Full-Time Pre-Doctoral Research Fellows Program

The Finance Department at HKUST operates a Pre-doc/RA program for candidates with a strong interest in academic research in financial economics. Students in science-engineering with good economic sense or in various business areas with strong quantitative skills are welcome to apply. Admitted candidates from outside Hong Kong come to Hong Kong as full-time research assistants (RA) to assigned supervisor(s) at HKUST. Outstanding participants will be offered an option to join the Ph.D. program at HKUST or recommended to top Ph.D. programs in finance, economics, and other related subjects worldwide.

Ideal candidates should exhibit the following features:

1. Keen interest in pursuing academic research in finance or economics. (Background in economics/finance is a plus but not necessary.)

2. Good quantitative knowledge with solid programming skills in STATA, SAS, Python, R, or MATLAB.

3. Demonstrated understanding of research methodologies.

4. Ability to work independently to solve problems.

The program is geared towards preparing participants for a PhD in finance. It is not suitable for those seeking other careers.

The normal starting time is in fall each year. The length of the program is usually about two years, but may vary depending on work progress. The starting monthly salary is HKD18,000, which will be adjusted upwards with good performance. Basic health insurance is also provided.

Upon recommendations by supervisors, participants will be offered opportunities to audit Ph.D. courses and to attend weekly research seminars and local conferences. Participants are expected to build collaborative relationships with faculty members and fellow research staff in the department.

The application deadline is February 29, 2024. Applications can be submitted through the following link: https://apply.interfolio.com/137471. Candidates who pass the initial screening will be contacted by a faculty member for an interview through Zoom meeting. For those without research outputs to demonstrate research ability, a trial task will be given to complete within a week.