Research on Corporate Sustainability Reporting
POSITION FILLED
Faculty Supervisor(s):
Aneesh Raghunandan and Edward Watts
Project and Position Description:
Professors Aneesh Raghunandan and Edward Watts at the Yale School of Management seek to hire a highly skilled and motivated individual to work as a Postgraduate Research Associate on a set of research projects focused on sustainability reporting. Broadly speaking, we are interested in understanding (i) how firms choose to disclose environmental and social information; (ii) the extent to which these disclosures capture actual underlying operations; (iii) how this is shaped both by recent regulatory efforts (such as the EU’s CSR Directive) as well as regulatory pushback (such as anti-ESG initiatives in several US states); and (iv) the extent to which the shifting regulatory environment has affected the extent to which investors use and trust these disclosures.
The successful applicant will work with faculty to scrape data, maintain databases, conduct statistical and textual analyses, assist with the preparation of reports, manuscripts and other documents, and provide other support associated with faculty research.
Requisite Skills and Qualifications:
Candidates should have a long-term interest in pursuing economics-related research (finance, accounting, economics, public policy, or political science). This position presents an opportunity to begin training for a career in research. By working with faculty, the successful candidate will enhance their understanding of empirical research and improve their econometric skills. The postgraduate research associate will be encouraged to interact with faculty and attend various research seminars across disciplines. The position serves as a stepping-stone to doctoral studies.
Postgraduate Research Associates who have previously held this position have joined Ph.D. programs at top universities, including Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), and Yale University.
The preferred start date is July 1, 2026, though other dates may be considered. The position is for up to two years. Review of applications will begin as early as possible.
Qualifications:
• BA/BS degree (Economics, Applied Math, Computer Science, Accounting, or related field)
• Knowledge of statistics/econometrics
• Coding experience in R, Stata, Python, and/or SQL
• Experience with LaTeX is an asset