Job Abstract

The O’Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics and Finance, housed jointly in the Haas School of Business and the Department of Economics, seeks applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar-Employee (Title Code 3252), with expertise in behavioral economics or behavioral finance, and strong econometric or theory training.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will be part of Berkeley’s O’Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics and Finance, housed jointly in the Haas School of Business and the Department of Economics. The center’s mission is to support rigorous academic research in various areas of behavioral economics, including all areas of applied microeconomics, financial economics, macro-finance, political economy, public economics, and health economics. We also pursue research in collaboration with researchers in neuroscience, cognitive science, and medicine. Ulrike Malmendier and Stefano Della Vigna, both joint faculty members at the Haas School of Business and the Department of Economics, co-direct the center. Faculty from the departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Economics, the Haas Business School, the School of Public Health, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Information School are affiliated with the initiative. Ulrike Malmendier will be the primary faculty lead. Areas of research interest include, but are not limited to:

-models and empirical evidence of belief formation in macro-finance, especially work on experience effects and memory formation;
-household decision-making: household finance, health choices, consumption
-firm decision-making: corporate finance and in particular managerial biases, including overconfidence, sunk-cost fallacy, and hindsight bias;
-neuroscience foundations of modern models of belief formation and economic/financial decision-making mental health, trauma.

Applicants are expected to pitch their existing research. They may also at their discretion (1) propose possible areas of
collaboration, including concrete project ideas, and (2) contribute to possible projects of collaboration proposed by us.

Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree), or enrolled in a Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) program at the time of application.

• Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) by the start date.
• No more than two years of post-degree research experience.

All candidates with a Ph.D. (or equivalent international degree) by start date in economics, finance, and related fields with interest in studying themes related to behavioral economics behavioral finance, and applied economics are invited to apply.
Scholars with strengths in applied microeconometrics, field experiments, and applied data science (including machine learning and computational methods for working with unstructured data) are particularly encouraged.

• 2-4 letters of reference required

UC Berkeley is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The excellence of the institution requires an environment in which the diverse community of faculty, students, and staff are welcome and included. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and skill related to ensuring equity and inclusion in the activities of their academic position (e.g., teaching, research, and service, as applicable).

The University of California, Berkeley is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or protected veteran status.

Please refer to the University of California’s Affirmative Action Policy and the University of California’s Anti-Discrimination Policy.

In searches when letters of reference are required all letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality prior to submitting their letter.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.