Full-Time Research Assistant

The Regents of the University of California is hiring a Full-Time Research Assistant for their Los Angeles Campus, starting in summer 2025. Candidates should be interested in social-science genomics and pursuing a quantitative Ph.D. program. Responsibilities include data analysis, literature reviews, and manuscript drafting. No prior experience is required. The position offers a salary of $68,800/year plus benefits.
Department Summary

Economics professors Dan Benjamin (UCLA), David Cesarini (NYU), Patrick Turley (USC), statistical geneticist Alex Young (UCLA) and their co-authors employ full‐time research assistants at UCLA with start dates during the summer of 2025. We would like to hire students interested in social-science genomics: the identification of genetic variation that is associated with variation in behavior and other social-science-relevant phenotypes. Prior experience is not necessary. Research assistants should have an interest in applying to a quantitative Ph.D. program (e.g., Economics, Statistics, Data Science, Genetics, Sociology) and pursuing an academic research career. The previous research assistants from across Dan Benjamin’s Full-Time Research Assistant positions have gone on (in the last seven years) to top PhD programs in Economics and related disciplines at Harvard (4x), MIT, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Yale (2x), UChicago (2x), UChicago Booth, Columbia (2x), NYU (2x), Wharton, Northwestern, UCSD, UMD, and UCSF.
Position Summary

Economics professors Dan Benjamin (UCLA), David Cesarini (NYU), Patrick Turley (USC), statistical geneticist Alex Young (UCLA) and their co-authors employ full‐time research assistants at UCLA with start dates during the summer of 2025. We would like to hire students interested in social-science genomics: the identification of genetic variation that is associated with variation in behavior and other social-science-relevant phenotypes. Prior experience is not necessary. Research assistants should have an interest in applying to a quantitative Ph.D. program (e.g., Economics, Statistics, Data Science, Genetics, Sociology) and pursuing an academic research career. The previous research assistants from across Dan Benjamin's Full-Time Research Assistant positions have gone on (in the last seven years) to top PhD programs in Economics and related disciplines at Harvard (4x), MIT, MIT Sloan, Stanford, Yale (2x), UChicago (2x), UChicago Booth, Columbia (2x), NYU (2x), Wharton, Northwestern, UCSD, UMD, and UCSF. Current projects include identifying genetic variants with causal effects on educational attainment and many other traits, creating optimal genetic predictors for a range of traits, and developing new statistical methods. For examples of past research, see the "Research" tab at https://www.danieljbenjamin.com/publications. Research assistants are directly involved in the entire research process, including: • Developing new methods to analyze genetic data • Data analysis in R and Python • Background research and literature reviews for paper writing • Drafting sections of manuscripts for publication • Visualizing data for manuscripts and presentations The budget for this position is $68,800/yr + benefits. To apply, please submit the following (required) documents to ssgacrecruit@gmail.com: (1) A cover letter describing your interest in and qualifications for the position (2) your resume (3) your unofficial (or official) transcript (4) a paper you’ve written for a course, a research paper, or other writing sample, and (5) names, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers of 3 references (letters not required)

Salary & Compensation
• UCLA provides a full pay range. Actual salary offers consider factors, including budget, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business considerations. Salary offers at the top of the range are not common. Visit UC Benefit package to discover benefits that start on day one, and UC Total Compensation Estimator to calculate the total compensation value with benefits.
Qualifications
• Knowledge of one or more of R, Python, or STATA (Required)
• Strong work ethic and organizational skills (Required)
• Ability to work independently and with minimal guidance (Required)
• An interest in genoeconomics (Required)
• Strong writing skills (Required)
• Knowledge of Latex (Preferred)
• Experience with Unix commands (Preferred)
• Familiarity with various statistical analyses such as OLS, MLE, and PCA (Preferred)
Education, Licenses, Certifications & Personal Affiliations
• Bachelor's Degree A bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, mathematics, computer science, or genetics. (Required)
Special Conditions for Employment
• Background Check: Continued employment is contingent upon the completion of a satisfactory background investigation.
Schedule

Standard work hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Union/Policy Covered

99-Policy Covered
Complete Position Description

https://universityofcalifornia.marketpayjobs.com/ShowJob.aspx?EntityID=38&jobcode=TBD_1791