Pre-Doctoral Position in Public Economics

Introduction

UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students splitbetween its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognitionand responsibility.

The Department of Economics at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) invites applications for a full-time Pre-Doctoral Researcher position in Public Economics. The position is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and is part of a research project on gender inequality and public policy.

Presentation

The predoctoral fellow will work under the supervision of Enrico Rubolino (UNIL). The position will be based at HEC Lausanne’s Department of Economics, a highly research-active group of some 20 professors and 45 postdocs and PhD students, covering all main areas of economics (micro, macro, applied and econometrics). The project investigates the causes and consequences of gender inequality, with a strong focus on the micro-evaluation of public policies affecting labor market outcomes. The research is conducted within an international collaboration involving researchers from CREST Paris, the University of Warwick, ETH Zurich, the Bank of Italy, and the University of Bologna.

Job information

• Duration: up to 1 year


• Expected starting date: Spring / Summer 2026


• Location: University of Lausanne, Switzerland


• Employment rate: 100%

Your responsibilities

• Data construction, cleaning, and management


• Econometric and statistical analysis for policy evaluation


• Contribution to research design and empirical strategies


• Preparation of research outputs, presentations, and draft manuscripts


• Active involvement in ongoing research projects, with opportunities for co-authorship on projects of mutual interest


• Up to 10% of your time will be devoted to administrative duties

Your qualifications

• Excellent analytical skills and critical thinking abilities


• Proven competence in at least one statistical software package


• Fluency in English


• A clear interest in public economics and the empirical evaluation of public policy

What the position offers you

• A stimulating and collaborative research environment


• Close interaction with the project leader and senior researchers at UNIL and partner institutions


• Opportunities to develop independent research ideas and co-author academic papers


• Preparation for competitive PhD programs in economics or related fields


• Competitive salary according to University of Lausanne regulations

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Contact for further information

For complementary information, please contact Mr Enrico Rubolino ([email protected])

Your application

Application deadline: March 1, 2026

Interviews with the most promising candidates will be conducted remotely by video starting the week of 2 March , 2026.

Applications should include the following:

• CV


• Transcript of records


• A cover letter detailing your research interests, experience, and specific motivation for this position


• Names and contact details of 1 or 2 academic references

Additional information

UNIL is committed to:

•    equality, diversity and inclusion within its community;

•    ensuring an open and respectful environment that is conducive to personal development;

•    offering working conditions that facilitate work-life balance;

•    supporting early career researchers.

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