Nobel Laureates Duflo and Banerjee Move to University of Zurich to Establish Development Economics Center

Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee.

Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee have announced their plans to join the University of Zurich, where they will establish a new center focused on development economics, as confirmed by the institution on Friday.

The University of Zurich (UZH) revealed that the married couple, currently affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will become part of its economics faculty beginning July of next year.

The announcement did not specify the reasons behind their decision to leave MIT. However, their relocation to Switzerland coincides with growing concerns among experts about President Trump's research funding cuts and challenges to academic freedoms at American universities, which some fear could trigger a significant brain drain as other countries actively recruit U.S. scientists.

Duflo, who holds both U.S. and French citizenship, previously co-authored an editorial in Le Monde newspaper this March criticizing what she described as "unprecedented attacks" on scientific endeavors in the United States.

At UZH, both Duflo and Indian-born Banerjee will hold endowed professorships funded by the Lemann Foundation. Additionally, they will establish and jointly lead the new Lemann Center for Development, Education and Public Policy, which aims to promote policy-relevant research and create connections between researchers and education policymakers worldwide.

"We are delighted that two of the world's most influential economists are joining UZH," stated university president Michael Schaepman regarding the appointments.

Duflo explained that the new Lemann Center would allow the couple, who will maintain part-time positions at MIT, to "build on and expand our work, which bridges academic research, student mentorship and real-world policy impact."

The announcement of this year's Nobel Prize in Economics is scheduled for Monday.