How do the health trajectories before death differ across socioeconomic groups? Do the socioeconomic resources of adult children and partners matter for health inequalities at the end of life?

Job description
We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to join our research team in examining the socioeconomic gradient in health during the final years of life. As global life expectancy continues to rise and non-communicable diseases remain the leading causes of death, understanding the nuances of mortality differentials within societies becomes increasingly important. Despite its significance, the socioeconomic gradient in health during the later stages of life has not received enough attention in health inequalities literature. This is a crucial period of the life course where disparities may exist and demand urgent investigation.

You will use life course theory to explore health trajectories at the end of life and uncover the presence of socioeconomic gradients in health through a family-level perspective. The project will examine health trajectories before death as a process that includes resources from various actors, rather than just individual resources in isolation. Moreover, you will apply high-quality census data and advanced quantitative methods to shed light on this critical life stage.

The PhD position has four main aims. The first aim is to describe health trajectories before death and uncover the presence of a socioeconomic gradient. Second, the causal link between education and health trajectories before death will be examined using a quasi-natural experiment. Third, the role of partnership during the life course will be analyzed. Moreover, this part of the project will examine whether the socioeconomic resources of the partner play a role in the health development preceding death using a couple-level perspective. Finally, the role of adult children’s characteristics (both in terms of SES and family structure) for the parental trajectories of health in the last years of life will be studied. By offering insights into how socioeconomic resources influence health at the family level, this research may help identify health vulnerabilities during the dying process. Join us in this research to uncover and address socioeconomic disparities in health and help to mitigate inequalities at the end of life.

The applicant for this position is expected to have a (research) master’s degree in the social sciences (e.g., epidemiology, sociology, demography, health economics) or related field. A strong statistical background and some experience with quantitative research are essential. Computer skills should include Stata, R or similar statistical software. Applicants must have excellent speaking and writing skills in English and preferably Dutch, should hold a strong motivation for the research topic health inequalities and for applying advanced quantitative methods.

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

The start date of this position is 01-NOV-2024 and you will be based at Rotterdam in Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.872 to a maximum of € 3.670 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of 18 months and extended to 48 months if performance is good.

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 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 (daycare not paid for by EUR).
• 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 help your partner find the right job for them.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

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. www.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)
ESHPM is leading within the Netherlands with its teaching and research activities, focusing on economics, policy and management topics in healthcare. ESHPM offers a bachelor programme, five master programmes, a transition programme for lateral entrants and postgraduate education.

Since its foundation in 1982, ESHPM has closely linked research and education. Knowledge and experience from various scientific disciplines such as economics, law, socio-medical sciences, organizational studies and public administration are brought together and applied to healthcare. This multidisciplinary approach to education and research is unique.

ESHPM is housed in the Bayle (J) Building on EUR's Woudestein campus in Rotterdam. More than 1500 students study and 160 employees work at ESHPM. Internationalization is highly valued at ESHPM. The number of students, faculty and researchers from abroad has increased significantly over the past years and have enriched our programmes.

The Socio-Medical Sciences (SMS) department consists of strong ethnically diverse people who are all personally driven to make a positive impact on the many societal challenges we are facing by providing high quality research and education in close collaboration with partners in the field.

The Socio-Medical Sciences research group explores issues of quality and effectiveness of care for various vulnerable groups in society throughout the life course. We are facing rising numbers of chronically ill patients, people with functional limitations and mental health issues, which trend is associated with increasingly larger socioeconomic and ethnic health disparities among younger as well as older populations. These groups have multi-faceted and complex needs, which require a person-centered approach taking diversity issues into account. Insights from the areas of public health, epidemiology, medical sociology and health psychology are valuable in this respect.

As a PhD student, you will be enrolled in the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities (EGSH). The work location is Rotterdam.

For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact: dr. Cecilia Potente (potente@eshpm.eur.nl).

Research team
Dr. Cecilia Potente (co-promotor)

Prof. dr. Anna Petra Nieboer (promotor)