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Part-Time Research Assistantships

RA Interest Form

Booth provides RAs and prospective RAs with job opportunities, skills workshops, information sessions, and more.  To sign up for our newsletter and hear about job opportunities that might interest you, fill out this interest form.  Students who already have funding for research but are in need of a faculty supervisor may contact Stephen Lamb directly at Stephen.Lamb@chicagobooth.edu.

Current RA Opportunities at Booth

Please check back for more RA opportunities, or sign up to hear about new opportunities as they are posted.

Opportunities for University of Chicago Students

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SISRM

The Summer Institute in Social Research Methods combines classroom instruction, workshops, and hands-on research experience for undergraduate and early-career graduate students.

SISRM

Booth Centers with Research Opportunities

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Roman Family CDR

Booth's Roman Family Center for Decision Research, which focuses on behavioral science, is looking for research assistants for their lab on campus, as well as for their Mindworks, virtual, and pop-up labs.

Roman Family CDR
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Stigler Center

The Stigler Center for Political Economy investigates regulatory capture, crony capitalism, and the various forms of subversion of competition by special-interest groups.

Stigler Center

Opportunities for All Students

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PREDOC

Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers runs a part-time RA aggregator and gives its program participants the chance to join its resume repository, which it uses to help faculty all over the world find RAs.

PREDOC
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EDE

Expanding Diversity in Economics identifies and supports targeted undergraduates from a broad range of backgrounds and brings them to the University of Chicago for skills development and research exposure.

EDE
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Pathways to Science

Pathways to Science has a database of paid part-time Summer RA opportunities in a variety of social sciences, as well as STEM fields like computer science and applied mathematics.

Pathways to Science

How to prepare

Research assistantships come in many different shapes and sizes, and all require different forms of preparation.  Some RAships incorporate their own training, and don't require advanced skills in coding or math.  RAships that focus on data entry and validation are a good example of this.  Such RAships often lead to more advanced opportunities if one performs well.  More advanced opportunities call for more advanced preparation, which will vary by discipline.

In the quantitative social sciences investigated at Chicago, the ability to code up statistical analysis is important.  The most commonly used languages are R, STATA, and Python.  Generally speaking, faculty are not overly concerned about which language you are most familiar with: if you have competence in one language, you can generally pick up the syntax of another if needed.  RAships in economics and related fields may require knowledge of statistics, including regression analysis and causal inference.  Coursework in statistical models and methods, or in econometrics, is good preparation.

Background coursework in particular fields is also useful preparation for RAships.  Even introductory coursework in behavioral science, economics, finance, and other fields can prepare an RA to conduct literature reviews, an important and common assignment for RAs.  A background in mathematics is especially important for economic theory.  While advanced math coursework is rarely necessary for RAships, it is important to take advanced math courses if one is considering a PhD.  Calculus, Linear Algebra, Introduction to Proofs, and Real Analysis are all valued courses.  Real Analysis in particular is seen as an important signal for a potential graduate student's performance in the first-year coursework of the PhD.

Find RA Opportunities at Booth

Fill out this form to be notified of RA opportunities in fields that interest you.  Faculty may also review your submission and reach out to you individually with research opportunities.

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SIGN UP HERE Find RA Opportunities at Booth