Deadline: Unspecified
Applications are open for the University of Zurich Predoctoral Research Fellowship in Economics Chair of Macroeconomics and Labor Markets 2026. The Research Fellow will work closely with Prof. Andreas I. Mueller on research projects in the areas of labor economics and macroeconomics. The fellowship offers a unique opportunity to gain first-hand experience in frontier empirical macroeconomic research on issues related unemployment, job search, job transitions, labor force participation and gender gaps in these outcomes.
The predoctoral position is a full-time, in-person commitment structured as 70% research support and 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, with hands-on mentoring throughout. Alumni of UZH’s Pre-Doc program have gone on to prestigious PhD programs across Europe and the United States.
The main project investigates the sources of persistent gender gaps in wages and labor force participation from a macroeconomic perspective. It combines structural modelling with large-scale empirical analysis to understand how life-cycle career dynamics, family formation, and labor market institutions interact to produce and sustain these gaps over time and across countries. Ongoing and planned work draws on:
- Administrative wage and employment records from Switzerland and other European countries
- Survey micro-data including national and cross-national labor force surveys (e.g., CPS, EU-LFS)
- Cross-country macro panels linking gender outcomes to institutional and policy variation
Responsibilities
Pre-docs may be involved in all stages of the research process, including:
- Obtaining, cleaning, and linking large administrative and survey micro-datasets
- Building and maintaining cross-country macro panels on gender gaps in pay and employment
- Running statistical and econometric analyses using Stata, Python, R, and/or Matlab
- Supporting the development and calibration of quantitative structural models
- Preparing results for presentations, working papers, and referee reports
- Literature reviews and research project management
Benefits
- Full-time, salaried position with a competitive predoctoral salary and full social benefits
- Direct mentorship by Prof. Andreas I. Mueller with regular one-on-one meetings
- Integration into the active predoctoral community at the UZH Department of Economics
- Access to UZH seminar series, reading groups, and workshops
- Close interaction with PhD students and visiting researchers; opportunities to attend conferences
- Strong track record of UZH pre-doc alumni gaining admission to top PhD programs worldwide
Eligibility
Required
- Master’s degree (or exceptional Bachelor’s) in Economics or a closely related quantitative field
- Strong background in microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, and statistics
- Hands-on experience with Stata and LaTeX
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks
- Strong written and oral communication skills in English (knowledge of German is not required)
- Genuine interest in labor economics and macroeconomics and issues related to gender gaps in labor markets
Preferred
- Programming experience in Python, R, and/or Matlab
- Experience working with administrative or survey micro-data
- Familiarity with structural or quantitative models in macroeconomics or labor economics
Application
Your application must include:
- Motivation letter (explaining your interest in the project and your relevant experience)
- Curriculum vitae
- Academic transcripts from all past and current studies
- Two letters of recommendation, ideally from supervisors of research-related activities
- Writing sample or evidence of research experience (optional but strongly encouraged)
For more information, visit University of Zurich Predoctoral Research Fellowship.
