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Details

Title STAR Lab Postdoctoral Fellow

School Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

Position Description

The Sustainability, Transparency, and Accountability Research ( STAR ) Lab (https://starlab.wcfia.harvard.edu/) at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University invites applications for two postdoctoral fellowships. These fellowships aim to support postdoctoral scholars who have recently completed their PhD in economics, business, psychology, public policy, political science, environmental science, statistics, or related fields, and whose research interests include private sector initiatives aimed at generating positive social and environmental impacts.

We offer two fellowships associated with a set of related research projects to be conducted in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia ( CBA ) to examine applications of insights from behavioral economics to the design of financial products and services aimed at helping customers take action to reduce carbon emissions and make decisions that improve their financial wellbeing. The research would focus on core insights from behavioral science associated with present bias, cognitive capacity, inattention bias, social influence, and trust. It would aim to test interventions based upon these insights that help individuals better align their actions with their intentions to help address the climate crisis and improve their financial outcomes. The projects would be developed and completed in collaboration with CBA . Primary methods would include analysis of large-sample behavioral data, surveys, and lab and field experiments.

The projects will focus on products that incorporate behavioral insights to help customers overcome behavioral challenges to take climate action and to improve their financial wellbeing, and may include: green loans for improving home energy efficiency (e.g., via installation of rooftop solar systems), financing for EVs, help with climate resilience (e.g., for relocation, renovation, preparedness, insurance), emergency savings plans and accounts, support for loan and credit card repayments, support for home buying and mortgage decisions, support for avoiding and recovering from persistent debt, digital banking features to support financial management and budgeting, assistance for victims of domestic violence, and assistance for indigenous communities and at-risk groups.

The postdoctoral fellows will be expected to work full-time on these projects with STAR Lab faculty affiliates (https://starlab.wcfia.harvard.edu/people?f%5B0%5D=hwp\_c\_affiliation123456%3A118335) , coordinating with CBA teams and the Director of STAR Lab and serving as authors or co-authors of published papers. The fellows will be based at STAR Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts but may also spend a period of time in Sydney at CBA offices to complete work on projects.

Duration

These two fellowships are short-term positions: beginning from September 1, 2025, or October 1, 2025, and ending December 31, 2025, with the possibility of an extension to December 31, 2026.

Benefits

Fellows will be compensated based on an annual salary of $82,400 along with standard Harvard employee benefits and funding for research-related travel to Sydney.

Basic Qualifications

Eligible applicants must have recently completed their PhD in the fields of economics, business, psychology, public policy, political science, environmental science, statistics, or another related field. PhD degree/diploma must be conferred prior to fellowship start date of 9/1/2025. An electronic PDF copy of doctoral degree verification is required for candidates who have received their degree within one year of the effective start date – either a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution or a letter from the institution’s registrar is acceptable. Such documentation should state that all requirements for the degree have been successfully completed and should verify the date the degree has been or will be conferred.

Additional Qualifications

Special Instructions

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Contact Information

Catherine H. Nehring

Coordinator, STAR Lab

Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

Harvard University

Contact Email [email protected]

Equal Opportunity Employer

EEO /Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity (https://hr.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum6281/files/2025-04/reaffirmation\_statement.pdf) and non-discrimination (https://provost.harvard.edu/files/provost/files/non-discrimination\_and\_anti-bullying\_policies.pdf) . We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard’s academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity (https://hr.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum6281/files/2025-04/reaffirmation\_statement.pdf) policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university’s non-discrimination policy (https://provost.harvard.edu/files/provost/files/non-discrimination\_and\_anti-bullying\_policies.pdf) . Harvard’s equal employment opportunity (https://hr.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum6281/files/2025-04/reaffirmation\_statement.pdf) policy and non-discrimination policy (https://provost.harvard.edu/files/provost/files/non-discrimination\_and\_anti-bullying\_policies.pdf) help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.

Minimum Number of References Required 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed 3

Keywords

Sustainability

Corporate responsibility

Behavioral economics

Behavioral insights

Supplemental Questions