Career Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in career opportunities with the University of Chicago Urban Labs! Urban Labs has a strong commitment to using science in service of cities to improve the quality of urban life. We regularly seek out passionate, data-oriented, public service minded individuals to join our team.
For more information on Urban Labs' career opportunities, culture and recruiting process, please see the frequently asked question section below.
Current Opportunities
Energy & Environment Lab
- Job Title: Summer Research Assistant (2026)
- Desired Start Date: 06.01.2026
- Reporting to: Olga Rostapshova
Who We Are
The University of Chicago Energy & Environment Lab (E&E Lab) partners with agencies at the local, state and federal level to identify, rigorously evaluate, and help scale programs and policies that reduce pollution and improve environmental outcomes, while ensuring access to reliable and affordable energy. The E&E Lab uses natural experiments, randomized controlled trials, behavioral economics, and machine learning to help policymakers identify and generate evidence around innovative approaches to their most pressing environmental and energy-related challenges.
The E&E Lab is part of the University of Chicago’s new Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. The Lab's mission is to partner with government agencies to identify and rigorously evaluate policies with the greatest potential to improve human lives at scale; the Lab's evidence-based approach gives policymakers and practitioners the knowledge they need to effectively achieve the greatest social good per dollar spent.
Job Summary
The E&E Lab is seeking Summer Research Assistants (RAs) with strong research, methodological, and programming skills to support large-scale environmental policy research projects. The RAs will work on a portfolio of economics projects, designed to evaluate the impact of promising energy and environmental interventions. Typical research projects involve the analysis of environmental and energy data, utilizing quasi-experimental and experimental methods to provide government partners with guidance on key policy questions.
Responsibilities:
- Coding, review, and cleaning of data.
- Data analytics, statistical analysis, and building econometric and/or machine learning models.
- Project development and coordination.
- Literature reviews.
- Presentation of results of analysis (e.g., graphs and tables).
- Assisting in writing, formatting, and editing reports and works for publication and for dissemination to partners.
Job Requirements
Competencies:
- Interest in and aptitude for developing advanced programming and analytic skills.
- Experience with at least one statistical analysis language required; R, or Python strongly preferred.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize multiple sources.
- Strong initiative and a resourceful approach to problem-solving and learning.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- High attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Knowledge of environment and/or energy policy issues preferred.
Education:
- Significant progress towards an undergraduate or graduate degree in economics, computer science or related discipline.
- Coursework in economics, applied math, computer science, statistics.
- Research experience in an academic setting preferred.
Documents Required:
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- Academic transcript(s)
The internship duration is ten weeks, with a flexible start date. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, with decisions made on a rolling basis. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
The E&E Lab main office is in Chicago; some research staff are based in the offices of our federal and state government partners.
To apply, please complete the form and upload your resume, cover letter, and transcript below. Questions and inquiries about the summer position should be directed to eelabhiring@uchicago.edu.
All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
- Job Title: Post-doctoral Scholar
- Desired Start Date: 08.01.2026
The Role:
The University of Chicago E&E Lab is seeking a full-time Post-Doctoral Scholar to help build and co-lead a portfolio of applied research projects related to environmental policy. The Post-Doctoral Scholar will work closely with the Lab’s Executive Director, Research Directors, other post-docs and the Pritzker Faculty Director (Prof. Michael Greenstone); and collaborate with other faculty members at the University of Chicago, other top universities, as well as government agency partners.
The postdoc will provide intellectual leadership and management for E&E’s strategic planning and analytical work. This includes producing research articles, contributing to the scientific content of research proposals and supporting research dissemination and policymaker outreach activities.
Research Training:
The Post-Doctoral Fellowship offers continued training in preparation for an independent research career. The Fellow will be encouraged to develop collaborative relationships with academic staff/faculty and visitors in the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, Harris School of Public Policy, the Booth School of Business, and other units around campus.
Responsibilities:
- Develops research ideas and leads design of new research projects
- Engages with government partners to develop project ideas and help ensure successful execution of research projects in the Lab’s current portfolio
- Provides scientific direction and leadership for new and existing projects
- Mentors research staff, and ensures the rigor and quality of research analysis
- Oversees research activities, including data collection and analysis
- Participates in drafting research proposals, funder reports, and presentations
- Co-authors research articles, reports, briefs and manuscripts
- Presents research findings at meetings and conferences to research and practitioner/policymaker audiences
- Contributes to strategic decisions about new projects and initiatives
Education:
- PhD in economics or related field
Experience:
- Minimum of three years research experience preferred
- Experience working with interdisciplinary research teams and policymaker stakeholders preferred
Competencies:
- Expertise in applied microeconomics methods and all aspects of research design
- Topical expertise in energy and environmental economics, including familiarity with the field literature
- Interest in finding and testing innovative solutions to environmental problems
- Coding experience, including proficiency in R and/or Python
- Substantial experience with randomized controlled trials and/or machine learning strongly preferred
Required Documents:
- Current curriculum vitae
- Job market paper
- Cover letter that includes a brief description of current research and outlines the areas of energy and environmental economics and applied public policy that are of primary interest
- Three letters of reference to be submitted directly to eelabhiring@uchicago.edu.
Please direct all questions about this position to eelabhiring@uchicago.edu.
Applicants must have completed the requirements for their PhD in economics or related field before starting the Post-Doctoral Fellowship. They may not be employed by another institution during the term of their University of Chicago appointment.
The term of appointment is one year. Typical start date is August 1, 2026, with the expectation of renewal for two more years assuming good performance. The University of Chicago offers competitive salary and employee benefits.
Application materials will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status or status as an individual with disability.
FAQs
For our three most common research roles--Project Associate, Research Manager, and Research Analyst--please refer to the responsibilities outlined below:
- Project Associates support large-scale social policy research projects designed to test the effectiveness of promising interventions by supporting a Research Manager or Research Analyst.
- Research Managers work directly with leading social science researchers, local policymakers, frontline practitioners, and a dedicated team of research analysts, data scientists, and administrative staff to implement ambitious field experiments.
- Research Analysts apply a variety of statistical modeling and data techniques to datasets in real-world settings, and contribute to all facets of data collection & cleaning, model development, analysis, and interpretation of results.
Urban Labs also hires for other positions in research, IT, and operations. We encourage you to view opportunities below.
You may be asked to submit multiple documents, including a Cover Letter, Writing Sample, and Unofficial Transcripts from the highest degree program received. Please see the job description for the exact documents required for that job. All materials should be submitted to the Workday system. Refer to the job requisition number on the job description to apply to the correct position.
All of our positions require a cover letter. In the cover letter, we encourage you to elaborate on your relevant achievements and describe your interest in the position.
We appreciate your interest in Urban Labs and look forward to reviewing your application. Due to the high-volume of applications that we receive, although we try, we may not be able to respond to all individual inquires.
Urban Labs employees are committed to creating a collaborative, high energy office that is open and welcoming to individuals of all backgrounds and life experiences, and prioritize developing a workforce that is as diverse as the city in which we work.
While we are affiliated with the University of Chicago, we are not located in Hyde Park. We have an office in downtown Chicago, which allows us to work more closely with our public sector partners.
In addition, Urban Labs also has an office in New York City that focuses on Crime and Education work. The New York Office works in close collaboration with the Crime and Education Labs in Chicago.
Urban Labs is a set of highly collaborative Labs and as such, we all work together towards a common mission of science in service of cities.
If you have questions about the Workday Application System, click here.
If you have specific questions that were not answered in our above frequently asked questions section, please contact us at urbanlabs@uchicago.edu Thanks!
