Advertiser: Institute for Fiscal Studies

Field(s) of specialization: Development; Growth - Econometrics - Industrial Organization - Labor; Demographic Economics - Public Economics - Behavioral Economics - Health; Education; Welfare - Applied microeconomics

Position type(s): Postdoctoral Scholar

Location of job: 2 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 4DF, United Kingdom

Degree required: Doctorate

Job start date: 2027-09-01

Job duration: 1 year

Salary: 52,407 GBP

Letters of reference required: 3

Application deadline: 15 Nov 2026 midnight UTC (accepting applications)

Posting end date: 15 Nov 2026

Interviews: Interviews will be conducted remotely by video starting December, 2026.

Ad text:

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.

Postdoctoral fellows will work within a team of researchers at IFS whose direction of research fits with the researcher’s expertise and interests. This will likely include a mix of IFS research staff and leading academics within our network of research associates and fellows. We will work with successful applicants to secure the best fit for their research interests and strengths and to encourage them to develop these to mutual advantage, with a particular focus on academic publication in top international journals.

Appointments will be made for up to three years of postdoctoral funding, offering researchers flexibility and support in building their careers.

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 candidates working in all fields of applied microeconomics, with a particular interest this year in candidates working on the topics of racial and ethnic inequalities.

Researchers based at IFS have access to a range of datasets, with opportunities to work, for example, on administrative datasets on public finance and labour markets. These can be for the UK and other European countries in which we have close research collaborations. Researchers will also have the opportunity to engage with work using primary collected data by IFS researchers, often in the context of low- and middle-income countries, or rich secondary data, often matched to administrative data.

We welcome applications from students expecting to complete a PhD in 2027.

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 at the European Job Market, which will be held virtually from 14th to 17th December 2026. Subsequent fly-outs will be arranged in January 2027 for short-listed candidates.

If you have any queries, please email jobs@ifs.org.uk.

Additional Information

*Salary: The salary advertised reflects 2026 rates; these will be uplifted from April 2027 in line with inflation and cost-of-living adjustments, meaning the actual salary on appointment will be higher than the figure shown.