We are excited to announce the beginning of this fall’s pre-doc hiring cycle
at the University
of Chicago Booth School of Business, and to provide information on how
these pre-doctoral positions can help your students. Pre-docs (sometimes
called Research Professionals or full-time RAs) are two-year appointments
working directly for faculty on their research in the quantitative social
sciences (QSS). Students who are interested in graduate study in QSS
fields but do not yet feel ready for a PhD program, or who are uncertain
whether they want to pursue a PhD, find these positions to be especially
useful. Students with rigorous quantitative backgrounds outside of the
social sciences (e.g., physics, engineering) have used the pre-doctoral path to
transition into QSS programs. Through their work for faculty, pre-docs
expand their research toolkit, learn more about the research process, and pick
up important credentialing through faculty letters of reference. These
are competitively paid positions with full benefits.
If you know of students at any stage in their undergraduate
career who might be interested in a research career, please encourage them to visit
our website to learn more. Students can sign
up to hear about new job opportunities when they are ready to apply (e.g.,
a freshman could sign up to hear about new postings in three years). The PREDOC
Consortium also provides a wealth of programming
and information sessions, as well as guides
to the pre-doc application process. PREDOC’s offerings are growing rapidly,
so students should check back frequently.
Staff at Booth and PREDOC are more than happy to answer any questions you have about pre-doctoral opportunities. Please reach out to ResearchProfessional@lists.chicagobooth.edu or info@predoc.org with any questions or to arrange a meeting