Economist/Researcher

Profound is on a mission to help companies understand and control their AI presence. As an Economist and Researcher, you will build trusted industry insights and measurement standards that explain how people use AI for search, shopping, and decision making. You will take real user conversations and AI model behavior and turn them into public-facing research that shapes the narrative of where AI is going and how brands must adapt.

What you’ll do

• Create accurate and rigorous research that becomes a trusted source of truth for AI usage trends and answer engine behavior

• Engage with media, academia, and industry leaders to educate the market using evidence-grounded analysis

• Identify emerging inflection points in AI search and AI shopping and quantify their impact on consumers and businesses

• Publish research papers, reports, and insights that inform the product roadmap and guide strategic decisions

• Uphold high standards of correctness, reproducibility, and transparency in all published outputs

Who you are

• Experience solving complex research problems in academia or industry, with 5 or more years of experience

• Strong ability to validate assumptions, pressure test results, and ensure research can withstand scrutiny

• Fluency in SQL and proficiency in R or Python for empirical analysis

• Excellent communication skills and comfort presenting research externally

• Ownership mindset, intellectual curiosity, and passion for answering questions that matter

• PhD in economics or a related quantitative field from a leading academic program

• Experience in technology economics, economic consulting, or policy research

• Record of published research or public-facing insights that influenced decision making

• Motivated by access to rare and unmatched data on how real people use AI to search and shop across major answer engines

• Excited by the opportunity to define industry standard metrics for AI visibility and AI shopping behavior

• Interested in publishing research cited by media, industry analysts, and academic partners

• Comfortable in a fast-paced, high-trust environment where work directly shapes product direction, thought leadership, and category creation

• Drawn to competitive compensation and meaningful equity in a rapidly growing company

Location

This is an on-site role based in our Union Square, NYC office, designed for builders who thrive on speed, iteration, and meaningful impact. We are happy to support visa sponsorship for qualified international candidates.

For this role, the expected base salary range is $140,000 to $230,000. Comp may vary by location. Profound’s total compensation package is designed to be competitive and includes base salary, equity, and a full range of benefits and perks. Final compensation will depend on factors such as your skills, experience, qualifications, and location, and will be determined during the interview process. Our recruiting team will share more details about the full compensation package and benefits as you move through hiring.