Job description

School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area: Economics

Position Description

Harvard University is accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship that will enable one outstanding early-career scholar to visit the Economics Department of Harvard University for a year to study aspects of gender inequality.

Applications from researchers who are just completing their PhD, as well as from junior faculty members who may be able to combine the fellowship with an early career leave, are welcome.

The fellow will be selected based on their potential to make important contributions to our understanding of gender inequality.

Candidates will ideally have received a PhD in Economics, Economic History, Demography, or a related area in the social sciences. The research interests of the candidate can be one or more of the following topics. Projects that address change across time or across nations in different stages of development are encouraged.

• Women’s labor market participation, occupations, time use
• Childcare, fertility, demand for children by women and men, household production by men and women
• Civil and women’s rights, labor market protections, work restrictions, political economy
• Norms, traditions, belief systems, religiosity
• Education, including all levels, plus professional and trade schools
• Impact of long-term economic and technological change on gender roles
• Masculinity and how the norms that constrain men affect their employment and household labor, and interact with those impacting women

Expectations and Conditions

• Fellowship-related activities are expected to represent the fellow’s primary responsibility during the year.
• The fellow is expected to be in residence at Harvard for the duration of the fellowship, as regular interactions with faculty and researchers in the Economics Department will be a critical component of the fellow’s professional development.
• The fellow may begin their appointment prior to defending their dissertation provided that: they are able to be in residence at Harvard, all other aspects of their PhD program are complete, and their degree is expected in the 2026 calendar year.
• The position may be renewable for a second year depending upon continued funding availability, institutional approval, and satisfactory performance.

The Award
The fellowship consists of an annual stipend of $100,000. The fellow will be eligible for Harvard’s subsidized, comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. (Most of the benefit plans require a contribution from participants for coverage.) The fellow will also receive a research and travel allowance of $5000 annually, and office space within the Department of Economics.

Basic Qualifications

Applicants must have received a doctorate or terminal degree no earlier than 2021; applicants without a doctorate or terminal degree must demonstrate that they will receive such a degree no later than December 2026.

If you have not completed your graduate program, please still make sure to include your doctorate and anticipated degree date in the Educational Background section.

How to apply

Apply now

Application review will begin in January and continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The application must include the following in order to be reviewed:

1. A curriculum vitae
2. A research proposal not to exceed 3 pages double-spaced, and no more than two additional pages of tables, references, and graphs, describing the proposed research for the fellowship year.
3. The names and email addresses of 2 referees, who will be asked via a system-generated email to upload their letters of recommendation once the application has been submitted. Two letters of recommendation are required, and incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Please make sure you have supplied current and accurate email addresses for your referees, and please monitor your application to make sure the letters have been submitted. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we do not have time to track down missing letters.

You may use Interfolio. Interfolio provides you with a unique email address for each letter of recommendation. You need to obtain that address from Interfolio and enter it in the section of your application that requests your reference provider’s email address. (Once again, please double-check this email address for accuracy.) Complete instructions are available at the Interfolio Help Center.

Contact Information

Jennifer Shephard
FAS Social Science Division
University Hall 3 South
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138

Contact Email: [email protected]

Salary Range

$100,000

Minimum Number of References Required: 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed: 2

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.