Private Sector Postdoc Program

The Private Sector Postdoc Program aims to open doors for UChicago Social Science PhD students and recent PhD alumni into careers in the private sector, as well as learn about and use data from the private sector for academic research. At a time when industry is recognizing the skills that doctoral training can bring to their firms, and at a time when the academic job market is stagnating, this two-year postdoctoral fellowship program creates an unprecedented opportunity for UChicago PhDs to publish and/or explore private sector career opportunities.

In our inaugural year of this fellowship program, the postdoctoral fellow will be a scholar-in-residence at Morningstar Inc. in their downtown office (22 W. Washington Ave). The postdoctoral fellow will be a University of Chicago employee, with access to all data support and library services. The postdoc will have a mentor at UChicago and at Morningstar. The salary for this position is $85,000 (including benefits). The postdoc will join one of Morningstar’s research and development teams to learn more about data opportunities and ideas for research. The postdoc is expected to spend 50% of their time working on a research project with Morningstar employees or data. The other 50% of the postdoc’s time is free to pursue their own research (such as finishing a book manuscript or publishing dissertation chapters as journal articles). Morningstar is also open to hosting postdoctoral fellows who may need to devote a higher percentage of their time to their own independent research.

The application is open to all PhD students who expect to have their degree by June 2023 with the expectation of a July 1st, 2023 start date, as well as PhD graduates whose degree was conferred between 2019 and the present. The program is open to everyone to apply from any program and department. Applications will be reviewed by UChicago faculty and a representative from Morningstar. No preference will be given to any particular methodology, theoretical orientation, or discipline.

This is an open call to all PhD students in the Social Science Division. Applicants must submit the following materials to this form:

1) cover letter, describing your interest in the postdoctoral fellowship

2) curriculum vitae (including publications list)

3) contact information for 2-3 scholars who know your work and are willing to write letters of reference or engage in a phone call

4) 1 writing sample paper or project (including software) that reflect your best work

5) A 2-page single-spaced, one-inch margin, proposal for a research project you would undertake at Morningstar. This proposal is not a contract, nor is the fellow expected to carry out the proposed research at Morningstar. Rather, the proposal should be seen as an opportunity for the applicant to showcase their scholarly potential and imagination.

For more information on the Private Sector Postdoc Program, see this FAQ.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All University departments and institutes are charged with building a faculty from a diversity of backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints; with cultivating an inclusive community that values freedom of expression; and with welcoming and supporting all their members.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. The University’s Statements on Diversity are at https://provost.uchicago.edu/statements-diversity.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-697-1411 or email mclason@uchicago.edu with their request.