Demo

Summer Associate - PhD

Cornerstone Research
Cornerstone Research Salary
San Francisco, CA Other
POSTED ON 5/10/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 8/14/2027

Overview

Who We Are

Cornerstone Research provides economic and financial consulting and expert testimony in all phases of complex disputes and regulatory investigations. The firm works with an extensive network of prominent academics and industry practitioners to identify the best-qualified expert for each assignment. With a reputation for high quality and effectiveness, Cornerstone Research has consistently delivered rigorous, state-of-the-art analysis since 1989. The firm has more than 1,000 professionals in nine offices across the United States, UK, and EU.

 

Cornerstone Research is involved in a broad variety of high-profile projects. Current exemplary matters include claims of anticompetitive conduct, potential mergers and the impact on market competition, the impact of intellectual property infringement, allegations of misleading marketing or false claims, allegations of manipulation of financial markets, evaluation of fair merger prices, securities litigation, claims in consumer finance, anticompetitive conduct in financial markets, and corporate governance issues.  We cover topics in a broad range of industries including consumer goods, life sciences, high technology, energy, telecommunications, industrial markets, banking, securities, fintech, private equity, insurance, and cryptocurrency.

 

More detail on Cornerstone Research and what we do can be found on our website: www.cornerstone.com.

Responsibilities

 

Summer Associates at Cornerstone Research

Cornerstone Research offers candidates pursuing doctoral studies in finance, economics, accounting, or marketing the opportunity to join the firm for eight weeks to gain first-hand experience in our work as a Summer Associate. The role is designed to mirror the experience of a first-year Associate and includes case assignments and formal training.

 

Summer Associates work closely with senior staff, clients, and experts to define objectives, guide research efforts, manage deadlines, and mentor junior staff. Daily responsibilities typically include assisting with developing project strategy, conducting research, directing analysis, understanding and summarizing data and key findings, and proposing effective solutions to problems faced by their teams. This is a great opportunity for doctoral candidates to use theoretical and empirical research skills gained through their graduate-level training to devise and apply innovative and rigorous analytical approaches to interesting real-world issues. The outcomes of our cases can have a direct and immediate impact on public policy and corporate strategy.

 

While many Summer Associates choose to spend their summer with us, the timing and duration of this position are flexible and can be arranged over the summer or during the academic year.

 

 

Qualifications

 

Candidate Profile

We seek candidates who are pursuing doctoral studies in finance, economics, econometrics, accounting, or marketing, and who will be graduating in 2027 or 2028. Candidates must have the ability to apply academic research to real-world issues. We are currently hiring in our Boston, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Bay Area (San Francisco and Silicon Valley), New York, and Washington, D.C., offices.

 

Summer Associate candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. Cornerstone Research will consider international candidates with F-1 status who can independently obtain work authorization.

 

Interested Candidates

Candidates should submit a cover letter (including a statement describing your interest in economic and financial consulting and location preferences) and a resume through our careers website.

 

Contact

Associate Recruiting Team

Cornerstone Research

Email: associate-recruiting@cornerstone.com

Website: http://www.cornerstone.com

 

Cornerstone Research offers market-leading compensation. The biweekly salary for the Summer Associate role is $9,423.07 in the United States.

 

Cornerstone Research provides Equal Employment Opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to legally protected categories, such as age, sex, gender, gender identity, race, color, creed/religious belief, medical condition, predisposing genetic characteristics or genetic information or testing, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, military status, veteran status, arrest or conviction record (except where permitted by law), sexual orientation, ethnic background, citizen status, ancestry, national origin, or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law.

 

Avenue Louise 54, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

 

Salary : $9,423

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Cornerstone Research

  • Cornerstone Research York, NY
  • Role Overview If you are an experienced Business Development Director looking for an opportunity to bring your industry knowledge and strategic relationshi... more
  • 11 Days Ago

  • Cornerstone Research York, NY
  • Role Overview Are you an experienced Learning and Development professional ready to bridge the gap between talent strategy and consulting excellence? At Co... more
  • 13 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Summer Associate - PhD jobs in the San Francisco, CA area that may be a better fit.

  • thebrattlegroup San Francisco, CA
  • Associates at The Brattle Group Associates work as part of a team on challenging and high-profile projects in a collegial and academically-oriented work en... more
  • 8 Days Ago

  • SpecialtyCare Associate Referral Program San Francisco, CA
  • Passionate, driven people dedicated to making a difference in healthcare. Are you looking for an opportunity to get into the growing health care field? Loo... more
  • 13 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!