Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

PROGRAM DETAILS

The Poverty and Inequality Lab (PIRL) at Johns Hopkins University is seeking applicants for one or more Postdoctoral Fellows to work with Director Stefanie DeLuca and the PIRL team on a series of mixed methods projects in collaboration with Professor Raj Chetty and the team at Opportunity Insights (OI) at Harvard University. This research program aims to understand the mechanisms that facilitate socioeconomic mobility in the U.S. and explain race and class gaps in economic mobility, including neighborhood context, social capital, workforce training, and other social policies. Importantly, the mixed methods work aims to provide critical context that helps explain the mechanisms that underlie “big data” findings on economic mobility, and understand how social forces and social policies matter and how they vary by place. The Postdoctoral Fellow(s) will conduct quantitative, qualitative and archival analyses, as well as lead a team of undergraduate and graduate students on fieldwork trips to conduct in-depth, open-ended interviews and ethnographic observations.

The Poverty and Inequality Lab is a collaborative, interdisciplinary mixed-methods research center focused on policy-relevant scholarship in the areas of family, education, housing and neighborhoods. PIRL’s other research projects include: a study of community college student trajectories toward degree programs; studies of housing policies that increase neighborhood opportunity; an experimental study to examine how high-achieving low-income students respond to financial aid; and a project examining how family, work and neighborhood conditions shape postsecondary educational plans.

The position is a one year appointment with the possibility of a second year pending funding and work scope. The position has an anticipated start in July 2024, is full-time and fully funded with no teaching requirements.  The fellows will be in residence at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, although regular travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts for collaborative work at Harvard University will be expected.

QUALIFICATIONS

The postdoctoral fellowship is open to applicants who are up to three years post-PhD in sociology or related fields. Applicants with experience with qualitative or mixed methods are preferred, although some quantitative data analyses will be expected. Applicants should have strong research skills and a substantive background in areas of education, neighborhoods, social networks and social policy. Must have excellent communication skills and be able to work well as part of a team.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Each application will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• The degree of fit of research interests
• Demonstrated record of scholarly work and quality of writing
• Strength of letters of support