Primary Responsibilities

Research Data Development:

• Collecting and integrating data from European databases (ARDECO, Eurostat, Penn World Table, World Bank, OECD)

• Constructing panel datasets for Central and Eastern European countries at the regional level

• Exploring and integrating firm-level data from multiple sources (Bureau van Dijk databases, national business registers, patent databases)

• Matching and merging firm-level data with regional indicators for micro-macro analysis

• Cleaning and harmonizing data across countries and time periods

• Constructing productivity measures, ownership indicators, and novel composite indices

• Aggregating firm-level data to create regional indicators (firm demographics, entry/exit rates, productivity distributions)

• Maintaining systematic documentation of all data sources and procedures

Empirical Analysis and Methodological Support:

• Performing statistical analyses and diagnostic tests for panel and spatial econometric models

• Supporting model estimation under the supervision of senior researchers

• Conducting robustness checks and sensitivity analyses

• Preparing tables, figures, and results for research papers

• Preparing datasets for meta-analyses

PhD Dissertation Development:

• Developing dissertation research questions in collaboration with the Principal Investigator

• Using project data and methods as a foundation for dissertation chapters

• Presenting progress at research meetings

What we offer

• Regular supervision and mentoring from the Principal Investigator and the international research team

• Expanding international research network

• Training in advanced econometric methods (panel data, spatial econometrics)

• Hands-on experience with regional productivity analysis and firm-level data

• Co-authorship on at least 2 publications in international peer-reviewed journals

• Support for conference attendance (1-2 per year, budget permitting)

• Guidance on academic publishing and career development

Institution:                                           University

of Lodz,  Department of Macroeconomics, Institute of Economics

City:                                                       Lodz

Position:                                                NCN

scholarship holder at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology in

the Department of Macroeconomics

Scientific discipline:                            economics

and finance

Date of advertisement:                       19/12/2025

Deadline for submitting offers:         15/02/2026

Link to the university website:           www.uni.lodz.pl

How to submit offers:                         applications

should be submitted electronically to the following address: pawel.gajewski@uni.lodz.pl

Keywords: competition for a scholarship position, NCN

 

Information about the scholarship

Research Assistant Position (PhD student / Master’s

degree level) – NCN project on Growth Traps in High-Income Countries.

Employment Terms:

•  Duration: 30 months, full-time
• Start date: March/April 2026 (flexible and negotiable)
• Location: University of Łódź, Faculty of Economics and Sociology
• Work arrangement: Hybrid (specific requirements to be discussed)
• Monthly stipend (two paths):
  • Path A – Candidate already enrolled in a Polish doctoral school: 4,500 PLN/month throughout the contract
  • Path B – Candidate holding or completing Master's degree: 3,000 PLN/month until Master's thesis defense and successful admission to a doctoral school; 4,500 PLN/month after doctoral school admission.
  • There is a possibility of combining the stipend with a statutory doctoral scholarship

Job description

The Faculty of Economics and Sociology, University of Lodz, invites applications for a Research Assistant position (30 months) on a research project investigating productivity dynamics, demographic change, and foreign direct investment in Central and Eastern European economies. The position is open to current PhD students or Master's students completing their thesis by June 2026.

We seek candidates who demonstrate strong quantitative skills, genuine curiosity about economic questions, and enthusiasm for learning new methods. Most importantly, we want someone intellectually curious, hardworking, and excited about both data work and working with experienced researchers.

This position offers an opportunity to work on macroeconomic and regional economics research while preparing a PhD dissertation under the supervision of prof. Pawel Gajewski.

The project involves collaboration with international researchers and aims to produce publications in high-quality journals.

Requirements

Education:

• Currently enrolled in PhD program in Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, or a related field, OR

• Master's degree (MA/MSc) completed or near completion (by June 2026) in Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, or related field

• Very strong academic record

  

Core Skills:

• Strong foundation in statistical analysis and data manipulation

• Ability to work with large datasets

• Proficiency in at least one statistical software package (Stata strongly preferred; R or Python acceptable)

• Ability to read and understand academic research papers

• Systematic and organized work habits

• Capacity for both independent work and collaboration

Academic Background:

• Intermediate-level microeconomics and macroeconomics

• Graduate-level statistics and/or econometrics

• Familiarity with regression analysis, panel data, and economic growth concepts

 

Language:

• English: Fluent/advanced (C1) - essential

• Polish: Helpful but not required

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with data cleaning and transformation

• Experience with panel data or spatial econometrics

• Knowledge of European regional databases (Eurostat, ARDECO)

• Experience with firm-level or microdata analysis

• Research experience or publications (strongly preferred)

Required documents

1.      Cover Letter - addressing your motivation and preliminary dissertation ideas

2.      Curriculum Vitae including the list of publications, prizes and awards

3.      Master's degree transcript (or current transcript if not yet completed)

4.      Sample of Quantitative Research Work - ONE of:

•    Master's thesis (or substantial chapter)

•    Bachelor's thesis (if Master's not completed) PLUS extended proposal (3-5 pages) for Master's thesis

•    Research paper or project report with quantitative analysis

Note: You must demonstrate statistical analysis, data work, and the ability to conduct empirical research. Should preferably include econometric analysis.

5.      Research Statement (1-2 pages) - outlining:

•    Preliminary PhD dissertation research questions within the project framework

•    Long-term research interests

6.        Two Letters of Recommendation with Referees’ contact details are strongly encouraged

7.        Statement: I consent to the processing of personal data contained in my job application for the purposes of the recruitment process conducted by the University of Łódź, with its registered office in Łódź, at ul. Narutowicza 68, 90-138 Łódź, in accordance with the Act of 29 August 1997 on the protection of personal data (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2016, item 922).

The selection of the scholarship recipient will be based on the ‘Regulations for awarding NCN scholarships in research projects financed by the National Science Centre’.

The competition committee reserves the right to conduct additional interviews with selected candidates. In the event of the selected candidate's resignation, the right to select another candidate from the ranking list is reserved.

Information on the processing of personal data for participants in the competition for a research scholarship in the research project is available at: www.bip.uni.lodz.pl/ fileadmin/user_upload/uczestnik%C3%B3w_konkursu_na_stypendium_naukowe_NCN_w_projekcie_badawczym_11.08.pdf

Competition resolution: 27/02/2026

27.02.2026