Are you a young researcher looking to expand your professional and personal horizons? The Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank is inviting recent university graduates to apply for its prestigious Research Fellowship Program.
Fellows will work side by side with staff economists, providing valuable support while gaining varied experience at a top-level institution. The IDB’s Research Department (known as RES) generates new ideas that serve as inputs to the Bank’s departments, Latin American and Caribbean governments, academia, news media, and public opinion in the region. RES’ staff have excellent academic credentials and expertise in a range of policy areas.
The program allows young professionals to gain valuable experience in an international work environment while living in Washington D.C., where they’ll benefit from exposure to its multicultural atmosphere and the wealth of networking and learning opportunities it offers in development and policy issues.
Candidates for the Research Fellow Program should have a passion for research in development and policymaking. They will work independently and in teams on different issues, including labor, education, health, the environment, productivity, international finance, and political economy. They should have a strong quantitative background (econometrics, mathematics, statistics), experience with data analysis, and a Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, or related fields.
The present cohort of Fellows includes young professionals from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela.
The program offers Fellows many opportunities to widen their skillset. They will assist researchers in preparing papers, reports, and presentations; compile and use databases; perform econometric and statistical analyses; prepare literature reviews, and take part in academic discussions on research findings. Some of them may also have the opportunity to co-author papers: 40% of the papers published by staff economists in the last three years had a Research Fellow as a co-author.
Beyond research, the program provides further opportunities for career development, as young professionals can attend seminars, take IDB courses, or receive advice when applying to academic programs. Many Fellows go on to pursue a Ph.D. or second Master’s degree after their time at the IDB. In recent years, some of them have continued their studies at top universities including Harvard, MIT, Brown, Columbia, Duke, and UCLA, among others.
The Research Fellow Program started in the early 2000s, and since then about 140 young researchers (40% female, 60% male) have graduated from it. The selection process is competitive, with about 400 applications per year.
The Fellowship is based at the IDB Headquarters in Washington D.C. and will start between June 1 and September 15, 2017. The program lasts one or two years and offers competitive compensation.
The deadline for applications is March 19, 2017. For full details on job description, required qualifications, and application procedures please visit our Job opportunities page.
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