Summer Research Assistant – Energy & Environment Lab, University of Chicago (2025)
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Who We Are
The University of Chicago Energy & Environment Lab (E&E Lab) partners with agencies at the local, state and federal level to identify, rigorously evaluate, and help scale programs and policies that reduce pollution and improve environmental outcomes, while ensuring access to reliable and affordable energy. The E&E Lab uses natural experiments, randomized controlled trials, behavioral economics, and machine learning to help policymakers identify and generate evidence around innovative approaches to their most pressing environmental and energy-related challenges.
The E&E Lab is part of the University of Chicago’s new Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth. The Lab's mission is to partner with government agencies to identify and rigorously evaluate policies with the greatest potential to improve human lives at scale; the Lab's evidence-based approach gives policymakers and practitioners the knowledge they need to effectively achieve the greatest social good per dollar spent.
Job Summary
The E&E Lab is seeking Summer Research Assistants (RAs) with strong research, methodological, and programming skills to support large-scale environmental policy research projects. The RAs will work on a portfolio of economics projects, designed to evaluate the impact of promising energy and environmental interventions. Typical research projects involve the analysis of environmental and energy data, utilizing quasi-experimental and experimental methods to provide government partners with guidance on key policy questions.
Responsibilities:
Coding, review, and cleaning of data.
Data analytics, statistical analysis, and building econometric and/or machine learning models.
Project development and coordination.
Literature reviews.
Presentation of results of analysis (e.g., graphs and tables).
Assisting in writing, formatting, and editing reports and works for publication and for dissemination to partners.
Job Requirements
Competencies:
Interest in and aptitude for developing advanced programming and analytic skills.
Experience with at least one statistical analysis language required; R, or Python strongly preferred.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to synthesize multiple sources.
Strong initiative and a resourceful approach to problem-solving and learning.
Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
High attention to detail and organizational skills.
Knowledge of environment and/or energy policy issues preferred.
Education:
Significant progress towards an undergraduate or graduate degree in economics, computer science or related discipline.
Coursework in economics, applied math, computer science, statistics.
Research experience in an academic setting preferred.
Documents Required :
Resume
Cover Letter
Academic transcript(s)
The internship duration is ten weeks, with a flexible start date. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, with decisions made on a rolling basis. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
The E&E Lab main office is in Chicago; some research staff are based in the offices of our federal and state government partners.
- Location:
- United States Of America