The University of Barcelona School of Economics invites applications for a four-year, full-time PhD Fellowship starting in April/May 2027 (tentative). The successful candidate will join the research project “Social Spillovers from the Perspectives of Gender and Migration,” led by Anastasia Terskaya and Javier Vázquez-Grenno.
The aim of this project is to address several critical gaps in the literature on spillover effects, with a primary focus on gender dynamics and migration. These two dimensions are fundamental to the functioning of labor markets and educational systems, both generating complex socio-economic spillovers and suffering disproportionate impacts from them. From a gender perspective, the project seeks to illuminate the underlying mechanisms that sustain persistent inequalities across employment, education, and representation, thereby revealing targeted entry points for policy interventions. From a migration perspective, it examines how growing international mobility reshapes receiving societies by analyzing its broader spillovers on local labor market outcomes, beliefs, and political attitudes. Ultimately, the project aims to deepen our understanding of how these key societal processes propagate across communities to inform more effective public policies.
The selected candidate will contribute by conducting empirical research within these core areas. Applicants should have a strong interest in Labor, Gender, Migration, Education, or Health Economics and applied microeconometrics, supported by solid training in economic theory and causal inference methods. Strong proficiency in Stata (or similar statistical software) is required, while experience with R and Python is desirable.
The successful candidate will become part of the Public Policies research program at the Institut d’Economia de Barcelona (IEB), benefiting from a vibrant research environment with regular seminars and close interaction with leading researchers Labor, Gender, Migration, Education and Health Economics.
Remuneration is aligned with the Spanish Government’s FPI doctoral fellowship scheme. The annual gross salary is approximately €25,500, plus up to €5,500 in additional funding for research stays. The employment contract includes social security benefits and public healthcare coverage.
The University of Barcelona is a leading centre in southern Europe, 1st university in Spain, deeply committed to excellence in research. Within this framework, the UB School of Economics serves as a pivotal platform for research and graduate education in Economics. According to IDEAS, the UB School of Economics is ranked 86th in the world.
The selected candidate will be required to apply for the PhD in Economics programme at the UB School of Economics , so Master’s degree in Economics from a leading institution and strong quantitative background in Economics are expected. The PhD in Economics programme has been awarded the distinction of Excellence following a comprehensive and rigorous external evaluation conducted by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU). This recognition acknowledges the quality and impact of the research conducted within the framework of the PhD programme.
Submission instructions
Interested candidates should submit their expression of interest by sending (i) a CV, (ii) a letter of interest, and (iii) a piece of recent academic work (e.g., Master’s thesis, ongoing research paper, etc. – optional) to
ieb.calls@ub.edu before 30 September 2026 at 11:59 CEST.
The letter of interest (500 words max) should detail your past experience, interest in the project’s areas, and why you would be an outstanding candidate for this pre-doctoral position.
Please indicate the name of the project “Social Spillovers from the Perspectives of Gender and Migration,”in your email.