Over the past century, people around the world have experienced momentous improvements in health and life expectancy. Whether these improvements will continue remains uncertain, as several countries have seen plateauing or even declining life expectancy in recent decades. The overarching research program (SEHealth) develops new directions to improve population health by elucidating the origins and accumulation of chronic diseases; this PhD project will focus on living environments. Much of the variation in health is attributable to living environments, and the exposome is expected to play an important role in cardiometabolic health trajectories, including climate risks such as pollutants, extreme temperatures, and access to green spaces. Emerging factors related to climate change and environmental degradation, such as microplastics and organic pollutants, have plausible causal pathways to cardiometabolic diseases and require study. Health‑related behaviours linked to climate‑related issues may also be important, and social inequalities in exposure likely contribute to health inequalities.
The focus of the PhD project will be to establish, using population‑based data and novel methodology, how climate change relates to disease onset and whether green transitions can improve health. The PhD scholar will use a newly developed data infrastructure from the SoGreen Project, which includes large European datasets (e.g., GGP, SHARE, ESS, Lifelines). The project will leverage health indicators across the lifespan, geo‑spatial climate data, and individual engagement with green‑transition behaviours.
What you will be doing- Carry out cutting‑edge academic research within an international team of researchers.
- Publish national and international journal articles, culminating in a PhD thesis.
- Participate in and present at national and international scientific meetings.
- Contribute to the project, including dissemination and communication activities aimed at policymakers, stakeholders, and the general public.
- Strong quantitative research skills and experience working with large datasets.
- Academic background in demography, sociology, economics, geography, or epidemiology, preferably a Research Master’s degree.
- Proficient in advanced statistical methods and programming (e.g., Stata or R), with experience in longitudinal and survey data.
- Excellent written and oral scientific English proficiency.
- Intellectual curiosity, engagement with research questions, creativity, and analytical rigor.
- Initial 1‑year contract, extended by 3 additional years after a positive evaluation.
- Close supervision, excellent training opportunities, and a solid foundation for an academic or research‑oriented career.
- Full‑time appointment (38 hours per week) with a gross monthly salary ranging from €3,059 to €3,881, depending on education and experience.
- Additional benefits include an 8 % vacation allowance, 8.3 % year‑end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home‑working allowance, pension accrual, and a flexible schedule for additional working hours that can increase days off from 29 to 41 per year.
The work climate at NIDI is based on mutual respect, openness, and collaboration, and the institute consists of about 80 employees across five thematic research groups.
Diversity & InclusionThe KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. We embrace differences and strive for an inclusive culture; in the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who enhances diversity within the Academy.
LocationThe Hague, NL
#J-18808-Ljbffr€3059 - €3881 monthly