PROJECT DESCRIPTION

With their rapidly ageing populations, one of the challenges facing many developed countries is to keep their older inhabitants healthy and socially included. It is increasingly recognized that factors that transcend the individual older person are important for achieving this goal. This PhD-project focuses on the role of aspects of the living environment, such as the availability of services and amenities and social cohesion, and on the interplay of the living environment with life course events that many people encounter in later life. It extends earlier work on the links between aspects of the living environment and people’s ageing experiences in two important ways. First, the project will adopt a longitudinal perspective that recognizes temporal dynamics when assessing the links between aspects of the living environment and successful ageing. Longitudinal designs, for instance using difference-in-difference modelling strategies, can provide stronger evidence for causal antecedents of ageing well in the living environment than do commonly used cross-sectional designs. Second, the project also considers that impactful life course events (e.g., retirement, spousal bereavement, the onset of frailty) may shape what an older person needs to age well. In order to assess these hypotheses, analyses of large longitudinal survey datasets enriched with contextual data and data from administrative registers will be performed.

Excellent graduates in sociology or health sciences preferably with a research master’s degree are invited to apply for this position. A good statistical background and experience with quantitative research is essential. Applicants must have excellent speaking and writing skills in English and Dutch. Computer skills should include Stata, SPSS, SAS, R or similar statistical software.

We offer an appointment as PhD student for a period of 1.5 year, which will be extended with a second term of 2.5 years if the candidate performs well. Remuneration will be according to the PhD scales set by the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU), and will range from € 2.434 per month in the first year to € 3.111 per month in the fourth year (gross amounts, in case of fulltime employment). The EUR has attractive employment conditions, which include a holiday allowance of 8.0%, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% and up to 41 days paid time off. Substantial tax benefits apply to non-Dutch citizens, conditional on permission granted by the Dutch Tax Office. Applicants should have the right to work in the Netherlands for the duration of the contract. Fulltime is considered to be 38 hours per week. The starting date will be determined together with the candidate.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is a research university with a strong international orientation and a pronounced social focus, both in its education and research activities. On the lively, modern campus, more than 28.000 students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition. Our more than 2700 scientists and employees work together with all our students to solve challenges faced by global society, drawing their inspiration from the consistently dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. The academic education offered at our faculties is intensive, engaging and strongly focused on practical application. We increasingly perform our research in multidisciplinary teams, which are closely interwoven with international networks. In terms of research impact and the quality of its degree programmes, EUR can compete with the foremost universities in Europe, which is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities rankings. Erasmus University Rotterdam’s key values are daring, curiosity, social involvement, breaking new ground and striving for success. More information can be found on www.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM) is part of Erasmus University Rotterdam and is responsible for a bachelor and four master programs on policy and management in healthcare, which serve 1300 students. In addition, research is being done on three major research themes: ‘competition and regulation in healthcare’, ‘quality and efficiency in healthcare’ and ‘healthcare management’. ESHPM has about 175 employees. The position offered is within the department of Socio-Medical Sciences. The department of Socio-Medical Sciences within ESHPM addresses socio-medical themes such as patients’ experiences, quality of care, and the accessibility and use of (health) care services. Other topics addressed include the consequences of care provision and care reform for health and well-being of vulnerable groups (including vulnerable elderly, older migrants, youth with chronic conditions, people with an intellectual disability, the chronically ill, and low socioeconomic status groups).