Research Associate (Postdoctoral Scholar) in Wealth Inequality - Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality

Research Associate (Postdoctoral Scholar) in Wealth Inequality - Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality

GENERAL DUTIES

Conducts academic research in connection with CUNY programs; may assist faculty, staff, and students in conducting research and lead research efforts involving others.

• Develops research plans and proposals and participates in acquiring funding

• Collects, analyzes, and assures validity of data

• Writes progress reports; writes and publishes findings

• Collaborates with internal and external colleagues

• Adheres to standards for safety and hygiene and ethical conduct as defined by the University and relevant outside parties

CONTRACT TITLE

Research Associate

FLSA

Exempt

CAMPUS SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The Graduate Center, CUNY is the focal point for advanced teaching and research at The City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's largest urban public university. With over 35 doctoral and masters programs of the highest caliber, the Graduate Center fosters pioneering research and scholarship in the arts and sciences and prepares students for careers in universities and the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. The Graduate Centers commitment to research and scholarship for the public good is exemplified by its more than 30 centers, institutes, and initiatives, including its Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC), a 200,000 square-foot facility in upper Manhattan, designed to promote collaboration among scientists in five areas of global research and innovation: nanoscience, photonics, structural biology, neuroscience, and environmental sciences.

The Graduate Center (GC) benefits from highly ambitious and diverse students and alumniwho in turn teach hundreds of thousands of undergraduates every year. Through its public programs, the Graduate Center enhances New York Citys intellectual and cultural life.

STONE CENTER

The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality conducts and promotes quantitative research using inequality as a lens on society, politics, and the economy. The core faculty, the affiliated and postdoctoral scholars, and the students working within the center share a commitment to scholarship that is data-driven, interdisciplinary, and policy-oriented, often addressing questions that are cross-nationally comparative or global in scope.

The Stone Center:

• Is home to a group of six core faculty members (senior scholars) who teach sociology, political science, and economics, and whowith graduate students and external affiliated scholarsare actively engaged in research addressing diverse aspects of socio-economic inequalities;

• Hosts the US Office of LIS, the cross-national data center in Luxembourg, with socio-economic microdata from 60+ countries;

• Organizes public programs related to inequality and collaborates with the Graduate Centers Office of Public Programs on several large events each year.

For more information about the Stone Center visit

CALL FOR ONE POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR

The Stone Center seeks to hire a Research Associate (Postdoctoral Scholar) working on wealth and/or wealth inequality, to carry out research focused on the United States, on other countries, or through cross-country comparisons. This position reports to the Stone Center Director and is a full-time two-year position beginning in August 2026.

Priority will be given to candidates conducting research in the following areas:

• Distribution of wealth, wealth inequality, wealth concentration;

• Intergroup wealth disparities (e.g., by gender, race, ethnicity, migration status);

• Intersection of wealth inequality, climate policies, and climate crisis:

• Determinants (including public policies) and consequences of wealth concentration;

• Estate, inheritance, gift, and wealth taxation, and/or other policies that shape wealth accumulation and wealth transfers. Behavioral responses from taxation and revenue analysis.

The allocation of time will be approximately as follows:

• 70% - The postdoctoral scholar will have the opportunity to work individually on their own research projects related to wealth.

• 30% - The postdoctoral scholar will join the ongoing team of the GC Wealth Project, led by Project Director Salvatore Morelli. The postdoctoral scholar will contribute to the Wealth Projects work, which includes gathering, curating, and producing data and research related to wealth inequality, wealth composition, and wealth taxation, across countries and over time; the precise role will be determined mutually. In this role, the postdoctoral scholar will work closely with other Wealth Project team members, including one other postdoctoral scholar, and will also supervise M.A./Ph.D. student research assistants.

All full-time and part-time CUNY staff are expected to work in-person at their campus office 70% of their work time. For full-time staff, this is equivalent to 7 out of 10 days of in-person work in a two-week period (e.g., 7 days in-person, 3 days remote). This hybrid work schedule is subject to change.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Doctoral Degree in a related field and demonstrated research ability.

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

A preferred candidate should have:

• Ph.D. degree in economics, sociology, political science, demography, public policy, or a related social science discipline

• Applicants must have completed their Ph.D. no more than seven years prior to the application date;

• Applicants must demonstrate that their Ph.D. degree will be completed by August 2026;

• Research portfolio that demonstrates interest in and experience with empirical, methodological, or theoretical scholarship on socio-economic inequality, with a focus on the content areas noted above;

• High level of technical skill, expertise in a range of quantitative methods, and experience with complex data sets;

• Experience with communicating research findings in a way that is relevant to the public.

COMPENSATION

$90,000/year plus an allowance for research-related expenditures, as well as an allowance for hiring research assistants from the Graduate Centers student population. This position is generously funded by the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation.

BENEFITS

CUNY offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees and eligible dependents based on job title and classification. Employees are also offered pension and Tax-Deferred Savings Plans. Part-time employees must meet a weekly or semester work hour criteria to be eligible for health benefits. Health benefits are also extended to retirees who meet the eligibility criteria.

HOW TO APPLY

Please click on Apply Now below which links to the registration screen. If you are a new user, you must register to apply. If you already have a user ID, please use your existing ID. The following are all required:

1. Curriculum vitae.

2. Statement of interest, not to exceed 1,500 words. The statement of interest should:

a. Summarize your qualifications, and describe your past work related to wealth inequality.

b. Include a brief description of the projects that you hope/expect to carry out during the two-year period.

c. Indicate whether you have a Ph.D. degree and the month and year in which you attained your Ph.D. degree.

d.If you do not have a Ph.D. degree at the time of application, please indicate the month and year by which you will have a Ph.D. degree.

1. One writing sample. Please do not submit multiple writing samples.

2. Contact details for three (3) professional references, including their name, title, organization, telephone numbers, and email addresses. Letters of recommendation are not required with the initial application.

Please upload all documents in PDF format.

Timeline:

The search committee will complete an initial round of screening. Candidates selected for further review will be asked to provide three letters of recommendation. The search committee will then complete a second round of screening and candidates retained for further review will be invited for an interview with the Search Committee. All interviews will be conducted remotely via Zoom.

Scholars studying facets of intergenerational mobility and/or poverty may choose to apply for a different Stone Center postdoctoral scholar position, referenced here as Job ID 30454. Candidates whose work is appropriate to both positions are welcome to apply to both.

CLOSING DATE

November 3, 2025

JOB SEARCH CATEGORY

CUNY Job Posting: Managerial/Professional

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

CUNY encourages people with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply. At CUNY, Italian Americans are also included among our protected groups. Applicants and employees will not be discriminated against on the basis of any legally protected category, including sexual orientation or gender identity. EEO/AA/Vet/Disability Employer.

Job ID

30453

Location

Graduate Center