Research Assistant Program
The Research Assistant (RA) program at the Boston Fed is a two-year program designed for recent college graduates with a background in economics, math, statistics, or related fields. RAs work with economists on a variety of research projects and provide support for ongoing analysis of the New England, U.S., and global economies and monetary policy, as well as bank regulation, the payments system, and financial markets.
If you are interested in gaining meaningful work experience, expanding your career options, and serving the public, we encourage you to apply for our Research Assistant Program. Working as a research assistant for the Boston Fed can be an excellent step along your career path.
Currently Accepting Applications 
Apply early! We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis through the submission
deadline of September 30, 2025.
Read more about the day-to-day of a Research Assistant, qualifications required, and the
application process.
Research assistants provide computational and research-related support to the
economists of the Boston Fed. Learn more about our current research assistants and
their interests. You can also read testimonials from former Research Assistants.
Visit our Economists’ biography pages for more information on their primary fields of
research, biographies, work experiences, and other information.
Department Sections and Areas of Focus
Macro Monetary Group
The Macro Monetary Group studies topics related to monetary and fiscal policies, and the macroeconomy. The group’s work includes regularly producing policy analysis in these areas to support briefings for the Bank President in preparation for her participation in FOMC meetings and other policy discussions. Economists in the group also conduct relevant, high quality, longer-term academic style research on a variety of related topics. Recent and ongoing research projects examine the transmission of monetary and fiscal policies, relationships between rent and housing inflation, fundamental drivers of inflation, the links between industrial composition and inflation dynamics, determinants of inflation expectations, the impacts of sectoral shocks in an open economy, and the relationship between the global network of equity investments and asset prices.
Economists: Jenny Tang, Chris Cotton, Vaishali Garga, Danilo Leiva-León, Viacheslav Sheremirov, Ethan McClure
Macro Finance Group
The Macro Finance Group conducts research on a wide range of topics, including banking, financial markets and institutions, asset pricing, payments technologies, and financial stability. The group’s work includes regularly producing policy analysis in these areas to support briefings for the Bank President in preparation for her participation in FOMC meetings and other policy discussions. The Macro Finance section also supports the Bank's Macro Prudential Steering Committee, which examines the intersection between financial markets and the real economy, helping to inform the Bank's policy decisions and initiatives. Recent research produced by the group has explored the role of firm leverage in the vulnerability of firms during crises, the effects of stress testing on banks' portfolios and systemic risk, the impact of regulatory constraints on Treasury markets and dollar exchange rates, the spillover of geopolitical risks to global banks, and the role of fintech on small businesses credit.
Economists: Falk Braeuning, Jose Fillat, Leslie Shen, Joanna Stavins, J. Christina Wang
Household Decision-Making Group
The Household Decision-Making Group studies topics related to the labor markets, housing, consumer behavior and household finance. The group’s work includes regularly producing policy analysis in these areas to support briefings for the Bank President in preparation for her participation in FOMC meetings and other policy discussions. Economists in the group also conduct relevant, high quality, longer-term academic style research on a variety of related topics. Recent and ongoing research projects examine the interaction between house prices and rent, student loans and their impact on other forms of consumer credit, the role of industrial policy on employment and wages, and an improved understanding of the forces that cause workers to switch jobs.
Economists: Daniel Cooper, Chris Foote, Dhiren Patki, Paul Willen, Aditya Soenarjo, Andrea Cerrato
Macro International Group
The Macro International Group studies topics related to the international macroeconomic environment, global financial conditions, the international coordination of economic policies, and cross-country analyses of medium and long-run economic trends. The group’s work includes regularly producing policy analysis in these areas to support briefings for the Bank President in preparation for her participation in FOMC meetings and other policy discussions. Economists in the group also conduct relevant, high quality, longer-term academic style research on a variety of related topics. Recent and ongoing research projects examine the macroeconomic effects of international shocks such as geopolitical risks, transport costs or tariffs, how global financial and production networks transmit shocks across economies, the global drivers of inflation and inflation expectations, the comparison of productivity trends across developed economies, and the role of global banks on the international markets for US debt and US dollars.
Economists: Philippe Andrade, Omar Barbiero, Alvaro Silva, Hillary Stein
New England Public Policy Center
The New England Public Policy Center aims to promote better public policy in New England by conducting and disseminating objective, high-quality research and analysis on strategically identified regional economic and policy issues. The NEPPC team is a group of applied micro economists and policy analysts with expertise is labor and health economics, public finance, regional economics, education and demography.
Economists: Mary Burke, Osborne Jackson, Pinghui Wu, Jeffrey Thompson, Bo Zhao