PhD Candidate: Impact of climate change on public health

Are you interested in Exploring climate change's impact on health in Bangladesh through research and innovation? Join us as a PhD Candidate.

Background
Bangladesh has been a popular and established laboratory for development enhancement and vulnerability eradication experiments. Floods, riverbank erosions, cyclones, and waterlogging repeatedly battered the country. Extreme events and their impacts are very well documented in Bangladesh. Climate change has become a topical interest in the new millennium, and climate change actions have suddenly replaced disaster risk reduction literature. Thus, slowly, global warming became the prominent cause of all climatic onsets without giving much focus to the science of attribution. This research recognises the impact of climate change. However, it is also very critical to understand how climate change is not the whole story but instead plays a role in a complex, interconnected world.

Attributing climate change to health is a new development in Bangladesh’s climate change narratives. Between 2012 and 2016, a public health team at Imperial College London published a few papers connecting climate change, drinking water salinity and the prevalence of preeclampsia among pregnant mothers in the coastal area. These were the pioneer studies on climate change and health in Bangladesh. Over a decade, more than 40 peer-reviewed papers have come out on similar topics, and all of them picked up the idea of this trajectory of cascading effects of climate change on human health without critically reflecting on the science of attribution at different levels.
Such a linear understanding of the problem does not represent the natural world and is likely to divert attention in the wrong direction. For example, salinity intrusion along the coast is a collective outcome of upstream water withdrawal, excessive groundwater extraction for irrigation, failure in river management, inappropriate large engineering structure construction, aggressive expansion of shrimp farming, land subsidence, and sea level rise. However, framing salinity because of climate change nullifies all other causes besides the rise of sea levels. Similarly, the relation between salinity and preeclampsia is not straightforward and linear. Preeclampsia is often triggered by hypertension. However, hypertension does not only surface from a higher content of sodium in one’s body but also can be caused by a combination of environmental, socioeconomic and epigenetic conditions. The linear identification of the problem misses out on the whole picture and fails to address a holistic approach to intervene in health issues in coastal Bangladesh.

Against this backdrop, we invite an enthusiastic researcher to develop a further proposal for a PhD project that intends to challenge the simplified version of the existing framework for climate change and health. This project has a particular focus on Bangladesh. However, we would be open to any exciting case on climate change and health in other geographic settings.

Job description
You are going to research climate change impacts on health. We encourage you to set up a research plan to study a specific health issue of choice.

• You will conduct your PhD research, which means finalising the proposal, conducting fieldwork, publishing papers in academic journals and presenting your research at international conferences.
• You will be attached to the Department of Health, Ethics and Society at Maastricht University. This means that you will participate in departmental meetings and events.
• You will take up some teaching roles in the 2nd and 3rd year of your PhD as agreed with your supervisors.

Requirements
For this PhD position, we are expecting to hear from the candidates with a profile described below:

• You have a postgraduate degree, preferably in social science, human geography, anthropology, global health, or a related field.
• You have interests and/ or substantial experiences in the related field.
• You have conceptual clarity on science and technology studies (STS), political economy, political ecology and politics of knowledge concerning climate change and health.
• You have knowledge and experience with conducting qualitative research (critical ethnography, participatory approaches, discourse analysis)
• Working experience in a global south setting would be an added advantage.
• You have strong planning and organising skills
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Publication in formal academic outlets would be an added advantage.

What we offer
As a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary from €2872,00 in the first year and €3670,00 gross per month in the fourth year (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1,0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
At the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), everything revolves around healthy living. Our research and education are not solely focused on recovery, but place a strong emphasis on prevention, health preservation, and health promotion. Our aim is to use our knowledge and expertise to genuinely contribute to the well-being of individual people as well as society in total.

In, research, and healthcare, FHML is closely collaborating with the academic hospital in Maastricht, together forming the Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+). FHML is strongly connected in education, research, and care with the Maastricht academic hospital, together with which it forms the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+).

FHML, which is the largest faculty of Maastricht University, is formed by an (inter)national community of employees and students. The faculty offers a wide range of Dutch and English-taught bachelor's and master's programs in innovative educational concepts in which the emphasis is always on building bridges to practice.

The multidisciplinary research of the FHML focuses on a number of carefully chosen topical current themes. In addition to research aimed at gaining new insights, it also concerns research whose results can be directly translated into concrete applications and innovations. The implementation of the various research programs is organized in our six graduate schools and two institutes.

CAPHRI – Care and Public Health Research Institute
CAPHRI works towards better health for everyone through innovative solutions for healthcare and public health care. CAPHRI builds bridges between science and society by conducting research with an inclusive and participatory approach. The research focuses on prevention and innovation ranging from public - and primary health care, to person-oriented long-term care.

Our research has a strong multidisciplinary approach with attention to local, regional and global themes embedded in six research lines: Ageing and Long-Term Care, Creating Value-Based Health Care, Functioning, Participation and Rehabilitation, Health Inequities and Societal Participation, Optimising Patient Care; and Promoting Health and Personalised Care.

Working at CAPHRI means being engaged in an active and inspiring academic setting and making a real contribution to the improvement of care and public health. CAPHRI attracts top scientists from around the world and is known for its comprehensive PhD training programme for young talented scientists.
www.caphri.nl (hyperlink naar: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/care-and-public-healthresearch-institute)

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Dr. M. Nadiruzzaman via mohammed.nadiruzzaman@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD Candidate? Apply now, no later than 20 October 2024, for this position.

Please upload:

• An academic CV (maximum 3 pages);
• Motivation letter consisting of a research statement (maximum of two pages) and
• A research proposal with a maximum of 1500 words (excluding references) containing a statement of the problem, theoretical framework, methodology, and expected outcome.
• Please attach a maximum of 3 writing samples (thesis, reports, journal articles, etc) where you have a major contribution.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.

38 hours per week

P. Debyelaan 25