The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) recruits outstanding post-doctoral economists to join our research teams. IFS is Europe’s leading centre for microeconomic research and is an authoritative, independent commentator on a wide range of policy issues, aiming to bridge the gap between academia and the wider public. The Director is Helen Miller and the Research Director is Imran Rasul. Research at IFS is led by a large number of Co-Directors including James Banks, Richard Blundell, Aureo de Paula, Eric French, Francois Gerard, Rachel Griffith, Attila Lindner, and Fabien Postel-Vinay.
This two-year post is a collaboration between the IFS and the Administrative Fairness Lab based at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London. The focus will be developing and analysing quantitative survey datasets relating to how the UK public experience the fairness of frontline public services and the impacts of those experiences on attitudes and behaviours such as trust and cooperation.
The principal part of the role would involve being part of a multi-disciplinary team on a longitudinal research project on perceptions of fairness in interactions with primary care mental health services. This would involve playing a key role in the design and analysis on longitudinal quantitative survey data. The role will also include time to work on other quantitative survey datasets the Lab has collected but not yet fully exploited - these are on similar themes but in different settings, including social security.
The role will be especially well-suited to a candidate with interests in the economics of the justice system, behavioural economics, and/or political economy.
Candidates should have an excellent academic background, a track-record of producing high-quality economic research, and first-rate communication skills.
We welcome applications from students expecting to complete a PhD in 2026.
Applications are open to candidates from the UK and abroad. The post is eligible for a Skilled Worker Visa: IFS will support the application where needed for successful candidates. Any offer of employment is subject to the eligibility to work in the UK.
Application process
Applications should be submitted via EconJobMarket. We aim to interview shortlisted candidates by video starting mid/late January 2026.
If you have any queries, please email jobs@ifs.org.uk.
Additional Information
*Salary: The salary advertised reflects 2025 rates; these will be uplifted from April 2026 in line with inflation and cost-of-living adjustments, meaning the actual salary on appointment will be higher than the figure shown.
- Cover letter
- Curriculum vitae
- Job market paper
- Video presentation of job market paper (optional)
- Additional paper (optional)
- Other material (in one file) (optional)
- Additional paper (optional)
- Letters of reference: 3