Ralph Ossa returns as member of the professorial staff
We are delighted to welcome Ralph Ossaback to the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich.
Ralph Ossa, who served as Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from January 2023 to June 2025, will take up the UBS Foundation Professorship of Economics at the Department of Economics of the University of Zurich (UZH) as of July 1, 2025. After two and a half years in Geneva, the internationally recognized economist is returning to academia.
Before joining the WTO, Ralph Ossa was already teaching and conducting research at UZH in the field of international economics, with a particular focus on policy-relevant questions. His work has included studies on the economics of trade wars and trade negotiations, as well as estimates of the gains countries derive from international trade.
During his time at the WTO, Ossa led the organization’s economic research agenda. He analyzed global trade flows, the implications of geopolitical fragmentation, the link between trade and environmental outcomes, and the economic impact of protectionism. His experience reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation and constructive dialogue between research and policy. “I am convinced that trade remains part of the solution, not part of the problem,” says Ossa. In Zurich, he now plans to resume in-depth academic work to develop evidence-based answers to the very challenges he encountered as Chief Economist of the WTO.