate degree completion

* Experience with Stata and/or R and Excel

Preferred

* Research and analysis experience via internships or assistantships

* Exposure to Tableau, QGIS, ArcGIS, Python, SQL, and relational databases preferred, but not required

* Knowledge of the economics and policy literature in innovation policy, science policy, technology economics, entrepreneurship, innovation-led regional economic development, and/or cost-benefit analysis

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