Job opportunities to work at CEP are advertised below.
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Centre for Economic Performance
Programme on Innovation and Diffusion
Applications will open in March 2026
Centre for Economic Performance
Salary from £36,513 to £41,565 pa inclusive of London allowance
Fixed term appointment for two years depending on the preferences of the candidate
The Centre for Economic Performance seeks to appoint one or two full-time research assistants ("pre-docs") under the direction of Professor Daniel Sturm, Dr. Sara Bagagli, and Dr. Giorgio Pietrabissa. You will be part of a team including other research assistants and collaborators. Research projects will explore new aspects of the economics of cities using newly developed quantitative models and data from Denmark and other countries.
The position is ideal for someone who is considering applying to a PhD in Economics or related fields and would like hands-on research experience before embarking on a PhD. Previous holders of similar posts with Daniel Sturm have been offered positions in leading Economics PhD programs, including Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, San Diego, LSE, Michigan, Northwestern, Stanford, UCLA, and Yale.
The successful candidate has an undergraduate or master's degree in economics or another quantitative discipline by post start date. Other essential criteria include: Advanced experience of using programming languages such as STATA and R for analysing large scale micro data sets and the ability to learn new programming skills; Ability to perform data work requiring great accuracy and attention to detail; Ability to interpret and analyse patterns or trends in data and think through economic problems analytically; Ability to work independently, without close supervision; Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Desirable criteria include experience of working with ArcGIS or QGIS; knowledge of and interest in urban economics, economic geography and applied microeconomics; and experience of execution and write up of independent research projects such as an undergraduate or masters' thesis.
The start date will be agreed with the successful candidate depending on their constraints but should be in the summer or early autumn of 2026.
Applications can be made via the LSE Jobs portal.
For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification.
For candidates who do not already have the right to work in the UK, LSE is able to support the visa application. Applications must include a CV and a covering letter that explains the candidate's qualification and motivation for the position. Please also include scans of all university transcripts. Referees will only be contacted if your application progresses to the final stages of the selection process.
Candidates who are shortlisted for the position will be given an online coding and data analysis problem that can be completed either in STATA of R to assess their suitability for the position. The interviews will be in person where possible and on Zoom otherwise.
If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the "contact us" links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email Daniel Sturm d.m.sturm@lse.ac.uk.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 30 January 2026 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.
Salary from £36,513 to £41,565 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £44,468 pa inclusive of London allowance
Fixed term appointment for 1 year (with option to renew for 2 years)
The Programme on Innovation and Diffusion (POID) is seeking to appoint a Research Assistant for a one-year period. The project will use cutting-edge research into how to boost productivity through nurturing innovation - ideas that are new to the world - and how to diffuse these ideas across the economy.
The project is led by Professor John Van Reenen. The role-holder will play a major role in the planning, design, and implementation of the project and will co-author all outputs accordingly. The role will assist with data matching, processing, modelling, and analysis and will contribute to co-authored top-journal-quality publications.
The successful candidate should have an undergraduate degree in Economics or other quantitative discipline. A Masters in Economics or other quantitative science discipline (but must have very good knowledge of economics) by post start date is desirable.
Essential criteria include: advanced experience of using Stata for analysing large scale micro data sets; experience of large scale data driven projects; experience of data work requiring great accuracy and attention to detail; ability to identify appropriate methods of economic investigation; ability to interpret and analyse patterns or trends in data; and ability to think through economic problems analytically. Ability to perform literature reviews for obtaining data from data providers and running survey; and excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to convey technical material in non-technical terms for policy and other non- academic stakeholders are essential, as is the collation, presentation of other team members' work and integration of this into own work as required. The ability to work independently for long time periods without close supervision is a requirement. A demonstrated knowledge of and interest in economics of innovation and technological change, the wider context of industrial/growth strategy and current policy issues related to productivity is desirable.
Visit poid.lse.ac.uk for information about POID.
We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave and excellent training and development opportunities.
For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification. Applications must take the form of a full curriculum vitae (CV) or resume, a covering letter and an electronic copy of one relevant research paper.
If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the "contact us" links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email C.H.Tocock@lse.ac.uk.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 16 February 2026 (23:59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.
Applications will open in March 2026.
CEP researchers recruit part-time research assistants throughout the year for different projects. These are open to graduate students based in the UK, who have knowledge and experience of applied economic research (minimum Masters level economics, or related discipline) or similar quantitative skills in other disciplines; and experience with analysing large microdata in STATA or R.
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