Dr. Sarah Spycher

Assistant Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Sarah Spycher. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Sarah Spycher is a Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich, part of the Sustainability Economics Group. Her research interests lie at the intersection of environmental economics and political economy, focusing on the political economy frictions that hinder successful environmental policy. Spycher employs both theoretical and experimental approaches in her work, contributing to a deeper understanding of the complexities within these fields. She began her current position in 2025 after completing a Postdoctoral Researcher tenure at the University of Bologna, supported by the SNSF Postdoc Mobility Fellowship. Additionally, she was a Visiting PhD Student at the London School of Economics & Political Science, where she spent six months at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & Environment, also funded by the SNSF Doc Mobility Fellowship. Sarah holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Bern and has a solid foundation in the discipline, having completed a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Economics at the same institution.

Research Interests

Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher

2025-01-01 — Present

ETH Zurich • Zürich, Switzerland

Part of the Sustainability Economics Group, focusing on environmental economics and political economy.

Postdoctoral Researcher

2023-01-01 — 2025-01-01

University of Bologna •

Funded by the SNSF Postdoc Mobility Fellowship.

Visiting PhD Student

2021-01-01 — 2022-01-01

London School of Economics & Political Science •

6-month visit to the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & Environment, funded by the SNSF Doc Mobility Fellowship.

Requirements for ETH Zurich

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.4
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Total
Required:100
GRE General
Verbal
Required:159
Verbal Percentile
Required:80
Quantitative
Required:168
Quantitative Percentile
Required:81
Analytical Writing
Required:4.5
Writing Percentile
Required:85
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in a related field (Engineering, Natural Sciences, or Mathematics) Minimum 180 ECTS credits Subject-specific knowledge equivalent to ETH Bachelor's programs
Application Checklist
  • Bachelor's degree diploma or transcript
  • Official academic transcripts
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Letter of Motivation (1 page)
  • Two academic recommendation letters
  • English language proficiency certificate
  • GRE General Test (for non-EU/EFTA applicants)
Specialization Notes

The GRE is mandatory for students who did not obtain their Bachelor's degree in an EU/EFTA state. Some departments (e.g., Computer Science) have specific ECTS credit requirements in core subjects.