Career Opportunities: Students Visit ZEW

On 1 February 2017, 21 students from the Bundesverband für Volks- und Betriebswirte (bdvb) in Göttingen and Mannheim paid a visit to the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW). The students were greeted by ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach, who gave them an overview of the work the institute does.

"ZEW is one of the three biggest economic research institutes in Germany. With six different research departments and three research groups, we are able to cover a diverse range of topics," said Wambach as he greeted the students. "We think it is extremely important for researchers to work together closely and confidently. Personnel officer Katrin Schindler also highlighted the open atmosphere at ZEW and gave the students information on career opportunities in the field of economic research and at ZEW, such as internships, the opportunity to work as a student assistant and PhD programmes.

Two doctoral candidates at ZEW then offered insight into their daily work at the institute. Laura Pohlan, a researcher in ZEW’s Research Department "Labour Markets, Human Resources and Social Policy" and Robert Germeshausen, a researcher in the Department "Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management", talked about their professional backgrounds as well as their work in the ZEW research departments using current projects as examples. "Doing your doctoral studies at ZEW has many advantages," Germeshausen explained. "We have access to huge volumes of data as well as a vast network of contacts in the fields of science and economics."

To round off the visit, the students took part in a ZEW evening event with Professor Hans-Werner Sinn, who gave a talk on "Europe Post-Brexit. A 15 Point Programme for the Re-establishment of Europe."