PhD prevention models of virus-related cancers

This PhD position is in the field of cancer prevention. About one in eight cancers worldwide is attributable to an infectious cause, and many of these cancers are preventable by vaccination or screening plus treatment at an early (precancerous) stage.

To decrease the burden of infection-related cancers, the EU has funded a Joint Action initiative – entitled SHIELD – which aims to devise a comprehensive and effective prevention programme throughout the European continent. Within this initiative, Amsterdam UMC leads the task to map the burden of cancers attributable to hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) across Europe, and to evaluate the impact and the cost-effectiveness of preventive measures. The focus is on vulnerable and underserved groups facing heightened risks and limited access to healthcare.

As a PhD student, you will be involved in the further development of a general framework for impact and cost-effectiveness assessments, such as semi-Markov models linked to disease transmission models. The framework builds on existing models but these must be adapted to account for differences in epidemiology and disease burden between regions and relevant populations, and allow for impact comparisons between different vaccination and screening strategies in high-risk groups (e.g. sexual minorities and migrant populations).

Your main tasks are to:

• develop a general framework for impact and cost-effectiveness evaluations of preventive measures against HBV and HPV;
• perform an impact comparison between countries with different HBV and HPV vaccination and screening programmes;
• evaluate how screening strategies are related to vaccination coverage at a population level, and assess additional measures for vulnerable groups;
• contribute to the overall goals and objectives of SHIELD;
• publish your research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals;
• write a PhD thesis for defence at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

You are a computational biologist, biostatistician, econometrician or health economist with strong modelling and programming skills and an interest in public health. You have the following expertise:

• MSc degree in (mathematical or computational) biology, (bio)statistics, econometrics or closely related field;
• modelling skills and programming experience, preferably in R and C++ (or Python, Java or similar);
• clear interest in the field of biomedical or public health research;
• good communication skills and excellent command of English, and the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment.

• A flying start to your career in scientific research.
• Plenty of room for your drive to shape tomorrow's healthcare.
• Working on large-scale and in-house research, with motivated colleagues from all over the world.
• You will be employed by Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
• A contract for 12 months, with the intention to extend for a total of 4 years. The Guideline PhD contract applies to this vacancy.
• Salary scale OIO: € 3.108 to € 3.939 gross based on full-time employment (depending on education and experience) and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. Calculate your net salary here.
• Holiday hours: 190.4 per year for fulltime and a possibility to save additional hours.
• Pension accrual with BeFrank, a modern, comprehensible and fairly priced pension.
• For >7 km each way, 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs and, for private transport, €0.18 per km up to a maximum of 40 km each way.
• Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme. Moreover, you will receive a reimbursement of €0.18 per km.

Watch this video with more information about joining Amsterdam UMC Research BV.

You will be appointed within the Epidemiology and Data Science department of Amsterdam UMC, which aims to bring research and healthcare to a higher level through novel methodological contributions. You will work with the European partners of the SHIELD initiative, as well as with fellow PhD students working on HPV vaccination and cancer screening at our department.

Amsterdam UMC Research BV supports non-profit scientific research. In doing so, we provide researchers with everything they need to excel. Our principal investigators (PIs) and project leaders offer support in the field of project management, finance and human resources. In medical scientific research projects, legal support is also provided.

Watch the video to find out more.