I am hiring for my newly funded SNSF project Parents, Pressure, and Pathways: Experimental Insights on Swiss Educational Transitions at the University of Zurich.
I expect to recruit either two PhD students or one PhD student and one predoctoral research assistant, depending on fit and hiring needs. The project starts in August 2026 and focuses on educational transitions, student well-being and mental health, parental decision-making, and inequality in children's opportunities in Switzerland.
My research group works at the intersection of economics of education, labor/personnel economics, and applied microeconomics. We use frontier empirical methods, including randomized controlled trials, survey experiments, and administrative data, to study questions with direct policy relevance. This SNSF project offers the opportunity to work on ambitious, real-world research in close connection with schools, families, and institutions in Zurich.
The positions are based at the Chair of Business Economics, with a focus on Personnel Economics and Economics of (Vocational) Education, in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Zurich. The research environment is collaborative, international, and strongly focused on producing high-quality empirical work. The positions are primarily research positions, with very limited teaching duties.
For the PhD position, you will contribute to the SNSF project while developing your own dissertation in applied economics. You should have excellent training in economics or a closely related quantitative field, strong interests in empirical research, and experience with statistical software such as Stata, R, or Python. Good German skills are strongly preferred, but not required.
For the predoctoral position, I am looking for someone who is excited about empirical research and would like to gain intensive research experience before starting a PhD. The predoctoral researcher will support the project through data work, survey implementation, research assistance, and project coordination, while working closely with me and the rest of the team. For an excellent candidate, this position may develop into a PhD opportunity within our team as part of the SNSF project.
The preferred start date is 1 August 2026, although this is negotiable. Please indicate clearly in your application whether you are applying for the PhD position or the predoctoral position, or whether you would like to be considered for both. I will begin reviewing applications on 13 April 2026 and will continue until the position or positions are filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Please send your application in one single PDF file to Nicole Ehrsam at nicole.ehrsam@business.uzh.ch. The PDF should include:
• a motivation letter
• your CV, including your German proficiency level
• academic transcripts
• if available, a writing sample
• the names of two references
Letters of recommendation should be sent separately by the referees directly to Nicole Ehrsam at nicole.ehrsam@business.uzh.ch.
I care much more about genuine motivation, intellectual curiosity, and fit with the research than about polished buzzwords. Please make sure your application reflects your own thinking and voice.
If you have questions about the positions, please feel free to contact me directly at anne.brenoe@business.uzh.ch.