Predoctoral Fellow - University of Zurich (Lorenzo Casaburi)

The Department of Economics at the University of Zurich invites applications for pre-doc positions (1-2 years) to work in Prof. Lorenzo Casaburi’s research team.

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 predoctoral fellow will become part of a team working on several projects on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on land markets and rural finance. The projects are based on field experiments and on the analysis of administrative databases.

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. We will consider applicants from any background.

• 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;
  • Confidential 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.

No prior work permit for Switzerland is required.