About us
About the Institute for Global Prosperity
The Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) at UCL was founded in October 2014 as part of The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment.
IGP works towards a prosperous and sustainable global future grounded in fairness and justice. Its research asks what prosperity means to people in different places and develops new ways to measure it, drawing on researchers from across UCL and beyond. IGP works closely with decision-makers, business, civil society, and communities, so that knowledge from outside academia shapes the research.
IGP has research partnerships in the UK, Lebanon, Tanzania, Greece, and other countries. Its UK work includes the East London Longitudinal Study of household prosperity and the Citizen Prosperity Index. IGP’s Productivity Research Programme studies what holds back work, earnings, and productivity in the UK. The IGP Data Team, led by the Head of Data, carries out IGP’s quantitative research and builds its measures.
About the Project
Insecure Lives, Inactive Economies: Mapping Livelihood Insecurity and Economic Inactivity to Tackle Place-Based Inequalities is a three-year project funded by UCL Grand Challenges. It asks whether insecurities in people’s livelihoods stack up, so that each additional insecurity makes it harder to stay in work and to work productively. The project extends IGP’s Secure Livelihoods Index (SLI) with measures of cognitive load and mental health and builds a new Economic Inactivity Index. It then uses Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study, to follow people as insecurity builds up and as they move into and out of work.
The project will also produce an atlas of livelihood insecurity and economic inactivity for Mayoral Strategic Authority and local authority areas in England. Working with UCL Public Policy, it takes this evidence to the Mayoral Strategic Authorities, where it informs local diagnostics and the design and testing of interventions in partner regions. Dr Nikolaos Tzivanakis, IGP’s Head of Data, leads the project.
About the role
The Research Fellow will lead the project’s econometric analysis. Using Understanding Society, the post holder will study how stacked livelihood insecurity relates to movements out of work and to lower earnings and productivity. They will test how far the evidence supports a pathway from stacked insecurity, through cognitive burden, to economic inactivity. The work calls for event-study and transition models on panel data, and close attention to identification, since health shocks can drive both insecurity and withdrawal from work.
The post holder will also estimate the regional economic costs of insecurity and inactivity, expressed in the terms that growth plans and productivity frameworks use. As the project moves into implementation, the post turns increasingly to applied work with partner regions. This covers local diagnostics, targeting criteria, baselines, and monitoring indicators for pilot interventions, and the analysis of take-up and early outcomes.
About you
We are looking for an applied econometrician with a background in labour economics, ideally with research on productivity, economic inactivity, or health and work. The post holder will be a core member of IGP’s Productivity Research Programme and will be supported to develop their own research and publications within it.
Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD. If this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6, with payment at Grade 7 backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis, including corrections.
Please see the attached Job Description for full details of role, responsibilities and personal specification.
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits, some of which are below:
41 Days holiday - pro-rata (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
On-Site nursery
On-site gym
Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
Discounted medical insurance
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
We particularly encourage applications from candidates underrepresented in UCL’s workforce, including those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, and – for Grade 9 and 10 roles – women.
Read more: UCL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Applicants should also familiarise themselves with UCL’s policies on: Prevention of Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy and Personal Relationships Policy.
Research Fellow in Applied Econometrics in London employer: UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
UCL's Information Services Division (ISD) is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration among over 50,000 staff and students. With a commitment to employee growth, ISD provides extensive benefits including 41 days of holiday, a defined benefit pension scheme, and opportunities for professional development in cutting-edge technology areas. Located in the heart of London, UCL promotes a diverse and inclusive culture, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in higher education.
