Short-Term Fellowship Program | LEO Lab

About the Fellowship:

LEO (Lab for Economic Behaviour in Organizations) at Plaksha University invites applications for up to two Short-Term Fellowships during the summer of 2026. This fellowship is designed to provide emerging researchers with an immersive experience in applied economics research focused on the future of work in India.

Research Pillars:

Fellows will contribute to LEO's core research agenda on campus, which focuses on four interconnected pillars:

1. Social Impact of AI in Organizations: Understanding how AI adoption reshapes workforce composition, skills, promotion velocity, managerial workloads, hierarchy, pay structures, and firm performance
2. Urban Issues & Employment in Tier-2/Tier-3 Cities: Examining employment shifts, city-level skill demands, wage dynamics, and the impact of urban stress on workforce mobility and firm location decisions
3. Gender, Labour Laws & Workforce Participation: Evaluating the impact of labour policy reforms on gender pay equity, sectoral entry, hiring patterns, and firm outcomes
4. Worker Satisfaction, Culture & Financial Performance: Investigating links between workplace culture, leadership quality, employee well-being, attrition, innovation, and firm profitability

Fellowship Activities:

Fellows will:

• Work closely with LEO affiliates and associates on ongoing research projects on campus
• Contribute to data collection, analysis, and literature reviews
• Participate in research seminars and lab meetings
• Co-author working papers and policy briefs
• Present findings at the end-of-fellowship research symposium

Fellowship Details:

• Number of Fellowships: Up to 2
• Duration:  Up to 3 months between June - December 2026
• Stipend ₹80,000 per month: ₹1,00,000 per month (depending upon qualification)
• Location: Plaksha University, Mohali, Punjab

Eligibility:

• Current PhD students, Post doctoral scholars in Economics, Data Science, Statistics, or related quantitative fields
• Strong quantitative skills (Econometrics or machine learning)
• Interest in personnel economics, organizational behaviour, or labour markets
• Proficiency in Python, Stata, or similar tools

Interested candidates should submit:

• Updated CV
• Statement of interest (500 words) describing research interests and preferred pillar(s) and what they intend to work on at Plaksha during their summer fellowship
• Writing sample
• One letter of recommendation
• No Objection Certificate from the home institution