Michael Lechner studied from 1985 to 1989 Economics at the University of Heidelberg and the London School of Economics and Political Science.1989 he got his Degree in Economics at the University of Heidelberg. From 1990 until 1994 he worked as Research Assistant at the Department of Economics, University of Mannheim (Prof. Heinz König). In 1994 he recieved his Ph.D. in Economics and Econometrics at the University of Mannheim. From 1994 to1995 he was a John-F.-Kennedy-Fellow at the Center for European Studies of Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. In 1995 he became an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics, University of Mannheim and stayed there until 1998. In 1996 he received his post-doctoral habilitation in Economics and Econometrics (University of Mannheim) and 1998 he became a full Professor of Econometrics at the University of St. Gallen and Director of SIAW and is currently director of the Swiss Institute for Empirical Economic Research (SEW).

Among others he has published in Journal of Econometrics, The Journal of Human Resources, Annales d' Economie et de Statistique, Journal of Business Economic Statistics and The Econometrics Journal.

Michael Lechner joined IZA as a Research Fellow in October 1999.