Research Assistant

The Market Shaping Accelerator (MSA) is led by the world’s leading market shaping scholars including Professor and President of the Center for Global Development Rachel Glennerster (CGD and UChicago), Nobel laureate Michael Kremer (UChicago) and Professor Christopher Snyder (Dartmouth) .

MSA is a partnership between three leading institutions – combining the academic expertise of Dartmouth and the University of Chicago, with the policy insights of the Center for Global Development.

MSA aims to catalyze the development of Advance Market Commitments and other market shaping mechanisms to incentivize innovations addressing pressing global challenges including biosecurity, global health and climate change.

 

Job Summary

MSA is hiring for a Research Assistant position based in Washington D.C. The Research Assistant will work with Professor Christopher Snyder of Dartmouth, Professor Rachel Glennerster of the University of Chicago and the Center for Global Development, and other colleagues at the Market Shaping Accelerator to support the development and adoption of high-impact market-shaping proposals designed to incentivize innovations addressing climate change, pandemic threats, global health challenges, and other pressing global problems.

This position is based in Washington, D.C., which is where the majority of the team is based.

 

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Economic appraisal and quantitative modeling of market-shaping proposals (40%)
    • Benefit-cost analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis
    • Estimating the potential benefits of innovation, size of potential markets and cost of market shaping incentives.
    • Microeconomic modeling and related quantitative analysis
    • Modeling and data analysis in Stata, R, Python, and/or MATLAB
  • Policy and sector analysis related to climate change, global health, and pandemic preparedness (25%) and other global challenges
    • Writing and revising drafts for policymakers and economists
    • Analysis of opportunities in specific sectors. This includes analysis of market dynamics, market structure, regulatory environment and implementation challenges.
  • Desk research to identify promising candidate problems for market-shaping interventions (25%)
  • Communication and coordination with relevant stakeholders (10%)

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in economics or a related field including coursework in intermediate microeconomics and multivariable calculus or equivalent.
  • Strong quantitative skills and experience with empirical research methods and/or microeconomic modeling
  • Programming experience in at least one relevant language, such as Stata, R, Python, or MATLAB
  • Excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Ability to manage multiple projects and stay organized in a fast-moving research environment

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Advanced quantitative preparation beyond the minimum requirements. This could include, for example, linear algebra, probability, statistics and econometrics, real analysis, ordinary differential equations, advanced microeconomics etc.
  • Demonstrated interest in climate change, pandemic preparedness, global health, or related policy areas

Working Conditions

  • Some domestic and possibly international travel may be required.

Application Documents

  • Resume/CV (required)
  • Cover Letter (required)
  • Writing Sample (required)
  • Transcripts (required)
  • Professional References Contact Information (3) (required)

Closing date: October 15 at 11:59 pm ET. We may have an additional hiring round in early 2027

Salary range: $54,500 – $60,000. Pay commensurate with education, skillset, and experience.

We manually review applications; no AI or automated filters are used to screen candidates. 

Please specify in the cover letter motivation for joining the team and how you meet the criteria for the role.

 

This role is likely to be hired through the Center for Global Development. Read about CGD’s benefits package here.

MSA has a strong commitment to diversity. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of people, including women, persons of color, persons with disabilities, veterans or any other legally protected group.

Apply here