Current Open Positions

In this section you will find positions as a Research Assistant (RA) or Internships which are currently open on LEAP projects or other partner institutes and organizations. Information on how to apply is available in the description of each position.

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NEW VACANCIES!

Vacancy: Research Assistant Position in Policy Evaluation and Economics of Education with Selene Ghisolfi, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano. 

Application deadline: June 1, 2026 

Prof. Ghisolfi offers a position for a Research Assistant for a project evaluating the impact of offering psychological help to high school professors on their mental health and wellbeing and on students’ wellbeing and outcomes in Italy. The RA will work very closely with and report to the Principal Investigator. Ideal candidates are independent, curious about policy evaluation, education and development, and proactive in problem-solving. The role offers hands-on experience in randomized control trials, including potential fieldwork, and is well-suited for those considering a PhD or a career in policy organizations. 

The goal of project SUP.PER.PROF is to offer teachers a structured space for discussion and support through 8 group meetings during the school year, led by a psychologist experienced in developmental age. These meetings will allow teachers to share difficulties, receive professional support and develop strategies to deal with the daily challenges of their role. The project aims to prevent the risk of burn-out, facilitate communication between colleagues and with families, and improve classroom management. Ultimately, the aim is to promote a more serene and inclusive school climate, in which students can also feel welcomed and supported in their educational path. A more positive environment fosters pupil engagement, builds confidence in their abilities and can help reduce the risk of dropping out of school. 

Roles and responsibilities:

The research assistant will work closely with the PI in the following activities to organize and manage the research project in the year 2026/27: 

• Develop and test the data collection tools 
• Liaise with the partners and the schools 
• Clean and summarize datasets 
• Recruit and organize the training of the implementing psychologists 
• Recruit and organize the training of the observers 
• Organize the implementation of the program and schedule the activities 
• Monitor the implementation of the program 
• Assist in data analysis and literature reviews. 
• Write drafts of policy reports and research papers. 

Requirements: 

• Bachelor's degree (but preferably master's degree) in economics 
• Excellent knowledge of Excel and Word, fair knowledge of Stata
• Excellent written and verbal communication in Italian, fair English. 

Preferable: 

• Experience or coursework in experimental design/field experiments. 
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple tasks, and meet deadlines. 
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. 

Position details: 

• Location: remote, possible fieldwork in Lombardy. 
• Start Date: As soon as possible. 
• Employment: The position can be either full or part time. Min 30 hr/week.

To apply, please submit your CV, unofficial transcript, and a brief statement of interest to selene.ghisolfi@unicatt.it. Include "RA SUP.PER.PROF" in the subject line. 

Full details can be found here. 

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Vacancy: Summer Internship in Uganda with prof. Vittorio Bassi (USC), prof. Tommaso Porzio (Columbia) and prof. Jeanne Sorin (Chicago) 

Application deadline: 22 May, 2026 

Vittorio Bassi (USC), Tommaso Porzio (Columbia) and Jeanne Sorin (Chicago) are seeking to recruit a summer intern to help support a field project involving survey data collection on households and firms in Kampala, Uganda. The project is funded by the IGC and World Bank and is conducted in partnership with AirQo. The project seeks to study the distribution of environmental risk and amenities for households and workers at home, on the commuting route, and at work, using a combination of surveys and direct monitoring of pollution and heat exposure. 

The duration of the internship will be between 8-12 weeks, depending on availability. The intern will be based in Kampala at our partner research firm Dyadic Research Impacts and will be involved in a pilot of the listing and survey activities. We will cover flights and visa costs, and provide a basic living allowance for the duration of the internship. 

There is the possibility of promotion to a project manager position for an additional period of up to one year. The renewal/promotion will depend on performance and funding availability after the summer. 

Roles and responsibilities:

The intern will support the following initiatives: 

• Organize and manage the field data collection, including managing teams of enumerators in the field 
• Help import survey instruments into the data collection software (Survey Solutions) 
• Help clean, organize and analyse the resulting survey data 
• Write regular progress reports on field activities to be shared with the PIs and donors
• Help liaise with AirQo in Kampala for the pollution/heat measurement activities during the pilot. 
• Help with dissemination of results to donors and policy makers in Uganda through other means (e.g., meetings and presentations) 
• Help access and analyze other relevant datasets such as flood maps of Kampala, records of environmental policies implemented by the Ugandan government etc. 
• Liaise between the field team in Uganda, Dyadic Research Impacts, and the PIs. 

Requirements: 

Successful candidates will have: 

• Master’s in Economics, Econometrics or related discipline (e.g. Public Policy). First year students in a two-year Master program will be considered. 
• Substantial experience with Excel and STATA 
• Proficiency in statistical and econometric analysis techniques 
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English 
• Well-developed teamwork and collaborative abilities, and strong communication skills
• Experience managing field-work activities for data collection in developing countries 
• Experience working with large datasets (e.g. administrative datasets, large surveys) 
• Experience working in large teams 

The following are a strong plus: 

• Experience interacting with policy makers 
• Experience coding and working with data collection software (in particular NAME)
• Knowledge of QGIS/ArcGIS or other geographic information systems 

Position details:

• Location: The position is based at Dyadic Research Impacts in Kampala, Uganda. The intern will also have an opportunity to interact with the Uganda Country Team of the IGC, also based in Kampala. 
• Start date: Ideally early June 2026. 

Interested parties should contact Eugenio Cassese: eugenio.cassese@studbocconi.it, copying also Jeanne Sorin (jsorin@uchicago.edu). 

Please attach a one-page CV, a one-page statement of purpose and a recently written short sample STATA .do file. The application is rolling, so please apply as soon as possible. In this phase, applications should receive us no later than May 22nd, 2026. 

Full details can be found here. 

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Vacancy Announcement: Full-time Predoctoral Fellow Position (1-2 Years) for Prof. Erika Deserranno

Roles and responsibilities:

• Data cleaning and econometric analysis.
• Managing and analyzing large datasets.
• Being able to write a simple theory model.
• Preparing literature reviews.

• Assisting the principal investigators in various aspects of the projects, including design, implementation, and analysis.

   

Desired qualifications and experience:

• A Master’s degree in economics, statistics, or related fields.
• Strong interests in academic research.
• Excellent management and organizational skills.
• Meticulous, organized, and detail-oriented.
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Advanced knowledge of Stata, R and LaTeX.
• Proficient in English.

Job conditions:

• Full-time position.
• Competitive pay, commensurate with experience.
• The candidate will be based in Milan.
• The position is for a year or two, starting mid 2026.

If you are interested in becoming an active part of our research team and working on exciting research projects, please send your CV, transcripts, a short cover letter, and the name of at least one reference to ra.deserranno.2026@outlook.it.

Download the full vacancy for more details

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Vacancy: Research Assistant Position

Professors Erika Deserranno (Bocconi University), Silvia Vannutelli (Sciences Po, Northwestern University), and Maria De Paola (University of Calabria) are seeking a full- or part-time research assistant to join a project that utilizes administrative data from the Italian Social Security Agency (INPS). The project aims to identify the effects of remote work (RW) on career outcomes, with a particular focus on how the level and intensity of RW differentially impact men and women. The position is available immediately.

Required knowledge and skills:
1. Native or fluent proficiency in Italian.
2. Understanding of labor economics literature, particularly regarding managerial effects on productivity and training, and experience with AKM-type estimation techniques.
3. Familiarity with the recent 'Staggered DiD' literature, especially the work of Clément de Chaisemartin and Xavier D’Haultfoeuille on heterogeneity-robust estimators for non-absorbing treatments.

Interested applicants should send their CV, a short cover letter, academic transcripts, and the name of at least one reference to alessio.giorgetta@unibocconi.it. In the cover letter please explain why you satisfy the 3 requirements above. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.