Dominik Hangartner

ETH Zurich’s Immigration Policy Lab and Public Policy Group are recruiting a PhD student for a project on climate extremes, migration, and public policy . The position is embedded in the new NCCR CLIM+ research program on Climate Extremes and Society, a Switzerland-wide interdisciplinary initiative focused on climate risks, societal resilience, and policy-relevant solutions. The successful candidate will work on a research agenda at the intersection of migration research and climate extremes , using large-scale migration and asylum data, high-resolution climate data, and quasi-experimental / causal inference methods. The project aims to generate causal evidence on how climate-related shocks influence mobility across and within borders, including asylum seeking, refugee movements, and labor migration. This opportunity is especially suitable for candidates with backgrounds in economics , political science , sociology , data science , or related quantitative social science fields. Strong quantitative skills, experience with observational causal inference, and proficiency in a statistical programming language such as R are important. Experience with geospatial data is a plus. Interest in climate change, forced displacement, asylum processes, and policy-relevant research is encouraged. The position is located at ETH Zurich and involves collaboration with researchers across the NCCR CLIM+ consortium, including the team of Dominik Hangartner and contact person Philip Grech . The role includes about 10% administrative and teaching duties. ETH offers salary and pension benefits according to ETH standards, plus research and travel allowance. Applications must be submitted online through the ETH Zurich portal. Required documents include a cover letter, CV, academic transcripts, a writing sample, and two confidential recommendation letters. Review begins on 2026-06-01 and continues until the position is filled. The position starts in September 2026 or by mutual agreement.

ETH Zürich is recruiting a PhD student for a project on climate extremes and migration research within the Public Policy Group and the Immigration Policy Lab at ETH Zurich. The position is embedded in the NCCR CLIM+ research program on Climate Extremes and Society , bringing together researchers across disciplines and Swiss institutions to study climate extremes and societal resilience. The project sits at the intersection of migration , climate change , public policy , and quantitative social science . The successful candidate will examine how climate-related shocks influence mobility across and within borders, including asylum seeking, refugee movements, and labor migration. The role involves combining global migration data with high-resolution climate-extremes data and using credible identification strategies and causal inference methods. Relevant academic interests include econometrics , sociology , human geography , public policy , and environmental science . The team values strong quantitative training, geospatial data experience, and programming skills, preferably in R. The position is located in the team of Dominik Hangartner at ETH Zurich, with opportunities to collaborate with affiliated researchers across the NCCR CLIM+ program. This is a fixed-term PhD position with salary and pension benefits according to ETH standards , plus research and travel allowance . The role includes small administrative and teaching duties amounting to 10% of working time. ETH Zurich also highlights a collaborative environment, mentoring, and opportunities to build a network with academics and practitioners. Eligibility highlights: master’s degree in a social science or related field; strong quantitative and causal inference background; proficiency in a statistical programming language; experience or interest in geospatial data, migration, climate impacts, and policy-relevant research; excellent English writing skills. Application window: review begins on 2026-06-01 and continues until the position is filled. Apply only through the ETH Zurich online portal.