Tara Pfrunder is a PhD student at the Chair of Swiss Politics and Comparative Political Economy and conducts research within the University Research Priority Program (URPP) «Equality of Opportunity» in the team of Prof. Dr. Silja Häusermann. Her research focuses on how subjective perceptions of inequality, status, and disadvantage emerge and how they shape political attitudes and behaviour.

Tara studied at the University of Zurich from 2019 to 2023, graduating with a BSc in Psychology and German Language Studies in 2022. She subsequently obtained a Master's in Comparative and International Studies (MACIS) from ETH Zurich (2023–2025). During her studies, she worked as a research assistant at the Chair of Political Economy and Development at the University of Zurich. Additionally, she worked at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) as a research assistant for Dr. Valerie Sticher and Dr. Corinne Bara in their «Nightwatch» project, which leverages satellite-based nighttime light data and machine learning for the early detection of humanitarian crises.