PhD Intersectionality & Stakeholder Engagement in Behavioral Data Analysis

LABDA (Learning Network for Advanced Behavioural Data Analysis) is an EU-funded MSCA Doctoral Network, that brings together leading researchers in advanced movement behaviour data analysis at the intersection of data science, method development, epidemiology, public health, and wearable technology to train a new generation of creative and innovative public health researchers via training-through-research. The main aims of LABDA are to establish novel methods for advanced 24/7 movement behaviour data analysis of sensor-based data, examine the added value of advanced behavioural data analysis and multi-modal data for predicting health risk and facilitate the use and interpretability of the advanced methods for application in science, policy and society. Via training-through-research projects, 13 doctoral fellows will contribute to reaching these aims. Together, they will develop a joint taxonomy to enable interoperability and data harmonisation. Results will be combined in an open-source LABDA toolbox of advanced analysis methods, including a decision tree to guide researchers and other users to the optimal method for their (research) question. The open-source toolbox of advanced analysis methods will lead to optimised, tailored public health recommendations and improved personal wearable feedback concerning 24/7 movement behaviour. For more information, see the project's website: LABDA project

About your role
As a PhD student in the project 'Intersectionality and Stakeholder engagement to improve the impact of Advanced Data Analysis for assessing 24/7 movement behaviours' your challenge is to examine the applicability of various advanced analyses methods across various subgroups at the intersection of characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic position. For example, are algoritms developed on accelerometer data of highly educated white men also applicable to accelerometer data of adolescents with a migrant background attending secondary school? A second challenge is to translate the results of these intersectionality analyses into input for the optimal design of the LABDA toolbox.

Your tasks

Your specific responsibilities will be to:

• Apply intersectionality analyses to expand the impact of advanced behavioural data analyses methods;
• Engage with multiple stakeholders across public health, industry, policy, research and society regarding their needs and preferences for the development of the LABDA toolbox;
• Report on findings by publishing scientific articles, resulting in a dissertation;
• Present findings at (inter)national meetings/conferences;
• Collaborate and exchange knowledge and skills with the other LABDA fellows;
• Contribute to the LABDA toolbox of advanced analysis methods for sensor-based behavioural data;
• Contribute to educational activities of the department and within the consortium

We are looking for an ambitious PhD candidate with the following requirements:

• Master's degree in a relevant area;
• Experience in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods;
• Experience with at least one programming language is a plus (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB);
• Preference to work in an interdisciplinary, collaborative, inclusive environment;
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and fluent in English;
• Affinity with youth and health.

To be eligible, applicants need to fulfil the MSCA basic requirements:

• All researchers recruited in a Doctoral Network must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment;
• Doctoral candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.

• We offer an initial contract for 12 months that can be extended (after evaluation) for another 36 months.
• PhD students (Onderzoeker in Opleiding) are placed in scale 21, with a fulltime gross salary. The starting salary is € 2.789,- and increases to € 3.536,- in the fourth year.
• Additional benefits include 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.

Fellows will also benefit from a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if already married). The mobility and family allowances are fixed amounts, regardless of the country of recruitment, and may be taxable depending on the country in which the researcher is recruited. Successful applicants are eligible for parental leave in keeping with Amsterdam UMC standard employment policy.

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.

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).

For more information see Jeugd en gezondheid

As part of the project you will go on secondments to:

• School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University to apply intersectionality analyses and engage with mutiple stakholders (dr Esliger);
• Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark to apply intersectionality analyses and engage with mutiple stakholders (prof Schipperijn);
• Labvisits to Accelting (the Netherlands) to work on the open-source LABDA toolbox of advanced analysis methods (dr van Hees).

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!

Further information

For more information about the research team and working environment, you can visit the following websites:

• Jeugd en gezondheid
• Amsterdam Research
• Amsterdam UMC