Behavior Change Research Specialist

About the Employer

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

As an employer, Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes, which named Penn one of America's Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The university is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

Job Profile Title

Research Specialist A

Job Description Summary

The Behavior Change for Good (BCFG) Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, led by Professors Katherine Milkman and Angela Duckworth, is conducting large-scale field experiments designed to promote sustained behavior change across multiple domains. The world-class team of scientific experts can continually test and improve behavior change programs by seamlessly incorporating the latest insights from their research into massive random-assignment experiments.

Job Description

The Predoctoral Researcher will work closely with Professors Milkman and Duckworth and the BCFG Team on the development and evaluation of behavior change interventions across a wide variety of settings. The Predoctoral Researcher will manage and coordinate significant multi-site research projects for BCFG and for Professor Milkman's Lab.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and implement research designs, Handle data collection and management, Conduct data analysis, and prepare research reports.

Recent Papers

BCFG Predoctoral Researchers have contributed to the following recent papers:
* Duckworth et al. (2025). A National Megastudy Shows that Email Nudges to Elementary School Teachers Boost Student Math Achievement, Particularly When Personalized. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
* Milkman et al. (2024). Megastudy Shows that Reminders Boost Vaccination but Adding Free Rides Does Not. Nature.
* Milkman et al. (2022). A Citywide Experiment Testing the Impact of Geographically Targeted, High-Pay-Off Vaccine Lotteries. Nature Human Behavior.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree with 1-2 years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. A background in Economics, Psychology, Behavioral Economics, or Behavioral Science is preferred. The ideal candidate will have a strong attention to detail, taken classes on Econometrics, and be proficient in either Stata or R, and comfortable working on Unix servers.

Benefits

The University of Pennsylvania offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Special Requirements

Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job. University benefits include health, life, and flexible spending accounts; tuition assistance; generous retirement plans; time away from work; long-term care insurance; wellness and work-life resources; professional and personal development; university resources; discounts and special services; and flexible work hours.

Pay Range

The annual salary range for this position is $45,278.00 - $50,000.00.