Postdoctoral position in Public Economics

Introduction

The University of Lausanne (UNIL) is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students. Its Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC Lausanne) is one of Europe’s foremost centres of scientific research in economics. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

Presentation

The position will be based at HEC Lausanne’s Department of Economics – a highly research-active group of currently 21 professors, 10 postdocs and some 40 PhD students, covering all main areas of economics (micro, macro and econometrics). The postdoctoral position will be funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, through the project “The Economics of Inheritance and Inter-Vivos Gifts”, coordinated by Marius Brülhart. Associated project researchers are Aurélien Eyquem (HEC Lausanne), Isabel Martínez (ETH Zurich) and Enrico Rubolino (HEC Lausanne and CREST Paris).

Job information

• Position as Swiss National Science Foundation Senior Researcher
• Contract length: 4 years (initial contract for 1 year, but funding available for 4 years)
• Expected starting date: 1 September 2026
• Employment rate: 100%
• Workplace: University of Lausanne, Faculty for Business and Economics, Internef Building (Dorigny campus, Lausanne)

Your responsibilities

• At least 90% of your time will be dedicated to research related to the project “The Economics of Inheritance and Inter-Vivos Gifts” (collection, transformation and analysis of data; contribution to modelling; contribution to writing research papers; help with workshop organisation).
• Up to 10% of your time will be dedicated to help with teaching.

Your qualifications

• PhD in economics (obtained 2025 or 2026)
• Confirmed research interest in public economics
• Ability to work independently
• Fluency in English (speaking and writing)
• Familiarity with at least one of the Swiss national languages (French, German, Italian) would be a significant advantage

What the position offers you

We offer a stimulating work environment in a collegial, diverse and dynamic academic setting. Material conditions (salary, office space, IT infrastructure, library facilities) are internationally competitive. Funds for research-related expenditure (travel, data, etc.) are available.

Contact for further information

For complementary information, please email Professor Marius Brülhart ()

Your application

Application deadline: 30 December 2025

Applications should include the following:

• A cover letter detailing your research interests, experience and specific motivation for this position
• your CV (with links to your main research papers)
• copies of your academic diplomas
• names and contact details of 3 academic references

To receive full consideration, application documents must be uploaded online through the University of Lausanne recruitment platform.

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.