Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow/Researcher

About EIT

The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford’s purpose is to have a global impact by fundamentally reimagining the way science and technology translate into end-to-end solutions and delivering these solutions in programmes and platforms that respond to humanity’s most challenging problems.

EIT Oxford will ensure scientific discoveries and pioneering science are turned into products for the benefit of society that can have high-impact worldwide and, over time, be commercialised to ensure long-term sustainability.

Led by a faculty of world experts, EIT Oxford seeks to solve the world’s most challenging problems across four high-risk, high-reward, high-impact humane endeavours: health and medical science; food security and sustainable agriculture; climate change and clean energy; and government innovation in an era of artificial intelligence.

About the Economics Department

The Economics Department at EIT is recruiting a number of outstanding, full-time Predoctoral Research Fellows dedicated to advancing research at the intersection of economics, science and policy. This is an exciting opportunity to join a new and rapidly expanding group, under the leadership of Professor Andrew J.Scott, that will tackle frontier issues in the economics of health, longevity and ageing.

The EIT offers a stimulating research environment that focuses on both fundamental research as well as applied solutions directed at four high-impact humane endeavours – health and medical science, food security and sustainable agriculture, climate change and clean energy; and government innovation in an era of AI.

You will be part of a large and expanding Economics Group with strong links to a world-class AI team with access to large-scale datasets. The research programs offer a range of placements, providing the opportunity to work with a faculty of global academic experts producing research aimed at leading journals or learn how to shape government policies and create successful commercial products.

The group is growing rapidly, and this is a great opportunity to join at the beginning of the establishment of a world-class research centre. You will be part of a cohort of five Post-Doctoral Fellows and five Pre-Doctoral positions. Positions are full-time and of one and two-year duration, potentially renewable for further terms, subject to performance, with the option to rotate across projects.

With the opportunity to mix with leading academics across a range of institutions and participate in the research networks of academics and policymakers operating out of EIT these positions offer a unique track for establishing credentials for leading PhD programs or for providing a springboard for a career in policy or business.

Fellowships will begin around 01 September 2025, with provisions to start earlier.

About the role

The projects cover a range of theoretical and empirical issues with Fellows being allocated depending on their strengths and interests. The projects include:

• Empirical modelling of the links between biology, health, disease and economic outcomes (e.g. labour force participation, earnings, occupational choice, retirement, etc).
• Constructing micro-founded models to evaluate the macroeconomic case for preventative health.
• Empirical and theoretical research on mechanisms for how an ageing society can deliver ‘an economic longevity dividend”.
• Developing effective measures of health using large, novel datasets and identifying key causal factors via quasi-experimental techniques that would deliver effective prevention programs.
• Work on theoretical models evaluating the welfare gains of better health, developing measures to improve the allocation of health resources.
• The economic impact and consequences of vaccines, pathogen protection, preventative health and innovations in geroscience.
• Future research programs will extend to cover the areas of food security, clean energy and effective government.

Why EIT?

EIT offers an exceptional research ecosystem defined by:

• Strong interdisciplinary ethos with access to large teams in AI, biology, policy and medicine.
• Versatile research opportunities that bridge fundamental science with real-world applications.
• An emphasis on rigorous research, to identify novel evidence-backed solutions to pressing global problems.
• The opportunity to work with and learn from global experts and publish high quality academic work as well as learn commercial skills.
• Participate in mission driven networks combining senior academics, policymakers and entrepreneurs to ensure that research feeds into impact.
• Access to world class computing facilities and extensive data.
• A well-resourced environment with competitive salaries and benefits.

Skills required for the role:

• A completed Bachelor’s, or a completed Master’s degree, or equivalent qualifications, with substantial quantitative work
• A strong quantitative background
• Experience with programming languages, in particular: Matlab or Python
• Experience with statistical software, in particular: R or Stata
• Working across broad scientific missions to identify and solve different economics problems

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a strong technical skillset and creative approach to problem solving. We do not require candidates with knowledge of health economics, but a focus on economic thinking.

Application requirements:

For both Fellowships, applications are open to candidates from the UK and abroad. Any offer of employment is subject to the eligibility to work in the UK.

Job duration: one-year and two-year positions

The Fellows will receive a full-time, one- or two-year appointment that is renewable annually. An employment term of at least two years is strongly preferred.

• 2 letters of reference
• CV
• Job market paper
• Cover letter

Application process

Applications should be submitted to our email address (economicsrecruitment@eit.org). We will interview candidates as they are shortlisted between December 2024 and February 2025.

Applications are welcome from both candidates who are participating in the full academic job market, and those searching only for a pre-doctoral position.

If you have any queries, please email: economicsrecruitment@eit.org

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