Post Doctoral Fellow

The Better Government Lab conducts empirical field-based research to assess the impact and effectiveness of interventions and policies aimed at improving the capacity and quality of government, and includes faculty based in both the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and the Ford School School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

The Post-Doctoral Fellow would engage in research projects related to measuring and reducing administrative burden in safety net programs and would work closely with the project’s PIs (Sebastian Jilke, Jeremy Barofsky, and Eric Giannella) and other researchers at the Better Government Lab. The position is for one year. We are seeking candidates with a start date of August 2026, or earlier. We seek candidates with strong data science skills, and especially those with a background in public management/ administration and adjacent fields. Interest in and knowledge of safety net programs, administrative burden and/or civic tech and digital governance - including the responsible use and development of AI - is also preferred.

The position will not require any teaching and has flexibility for geographical location in accordance with Georgetown’s telework policy.

The Postdoctoral Fellow will:

• Help to develop identify research opportunities and develop a research plan;
• Complete Georgetown IRB training and requirements for the project;
• Interact with counterparts in relevant civic technology firms and state governments;
• Perform data analysis and interpretation;
• Distill findings into reports, policy memos and academic publications;
• Present project designs and results at government and external conferences and meetings;
• Support other research at the Better Government Labs.

The ideal candidate will have solid knowledge and experience in public management/administration or adjacent fields, conducting program evaluation and substantive topics of interest to BGL. A strong data science background is preferred.