Research Analyst

Research Associate – Empirical Legal Studies

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

The University of Michigan Law School seeks a Research Associate in Empirical Legal Studies to support faculty empirical research projects relating to a variety of substantive fields in law and policy. The successful candidate will spend most of their time on data collection, management, analysis, and visualization. Research Associates collaborate with multiple faculty across a range of projects, assisting on all relevant aspects of those projects.

Research Associates will also acquire new skills as needed, collect and distill relevant literature, and assist in development of manuscripts for publication, presentations, and testimony.

• Using case‑level data to measure and interpret racial disparities in prosecutorial decision‑making;
• Studying homeowners' ability to understand consumer insurance contracts via survey responses;
• Exploring the role of beliefs about the legal enforce ability of non‑competition clauses in employment contracts;
• Investigating barriers to criminal record expungements and the labor market and public safety consequences of record clearing;
• Analyzing settlement contract terms to better understand the welfare consequences of settlement in litigation;
• Unpacking lessons from data from the National Registry of Exonerations; and,
• Interrogating the impact of technology in courts on pro se litigants' perceptions of procedural justice and access‑to‑justice.

• Bachelor's degree in statistics, economics, data science, or a social science discipline that requires quantitative methods training;
• Data management and analysis experience;
• Demonstrated capacity in quantitative research methods;
• Coding/programming experience in Stata, Python, R, or a similar program/language;
• Mastery of Microsoft Excel;
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, including the ability to track research and report project statistics;
• Excellent time‑management skills, demonstrated ability to handle multiple competing priorities and meet deadlines, and ability to work effectively with minimal supervision;
• Exceptional research and analytical writing skills.

• Any form of advanced training in statistics, economics, data science, or quantitative social science;
• Experience with ArcGIS or other mapping software.

The Initial appointment for the position is two to three years with the possibility for continuation; the position is ideal for candidates planning to apply to graduate programs in empirical economics, statistics, or another social science discipline involving quantitative methods.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.