Predoctoral Research Fellow

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At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas:

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• Climate Change & Managing CO₂
• Artificial Intelligence & Robotics

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org.

Welcome to the Economics Platform

Economics at EIT is recruiting for two outstanding, full-time Predoctoral Research Fellows to support research on the economic implications of AI and robotics, under the leadership of Professor Andrew J. Scott. Successful candidates will be working on a high profile and impactful project as well as supporting frontier research.

This is a rare opportunity to conduct rigorous economic research on AI and robotics alongside the researchers and engineers building them. EIT houses frontier teams in generative biology, plant sciences, materials science, and immunology. These teams, in conjunction with EIT’s own world-class AI and Robotics team, are tackling some of humanity’s greatest challenges. This cross-disciplinary immersion informs original research of the highest quality, aimed at real-world impact.

Predoctoral Fellows will support a research programme drawing connections between frontier developments in AI and robotics, fundamental research in economics, and growing interest from governments and international organisations in understanding how these technologies will reshape the economy, labour markets, and institutions. EIT's extensive network of policymakers and leading academics ensures that your work reaches those shaping the response to technological change.

The Institute is well-resourced and committed to supporting ambitious, high-impact research. For candidates considering a PhD in economics or related fields, this role offers exceptional training, mentorship, and exposure to researchers and policymakers shaping the field.

Positions are full-time and of one-year duration, potentially renewable for further terms, subject to performance.

Your Role:

The Predoctoral Research Fellow will support research combining (i) broad-based work on the economic and social implications of AI and robotics and (ii) focused deep dives into specific issues.

The role is designed for highly motivated early-career researchers seeking rigorous research experience in preparation for PhD study or roles in policy and technology-focused organisations.

You will work closely with economists, data scientists, and policy stakeholders, contributing to data construction, empirical analysis, and research outputs.

Expected outputs include contributions to academic research papers as well as wider forms of output reaching broader public and policy audiences.

Potential Research topics include:

• What are the implications of AI and robotics for economic growth and what are the main mechanisms and constraints?
• How will AI and robotics change the rate of innovation and how will knowledge diffusion and skill acquisition evolve?
• What are the implications for employment, labour markets, inequality and social security?
• How will AI and robotics impact organisational structure and the nature of work and what are the implications for firms and human capital?
• How will the AI transition impact different sectors, countries and groups and what policy responses are needed?
• Will AI and robotics lead to abundance and what implications does this have for society and humanity?
• How will AI and robotics interact with demographic changes and what are the implications for public finances?

Requirements:

Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• A completed bachelor’s degree (or master’s degree preferred) in Economics or a related discipline with substantial quantitative content
• Evidence of academic excellence and strong quantitative training and ability to deal with broad issues at a systematic level as well as dive deep into technical matters
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and coordinate with a broad range of stakeholders
• Strong technical skills, including experience with some of:
• Statistics / econometrics
• Applied micro or macro data work
• Causal inference and quasi-experimental methods
• Working with large datasets
• Git / reproducible research workflows
• Python (strongly desired) and/or R / Stata
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple research tasks simultaneously
• Curiosity, intellectual flexibility, and interest in the broader economic and societal implications of technological change

We are particularly interested in candidates with strong economic reasoning and technical research skills that can be applied to a wide range of research questions. Prior expertise in AI economics is welcome but not required.

Application Requirements:

Applications are open to candidates from the UK and abroad. Any offer of employment is subject to the eligibility to work in the UK. 

Required Application Materials:

• Two letters of reference
• CV 
• Cover letter
• Writing sample (e.g., thesis chapter, research paper, or substantial coursework paper)

Role Duration: one-year (renewable annually subject to performance)