ifo Postdoctoral Researcher / Economist (f/m/d): Economics of Migration for the ifo Center for Migration and Development Economics
To strengthen our team and join our junior faculty, we are looking for a Postdoctoral researcher / Economist (f/m/d), starting in September 2026 or on a later date.
The team led by Prof. Panu Poutvaara studies the causes and consequences of migration and immigrant integration. An underlying policy motivation of our team is how migration can generate gains for migrants themselves, host countries, and countries of origin. For the first two questions, the main challenge is how to promote successful integration. The third question connects to development economics, and topics like remittances and the role of migrants in linking countries of origin to host countries. Our current main focuses are intergenerational mobility of immigrants as part of an international collaboration covering 15 countries and return plans and integration outcomes of Ukrainian refugees in various European countries, using ongoing own surveys in Germany and other European countries in which we would welcome your active participation. Join us in these tasks!
We seek a team member who is passionate about high-quality research on policy-relevant questions, has a strong drive to further her/his own research agenda, and is willing to give guidance for doctoral candidates and to communicate her/his research to the public and media.
We, the ifo Institute, are one of the leading economic research institutes in Europe. We work on issues relevant to economics and economic policy at the highest scientific level and with an international reach, and develop research-based recommendations for action for policymakers, business and society. Through our five fields of activity - research, promotion of young researchers, policy advice, participation in public debates and information/service - we contribute to maintaining and increasing sustainable economic prosperity and social participation under constantly changing conditions.
Do you want to know more about us and your career opportunities? Check us out at
https://www.ifo.de/en/about-us/ifo-career
Your new job includes…
- research in the field of economics of migration and integration, contributing to solutions for current societal challenges with applied econometric analyses.
- conceiving, acquiring, managing, and working on third-party funded projects.
- guidance for doctoral candidates.
- publishing your research results in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals.
- making your research results accessible to the general public.
What we expect from your profile…
- You have a degree in economics with a focus on the economics of migration, labor economics, applied microeconomics or a related field and have completed your PhD by job start or be close to completing it.
- You have already proven your relevant knowledge and experience through articles in internationally recognized refereed journals or working papers suitable for publication.
- You contribute in-depth knowledge of methods of microeconometrics and applied economics.
- Do you have experience in work with big data and machine learning methods? This would be a particular asset!
- With excellent English language skills, both written and spoken, you are able to interact confidently in the international network of researchers.
- Knowledge of the German language is an advantage.
- You are a team player and like to take responsibility for yourself and others.
Our junior faculty members…
Research
- work on exciting questions in virtually all fields of economics
- regularly publish in top general interest and field journals
- cause impact because they bring scientific findings into policy debates
- contribute to the debate on economic and educational policy in line with our claim "Shaping the Economic Debate"
- are highly demanded on the national and international job market, both in academia and in industry, and achieve placements as full or associate professors at top universities
People
- are part of a team of about 114 economists
- are embedded in a vibrant economics community in Munich
- are part of the Department of Economics at LMU Munich
- can participate in the structured Junior Faculty Development Program and have the opportunity to teach at LMU Munich
- engage with international top-class economists within our CESifo network with over 2,000 members from all over the world
Support
- have access to an exceptional data infrastructure and other supporting services
ifo
- have an initial three-year employment contract, with the option to be extended
- receive their salary according to TV-L E 13 or E 14 (around 67,000 EUR incl. special annual payment) depending on publications and are part of the company pension scheme (VBL) (in addition to the statutory pension insurance).
- are supported in their professional and personal development with flexible working hours, the possibility of mobile work and many tailored training and development programs, and are equipped for this in the best possible, modern and comprehensive way.
- take up 30 days of vacation per year plus our 2.5 company "holidays" during the year (Carnival, Christmas, New Years Eve).
- work in close proximity to the English Garden and the Isar.
- can use our beautiful garden, which connects our historic buildings, to relax during lunch breaks, for a coffee in between or to chat with colleagues.
- are entitled to a relocation allowance after passing their probationary period if they move to Munich or the surrounding area from a radius of 200 km or more.
- will be supported with German courses if needed.
We support the EU Commission's initiative by developing a special human resources strategy for research staff that takes into account the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Our membership in the Familienpakt Bayern (Bavarian Family Pact) reinforces our measures to reconcile family and career. We promote professional equality regardless of ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity. We strive to increase the proportion of women in research and therefore expressly encourage women to apply.
How to apply!
Interested? Then we look forward to receiving your application with the reference number 2026-009 ME-PostDoc until June 14, 2026 using the application form .
Applications should include a cover letter, CV, job market paper, and at least three reference letters. Reference letters can be sent directly from the creator to the following email address: recruiting@ifo.de . The letters will then be added to your application in our system and forwarded to the appropriate people.
Please make sure to use only .pdf files, Word documents and images in .jpg format. Please also ensure to use short file names. Please read the document "Information on attachment naming" and try the browser "Mozilla Firefox" or "Microsoft Edge" in the latest version should you have problems uploading the documents.
For technical or general questions, please contact recruiting@ifo.de . For subject-specific information / questions, please contact Dr. Yvonne Giesing (Giesing@ifo.de ; 089/9224-1219).
