PhD Position Global Health Behaviors and Development Economics

Rotterdam, Netherlands.

This PhD will contribute evidence on the intricate link between health or nutrition behaviors and health outcomes among vulnerable groups using field experimental and econometric approaches. The PhD student will be partly embedded in ongoing joint projects with researchers at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. South Africa is an interesting study country due to – on the one hand – persistent economic inequality, high rates of unemployment among vulnerable groups, as well as various social protection schemes, and – on the other hand – poor anthropometric status, nutritional deficiencies, as well as widespread infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB). The article-based PhD will primarily focus on South Africa using both primary and secondary data. One focus is on analyzing the effects of interventions including social grants and food support schemes on both health and nutrition behaviors as well as health outcomes.

Part of the project situates itself within the emerging field of behavioral subsidies/social protection and health outcomes in the context of vulnerable TB patients and their families. TB is a prime and often preventable cause of death in South Africa. An important fraction of TB patients suffers from poor nutritional/anthropometric status, struggles with medication adherence and lives in poverty. South Africa is also known for relatively generous social and disability grants. The project will explore the interactions of TB patients with the social protection system of South Africa. While first topics and projects have been identified, there is also plenty of room to co-develop further projects in the larger field of health, nutrition/anthropometrics and economic development including in neighboring countries.

Job requirements

We are looking for a PhD researcher with the following profile and interests:

• Master’s degree in economics and closely related quantitative fields with some expertise in development or health economics
• Excellent applied econometric (e.g. impact evaluation) and related programming skills (e.g. STATA, R-Cran)
• A basic understanding of field experiments and behavioral approaches
• Experience with original data collection in field settings is a plus (e.g. surveys, field experiments). Specific field experience in South Africa is a further plus.
• Excellent communications and English skills
• Intellectual openness and strong soft skills for working within interdisciplinary and multicultural teams
• A passion for tackling important health problems facing vulnerable groups
• Willingness to spend time on the design of experiments and taking part in original data collection

The intention for this PhD recruit is to be based in the Netherlands with longer research stays in South Africa. There is an intention to develop and co-supervise this project jointly with collaborators at Stellenbosch University. There is also an intention to work with global health researchers at Erasmus School of Economics.

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM) is investing in three themes: Planetary Health, Sustainable Workforce, and Global Health. Through these initiatives, ESHPM is at the forefront of shaping healthcare policy and management, innovating for a sustainable future in healthcare.

With this PhD opportunity in Global Health, ESHPM is specifically expanding in the areas of behavioral field experiments and econometric work on health & nutrition behaviors in low and middle-income countries. A second PhD opportunity links to our comparative focus in international health care systems.

Employment conditions and benefits

ESHPM PhDs primarily work on their research project. There is also time for personal development (e.g. courses, conferences) and up to 15% of time may be allocated to teaching.

We offer an internationally oriented and varied job in our enthusiastic Global Health and Health Economics team with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is in the Academic Year 2024/2025 and will be based at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). This position is full-time. The contract is entered into for the duration of 18 months with the intention of extending to a total of four years. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.770 to a maximum of € 3.539 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours) in accordance with the CAO-NU.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare.
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also try to help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities.

Applying

Please submit your application, consisting of a CV and motivation letter, before the vacancy closing date. Make sure to mention your own research interests in the field of health, nutrition and economic development in the motivation letter.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.

Please do not send emails and submit your application solely through the application system. Emails will not get answered. Only for urgent or important requests on the job, you should contact the prospective primary supervisor Dr. Matthias Rieger. The interviews will take place in September/October.