Switzerland: 2 PhD Positions in Statistics/Econometrics at University of Neuchatel

The Institute of Statistics of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Neuchâtel expects to open up to two assistant positions (for a total of up to 150% working time) starting in August 2010. The successful candidates are expected to enroll in and begin working towards a Ph. D. degree in Statistics at the University of Neuchâtel. The possible topics of the thesis cover theoretical and/or empirical methods in statistics and econometrics related to the areas of expertise of the department.

The Faculty of Economics of the University of Neuchâtel, has around 400 students, over 30 full professors and guest teachers, 20 lecturers, and about 30 teaching and research assistants.

The Institute of Statistics, one of the seven institutes that constitute the Faculty, gives bachelor and graduate courses included in the university degree programs in economics, mathematics, management, social sciences, labor psychology, and informatics. Moreover, the Institute of Statistics offers a master program in statistics. The research interests of the faculty include sampling, estimation in finite populations, public statistics, extreme values, time series, statistical methods applied to finance and macroeconomics.

Ideally located at the heart of Europe (halfway between Zürich and Geneva), Neuchâtel offers its residents an exceptional quality of life and is an ideal place for study and high-level research work.

Qualifications and Assessment Grounds for Appointment
The applicants should

• have a Bachelor and Master degrees in statistics, mathematics (with some knowledge of economics), economics or finance (with a strong mathematical background), or related fields,
• be willing to start working on a Ph. D. thesis in the fields of statistics or econometrics at the University of Neuchâtel,
• poses a high level of independence, intellectual openness, creativity and scientific curiosity,
• be interested in doing research, be motivated to study, understand and finally master possibly complicated technical problems, be willing to neatly write up the results,
• poses strong quantitative skills, good knowledge of probability and statistics/econometrics,
• be interested in teaching and willing to perform to a high level in the didactic duties,
• have good knowledge of both French and English,
• have less than 30 years of age (see Règlement des assistants)

Job Description
The assistants will be employed on a fixed-term contract and will be active in the Institute of Statistics, University of Neuchâtel for the full duration of this position

The successful candidate is expected to conduct research towards the completion of a Ph. D. Thesis. They will function as a teaching assistant for bachelor and master level courses and expected to interact with the students and to assist them in their learning effort. The teaching is both in French and English.

The assistant will also play an active role in the department. She/he is expected to interact with other researchers in the school, to participate in department's activities, to contribute to the scientific life of the department by attending seminars, conferences, taking part in organizing of scientific events, supervising undergraduate/graduate theses within her/his research area, etc.

The position offers also the possibility for close academic collaboration with the other institutes and departments of the university (in particular with the Institutes of financial analysis, information management, and economic research, and the department of mathematics), as well as relevant departments of the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne (these last ones in the frame of the collaboration agreement “Triangle d'Azur”).

Salary And Benefits
The successful candidates will receive benefits and salary in accordance to the rules and regulations of the University of Neuchâtel

Rough and non-binding estimates of the salary for 100% employment go from a gross salary of around CHF 68,000 (€ 48,000)/year in the first year to roughly CHF 79,000 (€ 56,000)/year in the fourth year.

How to Apply
Each applicant should send ONE (paper) copy of the following to the address below

1. Transcripts of certificates of graduate university courses
2. Copies of bachelor/master diplomas
3. A CV including biographical information, degrees, work experiences, list of publications (if any), and list of honors, awards, scholarships, fellowships
4. A short statement (1-2 pages) describing the applicant’s interest in the research area, if possible also the work that he or she would like to do during the appointment (this statement is not a commitment to conduct the outlined work, but is important evidence of the applicant’s ability to think of an appropriate scientific project), her/his views on teaching, relevant previous experiences related to didactic activities of any kind, etc. other experiences and interests demonstrating the qualities listed in the section on Qualifications and Assessment Grounds for Appointment

Three reference letters to be sent directly to the address indicated below. The candidate should arrange for the letters to be posted by the application’s deadline. The names and addresses (including e-mail and FAX) of three referees should be included in the CV.
Address: Secrétariat de l’Institut de Statistique,
Faculté des Sciences Économiques,
Pierre à Mazel, 7
2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland

In addition the documents (1) to (4) should be sent electronically to the address: messagerie.istat@unine.ch (if an electronic version of document (1) is not available, a legible digital picture or a scanned copy should be provided with the original paper version sent by normal mail to the address above).

Applications will be considered on an on-going basis and interviews will be conducted until the qualified candidates are found. The positions will begin in August 2010. The appointment will be announced on the web page of the Institute of Statistics as soon as the positions are filled.

For further information write to Catalin Starica at catalin.starica@unine.ch