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Nobel Winners Duflo and Banerjee Depart MIT for Zurich

10/10/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Nobel Prize winners Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will leave the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to establish the Lemann Center for Development, Education, and Public Policy at the University of Zurich (UZH) in July 2026.
Their departure reflects a trend of academics leaving the U.S. due to challenges in higher education during the Trump administration.
The center will focus on policy-relevant research and strengthen ties with Brazil, funded by a CHF 26 million donation from the Lemann Foundation.
Duflo and Banerjee will maintain part-time roles at MIT and continue leading the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).

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Story summary

Nobel Prize winners Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will leave the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to establish the Lemann Center for Development, Education, and Public Policy at the University of Zurich (UZH) in July 2026.
Their departure reflects a trend of academics leaving the U.S. due to challenges in higher education during the Trump administration.
The center will focus on policy-relevant research and strengthen ties with Brazil, funded by a CHF 26 million donation from the Lemann Foundation.
Duflo and Banerjee will maintain part-time roles at MIT and continue leading the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).