STAR Lab Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Economics and Financial Well-Being Harvard University in United States

Harvard University’s Sustainability, Transparency, and Accountability Research (STAR) Lab at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs is inviting applications for a Postdoctoral Fellow focused on behavioral economics, financial well-being, and related social-impact research.

The fellowship is designed for early-career scholars who have recently completed a PhD in economics, business, psychology, public policy, political science, statistics, or a related field. The research agenda centers on applying behavioral science insights—such as present bias, cognitive capacity, inattention bias, social influence, and trust—to the design of financial products and services that help customers improve financial outcomes.

The project is being developed in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). The fellow will work on large-sample behavioral data, surveys, and lab/field experiments, and will collaborate closely with CBA teams and the STAR Lab director. The role is full-time and includes authorship or co-authorship of published papers.

Funding: annual salary of $90,000, standard Harvard employee benefits, and research-related travel support to Sydney. The appointment begins on 2026-08-01 and ends on 2026-11-30, with a possible extension of 6 months.

Eligibility highlights: PhD must be completed before the start date; applicants who earned the degree within one year of the start date must provide degree verification. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submission is encouraged.

Application materials: cover letter, curriculum vitae, and statement of research. Two references are required (up to three allowed).