Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage is Professor of Applied Economic Data Research Methods at the Utrecht University School of Economics. His research focuses on the transformation of work through digitalisation, globalisation and labour market institutions, combining applied econometrics, statistical learning and natural language processing with rich administrative and survey data. He has published in leading journals such as the Journal of Labor Economics, the Journal of the European Economic Association and the Journal of Public Economics, and his work on automation and the future of work has received widespread scientific and policy attention, with several thousand citations and numerous media appearances.

In his research agenda, Zierahn-Weilage applies modern causal identification methods, structural modelling, machine learning, and natural language processing to generate new data, link existing data sources and answer policy-relevant questions. He develops and uses linked employer-employee datasets, novel firm and worker surveys, and text-as-data approaches to study how new technologies, trade and institutions shape employment, wages, skills and regional labour market disparities. A concrete example is his work that applies natural language processing to vocational education curricula and patents to analyse how new technologies change skill demand, and that links curricula to online vacancies to study mismatch between skills supplied by education and skills demanded in the labour market.

Zierahn-Weilage’s research has been recognised with multiple awards and substantial external funding. He currently leads a work package in an EU Horizon project on inequality and skills in the green and digital transitions and has a strong track record in acquiring third-party funding from European and national sources. He is Research Associate at ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim, CESifo Network Affiliate and GLO Fellow, and he actively contributes to Utrecht University’s Future of Work hub.

At Utrecht University, Zierahn-Weilage strengthens U.S.E.’s profile in cutting-edge empirical work by integrating statistical learning, natural language processing and AI into both research and teaching. He coordinates and teaches core methods courses ranging from applied microeconometrics to data science labs, in which students gain hands-on experience with modern causal inference, statistical learning and AI tools in real-world projects. He is supervisor of award-winning PhD candidates, who work with linked administrative and survey data or text-as-data methods on questions related to digitalisation, inequality and labour markets.

Before joining Utrecht University in 2019, Zierahn-Weilage was Senior Researcher at ZEW Mannheim, where he attracted external funding and advised policymakers on the labour market consequences of technological change and globalisation. He obtained his PhD in economics from the University of Kassel with highest distinction and has since been widely involved in the academic community, for example as referee for scientific journals, and as organiser of international conferences and workshops. Through regular engagement with ministries, European institutions, social partners and the media, he places societal relevance and policy impact at the centre of his work and contributes to informed public debates on the future of work.