About Columbia World Projects

Columbia World Projects mobilizes the university’s researchers and scholars to work with governments, organizations, businesses and communities to tackle global challenges. Columbia World Projects is a major, university-wide initiative that aims to forge a closer and more useful connection between Columbia University’s vast research capabilities and the needs of the world. 

Columbia World Projects is part of Columbia Global, which brings together major global initiatives from across the university to advance knowledge and foster global engagement. In addition to World Projects, those initiatives include the Columbia Global Centers, the Committee on Global Thought, and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination.

Columbia Global’s mission is to address complex global challenges through groundbreaking scholarly pursuits, leadership development, cutting-edge research, and projects that aim for social impact.

Position Summary

Columbia World Projects is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Scholar (PRS) to join its Research and Engagement team beginning July 1, 2025. The PRS will play a significant role supporting one or more of CWP’s program areas, most notably on democracy or urbanism, while pursuing their own research and publication goals.

While the PRS’s research agenda can focus on a range of relevant issues, we are particularly interested in candidates whose research might support, amplify, and extend existing initiatives on and have practical applications for democratic institutions, political behavior and norms, or digital platform governance, with attention to public impact. Candidates may work in a variety of scholarly fields, including (but not limited to) the social sciences, including history and political philosophy, and legal or policy studies.

The PRS will have a strong research background on democracy questions and experience engaging practitioners and public audiences. Key activities are to conduct research, help convene and support an advisory committee of Columbia faculty for CWP’s programming, design convenings, draft concept notes on relevant topics and, as appropriate, produce public facing reports and scholarly publications. When relevant, the PRS will also participate in bridge-building efforts between the research community and the worlds of practice and policy.

As a member of the Columbia World Projects intellectual community, the PRS will likely engage with scholars and practitioners in academia, foundations, community organizations, and the private sector. They will join workshop discussions and make contributions across CWP’s range of research projects and activities. The PRS will be mentored and supervised by senior leadership in the Research and Engagement team, and work closely with a Project Officer.

Qualifications

PhD degree required.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $71,050 - $75,000 per year. This is a one-year appointment with the possibility of renewal. Only complete applications submitted via the process outlined below will be considered.

Application

Interested applicants should submit the following materials via Submittable:

1. Cover Letter describing your research interests, relevant experience mobilizing networks of researchers and practitioners, and how the position would advance both intellectual and professional aspirations;

2. Curriculum Vitae; 

3. Documentation of PhD conferment, or timeline for obtaining degree;

4. Writing sample consisting of a single journal article, essay, or chapter (published or unpublished); applicants may also include op-eds, policy briefs, or similar written pieces;

5. Contact information for three references, including a doctoral supervisor.

Key Deadlines

All application materials must be received no later than January 31, 2025 at 5:00pm. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2025.

Position Summary 

The Columbia Center for Political Economy is seeking full-time Postdoctoral Research Scholars beginning July 1, 2025. Under the direction of the Center’s faculty Co-directors and Idea Lab leads, the Scholar will have the opportunity to pursue their own research while supporting the work of the Center. 

The Center invites applications on topics of relevance to the Center’s broad priorities. This includes the foci of the Center’s Idea Labs – Work and Labor, Firms and Industrial Policy, Money and Finance, and Political Economy of Climate. We encourage you to apply for the Idea Lab that best suits your background and research interests. Please see below for descriptions of each Lab. 

• Work and Labor examines the forces that influence labor and labor markets, focusing on modes of collective worker action, the interplay between government policies and worker power, how worker organizations intersect with the political process and government, and the future of domestic and international labor movements, with an emphasis on empirical research. This cycle the Work and Labor Idea Lab is especially interested in applicants whose work speaks to politics and policy, including, but not limited to, the politics of enacting labor reform at different levels of government; worker perspectives on representation through labor organizations and collective action; the design of labor policies and the effects of those policies on opportunities for building worker power and fostering collective action; coalition management between worker organizations and other movements and organized interests; and the relationship between worker organizations, including unions, and politics and government.
   
• Firms and Industrial Policy aims to gain new insights into how firms behave, to provide a grounding for policy interventions to promote innovation and shared prosperity. Industrial policy – government interventions to stimulate innovation, accelerate technological change, and promote selected industries – is back on mainstream policy agendas in the U.S., Europe, and many developing countries. But even as the policy pendulum swings back toward government intervention, the knowledge base to guide industrial policy remains underdeveloped. Topics may focus on factors that shape firms' decisions technology adoption, product innovation, quality upgrading, R&D investments, patenting, and other forms of innovative behavior; on how such decisions are influenced by market conditions, network relationships, and supply chain architectures; on novel ways to measure such decisions and influences; and on what works and doesn't work in industrial policy.
   
• Money and Finance explores the relation of money and finance both in theoretical terms and in institutional configurations, including the design of financial instruments as well as the policy instruments employed by central banks, but also the design of financial intermediaries and their relation to central banks and financial market regulators. The deeply imbricated institutional relation of money and finance has important implications for political economy. Topics may include the future of central banking, the rise of digital money systems, the role of money and finance in climate change as accelerator or mitigator, the impact of large asset managers on financial systems, as well as the search for alternative forms for financing R&D, land preservation, and social protection.
   
• Political Economy of Climate explores how political and economic forces shape policy and societal responses to climate change. The Lab is most interested in fostering synergies around the following thematic areas: climate fairness and environmental justice, international collaboration or lack thereof, interests shaping the effectiveness of energy transition, and political constraints on environmental (especially climate) policies. The Lab is currently focused on the political economy of forests and how communities dependent on fossil fuel extraction adjust to shifts in demand.             

Funding for the Postdoctoral Research Scholar will cover salary for up to one year with the possibility of a one-year extension. The scholar will commit to jointly organize seminars and conferences, public events, and additional programmatic support and outreach with the given Lab that they are involved with. 

Qualifications

Applicants must have a PhD, JsD, or equivalent from across the social sciences, history, and law.

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $71,050 - $82,000.

Key Deadlines:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All application materials must be received no later than December 2, 2024 at 5:00PM EST. 

Decisions are expected to be made in February 2025, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2025.

Application

Interested applicants should submit the following materials via Submittable:

1. Cover Letter describing your interest and relevant experience;
2. Curriculum Vitae;
3. Documentation of PhD or JSD conferment, or timeline for obtaining degree;
4. Writing sample consisting of a single journal article, essay, or book chapter (published or unpublished);
5. A summary of the research plan for which the position is sought (limited to 350 words);
6. A detailed research plan (up to five pages, single-spaced) for the position stating specific goals to be accomplished during the period it will be held; and
7. Three letters of recommendation provided by references familiar with your work (including your doctoral supervisor, if applicable). Letters of recommendation should be submitted to politicaleconomy@columbia.edu. 
    

Please contact politicaleconomy@columbia.edu with any questions.

 Who we are:
Columbia Global Centers | Athens is part of a network of 11 global centers of Columbia University in the City of New York, one of the world's leading academic institutions. The centers were created to drive transformative connections between the university and the world, fostering innovation, understanding, and engagement. Columbia University launched the Athens Center in November 2022 to in-country partners on issues related to Climate Change; Migration and International affairs; Business and Innovation; Classics & Ancient Studies; Arts & Culture; Global Health & Preparedness; and Medicine, among others. The Global Centers are part of the broader Columbia Global initiative, which leverages the remarkable scholarship, expertise, and resources of Columbia University to help address the world’s most complex challenges while fostering intellectual endeavors that inspire, surprise, and push the boundaries of our thinking.
 

Position Summary:
This is an exciting opportunity to join a new and growing team and shape the operations of one of Columbia University’s newest global centers. The Athens Global Center seeks an energetic and well-experienced Finance Manager (FM) who will work closely with the Director of the Center, to build and create bridges to the Hellenic Republic’s rich and vibrant academic, social, cultural and research resources. As this is a new Global Center, the incumbent will be a part of the small start-up team that will embrace the challenge of building the Center from the ground up and tap into their entrepreneurial spirit and professional experience to launch signature-defining events and programs. The Finance Manager will be expected to provide day-to-day management of the Center’s budget, human resources, space and technological functions.

Responsibilities:
 

Financial Management

• Develops and manages the Center’s operating budgets in collaboration with program teams.
• Manages all banking relationships of the Center.
• Performs monthly international bank reconciliation processes in accordance with the Columbia Global Centers   Standard Operating Procedures.
• Monitors and ensures accurate financial reporting, including monthly financial statements, budget vs. actual analysis, and forecasts.
• Ensures compliance with donor financial regulations and reporting requirements.
• Oversees financial transactions, including payments, reimbursements, and payroll.
• Maintains financial records and ensures they are organized and easily accessible for audits and reviews.
• Implements and enforces financial  policies, procedures, and controls.
• Identifies and mitigates financial, operational, and HR risks.
• Ensures compliance with local tax  laws, labor laws, and other regulatory requirements.
• Provides services in support of compliance with internal and external audits.
• Prepares and submits accurate and timely financial reports to donors and Columbia Global NY.
• Prepares regular reports for senior management on financial, operational, and HR matters.
• Assists in the development of proposals and budgets for new projects and grants.

Operations

• Manages all operating systems of the Center, including procurement, logistics, and contract negotiations.
• Coordinates with relevant government authorities to ensure compliance with local regulations.

Human Resources

• With support from the HR team in headquarters (New York, USA), manages HR functions, including recruitment,   on-boarding, performance management, and staff development.
• Assists the Center with payroll compliance in accordance with both local and international norms and   regulations.
• Supports the facilitation of HR   training and capacity building for staff.
• Manages and maintains personnel records and HR documentation.
• Supports timely and confidential resolution of HR-related inquiries and issues.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or Accounting with at least 5 to 8 years of related finance experience.

Additional Position-specific Qualifications

• Relevant experience in areas of financial management
• Relevant experience managing office operations
• Strong communications, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Strong initiative, a problem solver, and ability to establish priorities
• Ability to work under pressure, autonomously and possess good independent judgment
• Confidentiality and discretion are required
• Ability to work as a team player in a fast-paced and start-up environment
• Excellent computer skills including advanced knowledge of Excel are crucial.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced finance degree (i.e., MBA, Masters in Economics, Accounting, etc.)
• Professional qualification as a Certified Financial Accountant/Certified Public Accountant is a plus
• Fluent in Greek and English.