David Dorn

David Dorn is the UBS Foundation Professor of Globalization and Labor Markets at the University of Zurich and directs the interdisciplinary University Research Priority Program Equality of Opportunity. Previously a tenured faculty member at Madrid's Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI), he maintains visiting affiliations with UC Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, and the University of Chicago. He holds research fellowships at London's Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), Bonn's Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), and Munich's CESifo.

His research critically examines how globalization and technological change reshape labor markets, with emphasis on trade-induced inequality, regional economic adjustment, and political polarization. Key contributions analyze the persistent employment effects of the 'China shock' on U.S. manufacturing, electoral consequences of trade dislocation, and gendered skill gaps revealed through digital labor market data. His work bridges macroeconomic forces with individual outcomes using high-resolution spatial and longitudinal datasets.

As director of Zurich's Equality of Opportunity program, he coordinates cross-departmental research on socioeconomic mobility determinants. His scholarly influence extends through editorial roles at top journals and active participation in European economic policy networks, where his empirical findings inform debates on trade adjustment assistance and place-based industrial policy.