Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee to join University of Zurich after MIT rejects Trump funding terms

Florian Scheuer, Chair of UZH’s Department of Economics, announced on X that the couple will join the university as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics on 1 July 2026. “I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics,” Scheuer wrote, calling it “a true quantum leap” for the university.

I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ_uzh at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7 pic.twitter.com/wtFVeItGgV

— Florian Scheuer (@Florian_Scheuer) October 10, 2025

At Zurich, the two economists will co-lead the Lemann Centre for Development, Education and Public Policy, funded by a CHF 26 million (USD 32 million) donation from Brazil’s Lemann Foundation. The centre will promote research that connects academics and policymakers, especially between Switzerland and Brazil.

In a statement to the university, Duflo said the new centre would help them “build on and expand our work, which bridges academic research, student mentorship, and real-world policy impact.” Banerjee added, “We have no doubt that the University of Zurich will be an excellent environment for us to pursue our research and policy work.”

The pair will keep part-time roles at MIT and continue leading their research network, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).

Their decision follows MIT’s refusal to accept a White House memo linking research funding to limits on international student intake and diversity measures. MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the conditions were “inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

(With inputs from agencies)