Pre-Doctoral Program – Global Talent Common Application

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 University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!

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 Ingvild Almas, 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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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).

• Additionally, neither parents currently holds or has previously held a high-income leadership or professional position (see application checklist).

• To confirm your eligibility, please refer to the Application Checklist.

• No prior work permit for Switzerland is required.