Pre-Doctoral Program – Global Talent Common Application
Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Switzerland
The Department of Economics at the University of Zurich invites applications for pre-doc positions (1-2 years) for qualified applicants from low- and middle-income countries and/or with a refugee background (see below for details).
There are two application paths. Applicants should pursue both, they are not mutually exclusive.
- Common Application: First, qualified applicants from eligible backgrounds can apply through this common application process. This process will lead to a pool of finalists, from which professors can choose to hire pre-docs. This job posting refers to this path.
- Individual Postings: Second, many professors separately post job opportunities for their own pre-doc positions. These positions are open to all applicants, regardless of their origin or background. It is strongly recommended that interested candidates also apply directly through those postings.
What is the pre-doctoral research fellow’s role?
Pre-doctoral fellows work with a professor of the economics department to support their research, with substantive opportunities for on-the-job learning about academic research in economics. Pre-docs may be involved in all stages of research – brainstorming, literature reviews, project management, data analysis, and writing. The predoctoral position is a full-time in-person commitment (70% research, 30% on-the-job-learning).
The research fellow will become part of a vibrant community of predoctoral fellows at the department and of the wider research community at UZH. Predocs receive hands-on mentoring throughout. Previous pre-docs have worked, among others, with Professors Sandro Ambühl, Lorenzo Casaburi, Ana Costa-Ramon, David Dorn, Thomas Graeber, David Hémous, Mathias Hoffmann, Ronak Jain, Dina Pomeranz, Hans-Joachim Voth, David Yanagizawa-Drott and Ulf Zölitz.
Qualifications
The pre-doctoral positions are ideal for recent graduates who are interested in potentially going on to do a PhD in economics or a related field. We are looking for highly motivated candidates with strong quantitative, programming and analytical skills, and an interest in economic research. We particularly value curiosity, perseverance, and a demonstrated commitment to research and learning.
Specific requirements:
- Master’s or bachelor’s degree (in the last 5 years) with strong grades in economics or another quantitative social science field, including strong math skills;
- Strong knowledge of STATA, R or Python; familiarity with other statistical software or programming languages is a plus;
- Fluency in written and spoken English;
- Recommendation letter from 1-3 letter writers who are familiar with academic research (professor, research supervisor, or similar).
The following qualifications are not required, but represent a plus:
- Knowledge of causal inference research methods;
- Previous experience in research, e.g. as a research assistant or a research manager;
- Top of the class, high GRE Quant score, completed MITx MicroMasters courses;
- Proven ability to handle several different projects/tasks at one time, successfully complete tasks assigned, and meet deadlines
Eligibility
This common application is open to applicants who meet any of the following criteria
- Having grown up in a low- or lower-middle income country (based on this World Bank classification).
- Having grown up in an upper-middle income country and being a first-generation university student (i.e. parents did not go to university)
- Refugee/asylum/forced migration background (having experienced flight or having had a residence status of stateless, asylum seeker, humanitarian visas, or similar).
To confirm your eligibility, please refer to the Application Checklist.
No prior work permit for Switzerland is required.
How to Apply
Please apply online here: https://www.facultyhiring.oec.uzh.ch/position/53411840. Look for “Pre-Doctoral Program – Global Talent Common Application”.
Please note that in order to submit your application through the application form, you’ll need to answer all questions and upload all documents in one go (no intermediate saving possible). Thus, please look at this Application Checklist and prepare your documents and responses in advance so that they can be copy-pasted into the application form.
For any inquiry, please contact predoc@econ.uzh.ch
Country: Switzerland
Education: Bachelor's, Master’s
Start Date (Earliest): 1. March 2026
Start Date (Latest): 1. February 2027
Length of Commitment: One or two years
Language Requirement: English
Application Deadline: Rolling applications with evaluation in batches. The next deadline is January 31, 2026.
Deadline for recommendation letters: February 7, 2026.
To apply, visit https://www.facultyhiring.oec.uzh.ch/position/53411840. (See posting for details.)