Overview

• Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will start at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, to establish the Lemann Centre for Development, Education and Public Policy.
• The Lemann Foundation is funding the initiative with a CHF 26 million donation, and both scholars will hold Lemann-endowed professorships at UZH.
• The new centre will focus on policy-relevant research and global links between researchers and education policymakers, including ties between Switzerland and Brazil.
• The pair will retain part-time roles at MIT and continue to co-lead the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, while moving their ADEPT training program to Zurich.
• UZH did not state a reason for the move, while coverage notes a U.S. backdrop that includes MIT’s refusal of new White House funding conditions on international students and diversity.