Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo Set To Leave US—Here's Why

Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee are set to leave the United States and join the University of Zurich, where they will set up a new centre for development economics, the university confirmed on Friday.

The duo, who are married, had won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize alongside Michael Kremer for their "experimental approach to alleviating global poverty, currently work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

But amid funding cuts orchestrated by US President Donald Trump on universities and academies across the country, both Abhijit and Esther will move to Switzerland, joining the University of Zurich's Economics faculty from July 2026 onwards.

However, it must be noted that both will retain part-time roles at MIT. The university statement did not mention why exactly the duo is quitting the MIT, but it has been feared that Trump's crackdown on research spending and on universities' academic freedom might have played a key role.

Esther, a dual US-French national, had notably co-signed an editorial in Le Monde newspaper, where she denounced the 'unprecedented attack' on US science. Both she and her Indian-born husband Abhijit will now have an endowed professorship at UZH funded by the Lemann Foundation, the university said.

In addition, Esther and Abhijit will be tasked with the responsibility of establishing and co-leading the new Lemann Centre for Development, Education and Public Policy, which will focus on fostering 'policy-relevant research and connecting researchers and education policymakers around the world'

"We are delighted that two of the world's most influential economists are joining UZH," university president Michael Schaepman said. Duflo said the new Lemann Centre would enable the couple to "build on and expand our work, which bridges academic research, student mentorship and real-world policy impact".

Esther and Abhijit's impending move to Switzerland comes just days before the announcement of this year's Nobel Prize in Economics.