About the Project
EU Tax Compass (EUTO Comp) is a research consortium led by Bruegel and funded by the European Commission’s DG TAXUD as part of the EU Tax Observatory. The project brings together six leading European institutions—including Fedea—to advance the policy debate on taxation at the EU and Member State level. Its research spans three core areas: the interaction between taxation and business competitiveness; green taxation and climate objectives; and VAT modernisation in the Single Market.
Over three years, EUTO Comp delivers rigorous policy-relevant research, stakeholder workshops, and international conferences, and builds a multidisciplinary network of experts across Europe.
For more information, see: https://taxobservatory.eu/about-us/euto-comp/
Supervisors
The Research Assistant will work under the direct supervision of:
- Miguel Almunia (Fedea and CUNEF Universidad) – empirical public finance, environmental taxation.
- Jan Palguta (Fedea CUNEF Universidad) – empirical public finance, political economy.
Responsibilities
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Data cleaning and analysis using administrative microdata
- Producing regression tables and graphs for academic papers and policy outputs
- Conducting literature reviews
- Preparing slides for academic presentations, workshops, and policy events
- Contributing to policy briefs and reports within the EUTO Comp consortium
What We Offer
The Research Assistant will become a full participant in the research activities of the project, with exposure to the work of a major European research consortium and access to seminars, workshops, and reading groups at FEDEA and CUNEF Universidad.
You will learn firsthand how frontier economics research works, with close guidance from experienced faculty. We strongly encourage our RAs to pursue a PhD in Economics after completing the position and provide hands-on support throughout the application process.
Our supervisors have a strong and verifiable track record of mentoring research assistants and supporting their transition into highly competitive academic and research positions worldwide. Recent RAs have placed into top-tier master’s programs (including the LSE), leading research institutes (EU Tax Observatory, MIT Economics, Bocconi’s SUR Lab), and PhD programs at institutions such as Universitat Pompeu Fabra and University of Warwick.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Economics or related fields (completed or near completion), with a strong academic record; Master’s degree is a plus
- Advanced knowledge of Stata preferred; R, Python, or Julia are a plus
- Fluency in English; knowledge of Spanish or other EU languages is welcome
- Strong motivation for economics research and interest in tax policy
Terms of Employment
This is a full-time, on-site position based in Madrid, hosted at FEDEA. Compensation is competitive within the research assistant market. The preferred start date is September 2026 at the latest; earlier start dates on a part-time basis can be arranged.
FEDEA is committed to equal opportunities. All candidates will be evaluated strictly on merit and abilities.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should send the following documents to the Secretariat:
- Updated CV
- Brief statement of interest (no more than one page)
- Academic transcripts.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
EU Tax Compass is funded by the European Commission (DG TAXUD) through the EU Tax Observatory.