Postdoc: Mining and Local Development in Zambia

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks an outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar (postdoc) to support a multi-year research initiative evaluating the social and economic impacts of the exploitation of KoBold’s Mingomba copper mine in Chililabombwe, Zambia—the largest high quality copper mine in the world. The project combines large-scale household surveys, a regression discontinuity design to measure the causal effects of mine employment, and historical research on the Copperbelt. The postdoc will report to Berkeley-based CEGA affiliated PI Jonathan Weigel, and work in close collaboration with Co-Investigators Edward Miguel (UC Berkeley), Anja Benshaul-Tolonen (Barnard/Columbia), and Dale Mudenda (University of Zambia).

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge empirical research on resource extraction, labor markets, and community welfare in Sub-Saharan Africa, while engaging with academic and policy audiences.

The position is full-time, based in Berkeley, California.

Description

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research, training and innovation headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley. We generate insights that decision-makers can use to improve policies, programs, and people’s lives. Our best-in-class academic network includes nearly 200 faculty, 80 scholars from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)—primarily from East and West Africa—and hundreds of graduate students from diverse academic disciplines who produce rigorous evidence about what works to expand education, health, and economic opportunities for people living in poverty. Our business model involves curating policy-relevant research agendas in collaboration with development leaders, overseeing competitive grant-making to answer critical questions, investing in research capacity, and strategically connecting research and ideas to inform decision-making by governments, NGOs, and the private sector.

Key Responsibilities

The postdoc will:

• Lead the development and implementation of survey instruments for a panel survey of 4,000 households across 400 villages, including sampling design, census operations, and field protocols.
• Coordinate with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Zambia on field implementation, quality control, and data management.
• Oversee baseline and endline data collection for a worker regression discontinuity (RD) study, leveraging applicant scoring data from KoBold to credibly estimate the causal impact of mine employment on household welfare.
• Conduct statistical analysis of panel and RD data using Stata, R, or Python, contributing to both academic outputs and policy-facing publications.
• Engage with Zambian academic partners, local stakeholders, and international organizations to ensure policy relevance and dissemination.
• Contribute to grant writing, project administration, and dissemination activities, including presentations at conferences and workshops.
• Mentor a team of research associates, graduate students, and CEGA fellows (including a University of Zambia PhD/postdoc fellow based at Berkeley), providing technical guidance and support.
   

Required qualification:

• PhD in Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, Statistics, or a related field at the time of appointment.
• Strong training in applied econometrics and causal inference methods (e.g., difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, panel data methods).
• Demonstrated experience with large-scale field surveys, preferably in low- or middle-income countries.
• Proficiency in statistical software (Stata, R, or Python).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including ability to produce publications and translate technical findings for non-academic audiences.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Research experience in African economic development, natural resources, or labor markets.
• Familiarity with managing partnerships with implementing organizations (e.g., IPA, NGOs, government agencies).
• Record of academic publication in development economics, political economy, or related fields.
• Experience managing research teams and mentoring junior researchers.
• Capacity to work independently while contributing to a collaborative, multi-institution research team.
• Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, local communities, and private sector partners.
   

Appointment Duration, Salary, and Benefits

This is a 1.5-year full-time position with possibility for extension pending funding. Starting annual salary for this position is set per the rates below and standard UC Berkeley postdoc benefits will be provided.

Postdoc Step 0 | Level 0 (0 – 11 months)| $88,073

Postdoc Step 1  | Level 1 (12 – 23 months) | $90,631

Postdoc Step 2  | Level 2 (24 – 35 months) | $93,281

Postdoc Step 3  | Level 3 (36 – 47 months) | $96,030

Postdoc Step 4 | Level 4 (48 – 59 months) | $98,880

Postdoc Step 5  | Level 5 (60 – 71 months) | $101,835

How to Apply

Submit a CV, cover letter, writing sample, PhD transcript, contact information for three professional references (at least 2 of which are academic) 

Application deadline: 

Next review date: December 1. Apply before this date to ensure your application is reviewed. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

We will offer awards to support original research led by faculty at CEGA-Affiliated universities (Faculty Affiliate status for the main applicant is required). Up to $40,000 will be made available for Faculty Affiliates in Fall 2025:

1) Up to $20,000 

Proposed research must involve rigorous evaluation of programs or policies designed to alleviate poverty and promote social or economic development in low- and middle- income countries. Grant funds may be used to cover travel and lodging, data collection or access, data analysis, and related activities. Grants may not be used for researcher salaries nor for F&A/Overhead/Indirect Costs.

Researchers that have previously received CEGA funding are eligible for additional CEGA funding if they have completed requested retrospective surveys, interim and final reports, or other required deliverables.

Deadline: November 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Eligibility Criteria: CEGA Faculty Affiliate Status

Application Process:

Please complete the Application Form. Applications must include a proposal describing the research (no more than 2 pages) and a budget. 

We will offer two types of awards to support original research led by UC Berkeley PhD students. A total of approximately $80,000 will be made available through this competition:

(1) travel grants up to $5,000 for scoping and/or short-term fieldwork;

(2) seed grants up to $20,000 for extensive, longer-term projects.

Proposed research must involve rigorous evaluation of programs or policies designed to alleviate poverty and promote social or economic development in low- and middle- income countries. Grant funds may be used to cover travel and lodging, data collection or access, data analysis, and related activities. Grants may not be used for student payment.

Researchers that have previously received CEGA funding are eligible for additional CEGA funding if they have completed requested retrospective surveys, interim and final reports, or other required deliverables.

Deadline: November 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Eligibility Criteria: Doctoral students at UC Berkeley can apply.

Each application must include a nomination from a CEGA faculty affiliate sponsor. The nomination should be emailed to Sam Bordia (bordia@berkeley.edu) by the submission deadline (simply stating, "I have reviewed the proposed research and agree to nominate the applicant for this award" is adequate). 

Application Process:

Please complete the Application Form. Applications must include a proposal describing the research (no more than 2 pages) and a budget. 

We will offer two types of awards to support original research led by PhD students at CEGA-affiliated Universities (not UCB). A total of up to approximately $50,000 will be made available through this call:

(1) travel grants up to $5,000 for scoping and/or short-term fieldwork;

(2) seed grants up to $20,000 for extensive, longer-term projects.

Proposed research must involve rigorous evaluation of programs or policies designed to alleviate poverty and promote social or economic development in low- and middle- income countries. Grant funds may be used to cover travel and lodging, data collection or access, data analysis, and related activities. Grants may not be used for student payment.

Researchers that have previously received CEGA funding are eligible for additional CEGA funding if they have completed requested retrospective surveys, interim and final reports, and/or other required deliverables.

Deadline: November 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Eligibility Criteria: Doctoral students at CEGA-Affiliated universities that are not UC Berkeley. Each application must include a nomination from a CEGA faculty affiliate sponsor. The nomination should be emailed to Sam Bordia (bordia@berkeley.edu) by the submission deadline (simply stating, "I have reviewed the proposed research and agree to nominate the applicant for this award" is adequate). 

Application Process: Please complete the Application Form. Applications must include a proposal describing the research (no more than 2 pages) and a budget. 

Please email Sam Bordia (bordia@berkeley.edu) with any inquiries.

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is inviting one scholar from Ecuador (see specific eligibility criteria below) to participate in a four-month rigorous research quantitative-focused fellowship at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, to be completed during the Spring 2026 academic semester (January-May 2026). We will select 1 fellow in this round who was born and raised in Ecuador, having completed (at least) up to secondary school in the country. Preference will be given to applicants currently based in Ecuador, although applicants from Ecuador but living outside the country will be considered. 

The fellowship will be focused on Forced Displacement. The fellow will be supported to study the effectiveness of programs designed to improve the lives and livelihoods of refugee, migrant and host community families—emphasizing a “two-generation” approach. The two-generation approach ensures that refugee and migrant children receive the care they need for their healthy development. At the same time, parents and caregivers earn an income, contributing economically and socially to their host communities and fostering resilience and self-esteem.

For this track, we will prioritize fellows from Ecuador who have experienced forced displacement, and are interested in conducting research in Ecuador. 

ELIGIBILITY 

For the Fellowship, applicants must: 

• Be fluent in English. 
• Be born and raised in Ecuador, having completed (at least) up to secondary school in the country. Preference will be given to applicants currently based in Ecuador, although applicants from Ecuador but living outside the country will be considered. 
• We will give preference to individuals with lived experience of displacement, including refugees, internally displaced peoples (IDPs), asylum seekers, returned refugees, returned IDPs, individuals under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate, members of host communities, and other groups or persons of concern to UNHCR (UNHCR). Note that citizenship will not be considered in determining eligibility for this fellowship. 
• Have completed a PhD within the last 8 years, or be enrolled in a PhD program in economics, statistics, epidemiology/public health, migration studies, or another social science discipline. We will consider candidates who have completed a Masters degree and are considering a PhD, in exceptional cases only. Please state your intent to pursue a PhD in your personal statement, or explain why the Masters is the terminal degree in your field;
• Have a current affiliation with a research institution, university or other research organization in South America, preferably one that supports policy-relevant, quantitative social science research; and
• Plan to return to a university or research institute in Ecuador or in the region after the fellowship. 

Women and people with a lived experience of forced displacement are strongly encouraged to apply.

The application deadline is 5:00 PM GMT on November 9, 2025.