Cornell University mobile logo
Cornell University

Graduate Research Assistant opportunity at LDI

Cornell graduate students can work with one of LDI's major projects

Lars Vilhuber, LDI's Executive Director and the Data Editor of the American Economic Association, seeks a Graduate Assistant whose primary responsibilities will be in LDI's Replication Lab.

The AEA Data Editor is responsible for ensuring that articles published by the AEA journals achieve the highest levels of reproducibility, in compliance with the AEA’s Data and Code Availability Policy. Fulfilling these responsibilities is a major task for LDI's Replication Lab.

Functions and Responsibilities

The tasks of the GRA may include:

  • Selecting, training and supervising undergraduate "replicators" as they strive to reproduce the results in papers conditionally accepted for publication in AEA journals
  • Conducting ad-hoc office hours for replicators as needed
  • Actively participating in some of the (more difficult) reproducibility exercises (the team conducts checks on about 400 papers per year)
  • Assisting the AEA Data Editor in editing and writing reports on pre-publication reproducibility outcomes (about 600 reports per year), AEA Data Editor’s annual report
  • Assisting the AEA Data Editor in writing articles and reports for scientific articles
  • Assisting the AEA Data Editor in researching and developing technology to improve reproducibility of scientific research

Hours and availability

Availability to attend weekly (virtual) meetings with the team of replicators (Mondays at 5:30PM for 1 hour, touch-base meetings on Thursdays, 15 minutes at 8AM and 11AM) is strongly desired (inability to participate in any meeting is an impediment, but regular or occasional inability to attend some meetings can be accommodated). The team includes a part-time editorial assistant, and up to 25 undergraduates.

The successful applicant would start with a 5 hr/wk assignment as soon as possible, assisting and learning from the incumbent of the full GRA position, and is then expected to be awarded a full GRA position in Spring 2024. The expectation is to stay associated with the position for ideally one, possibly two years.

Qualifications and How to Apply

  • Experience in empirical economics (any field)
  • Advanced knowledge in at least one, and good knowledge in a second statistical programming knowledge (Stata, Matlab, Python, SAS, etc.)
  • Some experience in producing reproducible research (programming sample required)

Please send a brief CV and one or two programming samples (in one or two of your preferred programming languages) to lars.vilhuber@cornell.edu. 

Background readings: