Research Assistant - Burundi

Principal Investigators: 

• Lukas Bolte: Incoming Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
• Nina Buchmann: Incoming Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley
• Luisa Cefalà: Assistant Professor, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
• Agathe Pernoud: Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
• Nicholas Swanson: Assistant Professor of Economics, Cornell University

Role Summary: 

We seek a Research Assistant (RA) to help set up and implement a randomized controlled trial (RCT) studying behavior of university students applying to scholarships in Burundi. 

Some of the work can be performed remotely, however, the RA will be based in Burundi for at least some of the project duration. The RA will work closely with the PI team to design and execute a field experiment in collaboration with the University of Burundi. This is a unique opportunity to work with economists on a high-impact project, gaining valuable experience in research design, field implementation, data management, and analysis.

Responsibilities: 

• Fieldwork management: Recruiting, training, and supervising enumerators; managing survey logistics; ensuring data quality and adherence to ethical protocols.
• Partner engagement: Liaising with the partner firm(s) in Burundi on sample frames, roll-out of the intervention, and day-to-day implementation.
• Survey and lab-in-the-field design: Programming surveys and experimental instruments (SurveyCTO, oTree, Qualtrics), piloting, and iterating based on field tests.
• Data management and analysis: Cleaning, documenting, and analyzing data in Stata and/or R; preparing tables and figures for the PIs and research memos.
• Project coordination: Maintaining timelines, budgets, and IRB compliance; coordinating across PIs, the partner firm, and local research staff.
• Stakeholder engagement: Providing regular updates to PIs and stakeholders, organizing team meetings, and drafting progress reports.

Qualifications: 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Stata and experience with data cleaning and analysis required. Familiarity with SurveyCTO and/or oTree is a strong plus. Experience with R, Python, or LaTeX is welcome.
• Fieldwork Experience: Prior experience managing field staff and surveys in developing-country settings is highly desirable; experience in Burundi, the Great Lakes region, or other Francophone African contexts is a plus.
• Organizational Skills: Strong project management, multitasking, and problem-solving abilities; ability to work independently in a demanding field environment.
• Language Skills: Excellent English skills required; French communication skills or working knowledge of Kirundi is a strong plus.