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Research Associate Program

The research associate (RA) program at the Boston Fed is a two-year program designed for recent college graduates with a bachelor’s or master’s in economics, math, statistics, or a related field. RAs work with economists in the Bank’s Research Department on a variety of projects. They provide support for ongoing analysis of the New England, U.S., and global economies and monetary policy. RAs also assist with studies of bank regulation, the payments system, and financial markets. Working as an RA for the Boston Fed can be a valuable step along your career path. If you want to gain meaningful work experience, expand your career options, and serve the public, we encourage you to apply for the program.

The Role of a Research Associate — An Overview

  • Assist economists with time-critical analysis of current economic data for important monetary policy work. This includes gathering and interpreting data and preparing material that will be used for briefings on regional and national economic conditions.
  • Perform data collection, statistical and econometric analysis, and literature reviews. RAs may also coauthor articles and prepare presentations in support of scholarly research projects.

Day-to-Day Activities

  • Review, organize, and analyze economic and financial data.
  • Write programs using statistical software such as STATA, MATLAB, R, or SAS.
  • Conduct economic research for policy memos and articles intended for publication in academic journals, on bostonfed.org, and in business periodicals.
  • Conduct literature reviews and prepare written summaries of data analysis for economists.
  • Prepare charts and tables using spreadsheet and graphic software packages.
  • Design programs to analyze data, perform statistical tests, and run regressions. Update and maintain data series regularly used by economists.
  • Proofread and fact-check articles and papers.

Qualifications

  • A bachelor’s in economics, math, statistics, computer science, international relations or a related field with a concentration in economics
  • Strong analytical, communications, and organizational skills
  • Experience with statistical software packages and knowledge of statistics and econometrics
  • Previous economic research experience or involvement in an independent research project is helpful, as well as fact-checking and proofreading papers, reports, and memos.

Other Requirements

  • U.S. citizenship or permanent residency

How To Apply

Cover Letter

Your cover letter should be addressed to Jeffrey Kelley, Recruiting Manager. It should include your statement of interest in the position, discuss how an RA position at the Boston Fed relates to your career aspirations, and describe the qualities and skills that make you a good candidate.

Resume

Your resume should include the college or colleges you attended, your areas of concentration, your overall undergraduate GPA as well as your major GPA, your graduate GPA (if applicable), computer skills, and relevant work experience.

Writing Sample

Your writing sample should be three to five pages, preferably on an economics topic, and it should include technical content. An excerpt from a paper you wrote for an undergraduate economics class or from your thesis can serve as your writing sample.

College transcript

We will accept an unofficial transcript as part of your application. If you become a finalist for a position, we will ask you to submit an official transcript.

Recommendation letters

Two letters of recommendation are required, and one must be from an economics professor. Letters should be emailed to Bos.RA.Recruiting@bos.frb.org. They should include your name in the subject line of the email, and they should be addressed to Sonia Pierre, Business Support Specialist.

How We Support Your Success

RAs are presented with tremendous opportunities for professional and intellectual development. These experiences build knowledge of economics as well as analytical, quantitative, and writing skills that can be used to pursue advanced studies in a variety of fields.

Training

RAs have access to numerous training opportunities. Through our in-house program, they can learn how to use MATLAB, Stata, SAS, R, and Python, as well as databases such as Bloomberg, Global Insight/FAME, Haver, and Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS). The Bank's generous tuition-reimbursement program and flexible work schedules encourage RAs to take advantage of the excellent academic institutions in Greater Boston. Each year, RAs enroll in a variety of graduate courses at Harvard University, MIT, Boston University, and other local universities.

Economic Seminars

RAs are invited to attend weekly in-house seminars, where prominent economists present their research and receive feedback. These seminars educate RAs on a broad range of current economic research and expose them to the scholarly peer review process.

Library and Database Access

RAs have access to a vast library of books, periodicals/journals, newspapers, and data sets through our Economic Research Information Center. The Boston Fed is a member of the Online Catalog Library Center network, which includes more than 40,000 library collections from around the world. RAs can also request books from other Federal Reserve Banks and from universities, and they can gain access to numerous subscription-only databases.

Culture and Values

The Boston Fed prides itself on its collegial and supportive environment. RAs assist each other in developing their analytical and programming skills, and they play a central role in helping the Bank achieve its goals and objectives.

In addition to the previously noted benefits, the Boston Fed offers a highly competitive benefits package which includes an employer-matching 401(K) savings plan; a commuter transportation subsidy; health, dental, and vision insurance options; paid vacation and sick leave; and an on-site fitness center and cafeteria. RAs are also encouraged to get involved in numerous Bank-sponsored activities and volunteer opportunities.

How we Invest in You

Meet the Current Research Associates

Cecilia Chapineau
Western Michigan University
Cecelia is interested in the intersection of debt, inequality, and consumer spending behaviors.
Liam Chentoufi
Pace University
Liam is interested in macroeconomics, real-financial interactions, and monetary policy. He finds particularly intriguing the often-self-fulfilling nature of expectations and the effects of forward guidance.
Maxwell Cozean
Brown University
Max’s research interests lie in applied microeconomics, with a focus on labor economics and the economics of education.
Anna Durall
Macalester College
Anna is interested in political economy (both macro and micro), rural development, and public policy.
Caleb Fitzpatrick
Drexel University (M.S.), Liberty University (B.S.)
Caleb is interested in researching quality-of-life differences across the income and wealth spectrums. This includes questions about how quality of life is measured, how institutions can help mitigate inequalities in quality of life, and the willingness of individuals to participate in programs designed to help improve the quality of life of others.
Benjamin Grzyb
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Benjamin's research interests include monetary policy, the Phillips curve, and financial crises.
Rees Hagler
Rutgers University
Rees' research interests include education, health, and immigration. She is particularly motived by the intersection of these topics with public policy and is excited by the opportunity to support research that contributes to informed policy decisions.
Nick Hall
University of Connecticut (M.P.P., B.A.)
Nick's research interests are applied microeconomics, labor economics, and industrial organization.
Sophie Handley
Michigan State University
Sophie's research interests include economic geography, industrial organization, and econometric methods. She is particularly interested in methods of estimating nonlinear relationships and geographic heterogeneity in policy effects.
Insoo Kang
Boston University
Insoo is interested in using macroeconomics and finance to better understand how monetary and financial issues impact commercial lending across different financial institutions.
Caitlin Kawamura
College of the Holy Cross
Caitlin's broad research focuses include education and the environment, especially water rights. She is particularly interested in how economics can intersect with public policy to find solutions to political problems.
Cole Kurokawa
University of Connecticut
The areas that particularly interest Cole are macroeconomics, financial economics, monetary policy, financial stability and regulation, and economic history.
Annie (Nini) Liu
University of Edinburgh (M.A. Hons)
Annie's research interests lie in applied microeconomics, particularly labor, health, and urban economics. She firmly believes that economic research can be leveraged via policy to bridge the gap between academia and the real world and create meaningful change.
Alejandra Guadarrama-Mojica
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Alejandra's research interests lie at the intersection of environmental and development economics. She is also interested in labor economics with a concentration in gender and socioeconomic inequality.
Nathaniel Nelson
University of Minnesota
Nathaniel's research interests include applied microeconomics, labor economics, econometrics, and political economy.
Ara Patvakanian
University of Pennsylvania
Ara's research interests center on the intersection of macroeconomic modeling, financial economics, and monetary policy.
Kathryn Peaquin
London School of Economics (M.Sc.), Boston College (B.A.)
Kathryn's primary research interest centers on how the intersection of law, economics, and finance can be utilized to craft legislation and public policy focused on ensuring inclusive and sustainable economies.
Lilia Qian
Duke University
Lilia's interests are in the philosophy of science and the history of economic thought.
John Saunders
University at Buffalo (SUNY)
John's research interests include inflation, currency, and inequality.
Jack Terry
London School of Economics and Auburn University
Jack’s research interests are in macroeconomics, growth and development, and economic history.
Maximillian Worth
Grinnell College
Maximillian's research interests are causal inference and applied microeconomics with a focus toward public policy.
Anthony Yang
Boston College
Anthony is interested in applied econometrics, causal inference, consumer spending, and public policy.

Research Department Sections and Areas of Focus

Macro Monetary Group

The Macro Monetary Group studies topics related to monetary and fiscal policies and the macroeconomy.

Economists: Jenny Tang, Christopher Cotton, Vaishali Garga, Danilo Leiva-León, Ethan McClure, and Viacheslav Sheremirov

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.

Economists: Falk Braeuning, Jose Fillat, Leslie Shen, and J. Christina Wang

Household Decision-Making Group

The Household Decision-Making Group studies topics related to labor markets, housing, consumer behavior, and household finance.

Economists: Daniel Cooper, Andrea Cerrato, Christopher Foote, Dhiren Patki, Aditya Soenarjo, and Paul Willen

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.

Economists: Philippe Andrade, Omar Barbiero, Alvaro Silva, and 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. When appropriate, Center staff work with regional and Bank partners to advance identified policy objectives.

Economists: Jeffrey Thompson, Mary Burke, Osborne Jackson, Pinghui Wu, and Bo Zhao

Frequently Asked Questions