Starting in January 2026, the MSc in Economics and Development is offering its students the opportunity to apply to work as a Research Assistant (RA) for a professor of the MSc in order to earn 6 ECTS and (especially) to work alongside an accomplished scholar and gain valuable research experience.

In June 2026, six RA positions are available in the following research areas (please click on links below in order to access detailed information):

• Analyzing a Pilot Experiment with Students Playing a Monopolist when Demand is Unknown; Supervising professor: Lapo Filistrucchi.
• Community Health Centers and Primary Healthcare in Italy; Supervising professor: Lisa Grazzini.
• Brain Drain Through the Web? Internet and Student Migration; Supervising professor: Mauro Lanati.
• Mapping the Food Policy of Florence; Supervising professor: Filippo Randelli.
• Mis/Disinformation in Social and Economic Systems: A Cross-Domain Literature Review; Supervising professor: Giorgio Ricchiuti.
• The Regulatory Architecture of the Digital Euro: Legal Design, Governance, and Economic Implications of the Emerging EU Framework; Supervising professor: Filippo Zatti.

How to Apply In order to apply for a position, a student needs to send an email directly to the supervising professor, which includes the student's CV, the student's transcript of records in the MSc in Economics and Development, and describes the student's qualifications and interest in the role of RA for the topic.

• Deadline The deadline to apply is June 9, 2026.
• Requirements For each position there are requirements to satisfy in order to apply. For instance, for the position about "Community Health Centers and Primary Healthcare in Italy" and for the position about "Mapping the Food Policy of Florence", the student needs to be proficient in the Italian language.

Selection Process For each position, the supervising professor will review the applications and select a student to fill the position (unless all applicants are not sufficiently qualified). The supervising professor may request to the applicants further information beyond what is included in their applications, and possibly decide to hold interviews with the applicants if he/she believes they are needed for the selection process.

Multiple Applications A student may apply to multiple positions simultaneously, but if the same student is selected for multiple positions then the student must choose a single position to accept. In particular, each student who filled one of the four RA position offered in January 2026 (see below in this page) should not apply to any of the six positions offered in June 2026.

Workload Each RA is expected to complete 150 hours of research work under the supervision of the proposing professor.

Future Opportunities Professors of the MSc in Economics and Development are invited to offer RA positions twice per year, in May and in December. Please note that each student may work as an RA only once during their time as student of the MSc in Economics and Development.

ECTS Recognition Upon successful completion of the assistantship (and provided the proposing professor gives a positive final assessment of the student's work) the student will earn 6 ECTS as B004980 Tirocinio. This can be included in the student’s study plan as an optional course.

Guidelines The official regulations (in Italian) regarding internal research assistantship for students of the MSc in Economics and Development are available here.

Research Assistantship offered in January 2026

Four RA positions have been offered in January 2026 in the following research areas (please click on links below in order to access detailed information):

• Community Health Centers and Primary Healthcare in Italy; Supervising professor: Lisa Grazzini; selected student: Niccolò Barbieri.
• Labour Demand and Internal Migration in Italy; Supervising professor: Mauro Lanati; selected student: Andrea Busolo.
• Aging Population: How Individual Preferences Change and Their Impact on Public Policies; Supervising professor: Chiara Rapallini; selected student: Sara Caffoni.
• Relevance of Inner Development Goals (IDGs) for Peace Mediators; Supervising professor: Giovanni Scotto; selected student: Higerta Gjergji.