Sustainable implementation of effective interventions focused on healthy 24-hour movement behaviours for teenagers is a key challenge. By introducing youth-centred evidence-informed co-creation, YoPA proposes an alternative approach to tackle the complex real-world societal challenges of physical inactivity and health inequalities in both Europe and Africa. In this novel participatory approach, teenagers themselves will be central to the implementation and evaluation of holistic, systemic interventions tailored to their local communities.

About your role
Together with academic researchers and local stakeholders, youth will take a leading role in 1) mapping the local system, including needs and opportunities; 2) tailoring interventions to the local context; 3) implementing, and 4) evaluating interventions guided by our novel SUPER-AIM framework - assessing local Systems, User perspectives, the Participatory co-creation process, Reach, Effects, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of interventions in an integrated manner. YoPA will nurture sustainable implementation of youth-responsive preventive interventions tailored to the local context, improving their agency, movement behaviours and wellbeing, ultimately reducing health inequalities.

As a PhD student in the EC-funded YoPA project your challenge is to coordinate, implement and evaluate the youth centred co-creation in Amsterdam and closely collaborate with the PhD students appointed in Denmark, Nigeria and South Africa.

Your specific responsibilities will be to:

• Set-up, coordinate, implement and evaluate the youth centred co-creation in Amsterdam together with youth in the community to co-create social and/or physical environmental interventions and improve their individual and collective agency in the process;
• Report on findings by leading and contributing to scientific articles;
• Present findings at (inter)national meetings/conferences;
• Network and collaborate with PhD students from Denmark, Nigeria, and South Africa;
• Contribute to educational activities of the department.

We are looking for an ambitious PhD candidate who has the ambition to make a difference, both scientifically and locally, with the following requirements:

• Master's degree in human movement sciences, health sciences, sociology, urban design, anthropology, or related discipline;
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary setting;
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills;
• Excellent people skills;
• Fluent in Dutch and English (written and verbal);
• Experience in or passion for participatory (action) research;
• Affinity with urban design.
• Experience or affinity with Participatory Action Research, Inclusive Research, Complexity Science, Realist Evaluation, Mixed Methods analyses, or Multimodal Data Analysis is a pre;
• Preference to work in an interdisciplinary, collaborative, inclusive environment.

We offer an initial contract for 12 months that can be extended (after evaluation) for another 36 months.

Salary scale: PhD (€2789 based on a 36 hour week), depending on qualifications and experience. The monthly wage will increase yearly to the maximum wage in the fourth year of €3536 gross per month.

In addition we offer:

• An 8.3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday pay.
• The opportunity to follow further training and development.
• Pension is accrued at the ABP. VUmc contributes a large part of the premium (70%).
• In addition to excellent accessibility by public transport, we reimburse 75% of your OV travel costs (commuting costs).
• Scientific advice from internationally recognised experts.
• Access to a broad network of innovative enterprises and organisations.

For Dutch citizens it is mandatory to provide a VOG (a declaration of good behaviour).

If you don't have the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you need a residence permit in the Netherlands. We will help you with the application for this. You can find information on the general conditions here: general conditions.

For more information about our employment conditions, please visit our website.

Amsterdam UMC

You will be hosted at the Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc, Department of Public and Occupational Health, in the research group Child and Adolescent Public health Research and Innovation (led by Prof. Dr. Mai Chin A Paw). This is a collaborative, inclusive and international team of researchers. For more information see Jeugdengezondheid and Amsterdamresearch Public-health.

Working at Amsterdam UMC means working in an inspiring and professional environment in which developing one`s talents and skills is encouraged. We offer you ample opportunity for development, deepening and broadening, additional training and a place to grow!