PhD Position in the Psychology of Inequality (ERC Project PERPETUATE)

Introduction

UNIL is a leading international teaching and research institution, with over 5,000 employees and 17,000 students split between its Dorigny campus, CHUV and Epalinges. As an employer, UNIL encourages excellence, individual recognition and responsibility.

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Presentation

The University of Lausanne invites applications for a PhD Position in the Psychology of Inequality. The successful candidate will join the ERC-funded project led by Prof. Nicolas Sommet, “The Vicious Cycle of Inequality: How Economic Inequality Perpetuates Itself by Creating a Culture of Competitiveness in Schools.” The position includes co-supervision by Prof. Nicolas Sommet and Prof. Fabrizio Butera. The project combines longitudinal, multilevel, and experimental data to examine whether economic inequality perpetuates itself by fostering a culture of competitiveness in schools. Specifically, it tests whether inequality increases the importance of status, leading parents and teachers to encourage competitiveness in ways that may widen socioeconomic achievement gaps. The successful candidate will work on the first and third parts of the project. Part 1 combines 60+ panel datasets from 40+ countries with annual indicators of inequality to examine the link between inequality in society and inequality in education. Part 3 collects experimental data from secondary school students in Switzerland to test whether school competitiveness widens socioeconomic achievement gaps and whether an intervention can narrow them.

Job information

Expected start date in position: September 1, 2026, or upon agreement
Contract length: 1 year, then renewablefor three years
Activity rate: 100%, lower employment rates may be considered upon agreement
Workplace: University of Lausanne, Géopolis, Lausanne, Switzerland
Annual salary: CHF 55,000 (first year) with annual increase 

Your responsibilities

The successful candidate is expected to:
• Contribute during the first 12 months to assembling and harmonizing the data, merging the harmonized data with inequality indicators, and developing reproducible workflows and documentation
• Focus in the following phase on a multi-school experiment in Swiss secondary schools, including study preregistration, data collection, data management, and analysis
• Collaborate closely with the project supervisors, postdoctoral researchers, student assistants, and senior research collaborators
• Develop a doctoral thesis and related first-authored and co-authored scientific publications based on the project
• Present findings at international conferences
• Contribute to the intellectual life of the institute

See specifications here (in French)

Your qualifications

• Master’s degree in psychology, sociology, economics, education, or a related discipline. Applicants near completion of their degree may apply, provided that the degree is completed before the start date
• Solid quantitative skills, a good command of R and/or Stata, and a strong interest in statistical analysis
• Strong interest in data management and in working with large-scale secondary datasets
• Strong interest in multilevel analysis, longitudinal analysis, and related methods
• Strong interest in research on social inequality and/or competitiveness
• Very good academic record, especially in statistics, quantitative methods, or related coursework
• Collaborative attitude and interest in teamwork
• Commitment to open science and reproducible research practices
• Fluency in English, which is the working language; knowledge of French, or a willingness to acquire it rapidly, is expected for school-based data collection in Switzerland

What the position offers you

The position offers the opportunity to contribute to an ambitious research project on social inequality based in Lausanne, a vibrant city on Lake Geneva, surrounded by the Alps. It is hosted in a dynamic and international research environment at the LIVES Centre , with opportunities for professional development, collaboration, further training, and participation in international conferences.

Contact for further information

For further information, please contact E-Mail schreiben.

Your application

Deadline: 25 May 2026
Interviews: within the two weeks following the application deadline
Submit applications through the official UNIL website. The application, in English, should include:
1. A motivation letter detailing how the candidate’s profile is a strong fit for the project, both methodologically and theoretically
2. A CV
3. A copy of the Master’s degree, along with transcripts or grade records for the Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees
4. One piece of academic writing, such as a Master’s thesis chapter, seminar paper, or research report
5. The names and contact details of two academic referees who may be contacted directly. Please do not submit reference letters.

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.

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