As a PhD-candidate you are going to work on food choices under stress. Households experiencing financial constraints often face numerous challenges that influence their behaviors such as food purchases and consumption. For example, the 2008 recession was associated with diverse impacts on diets in many countries, and therefore, finding and implementing effective policies to mitigate adverse nutritional changes and encourage positive changes during recent major economic shocks should be prioritized. The literature reveals several important findings on how these constraints lead to suboptimal decisions both financially and nutritionally. They include the following factors:
In this research, we aim to investigate to which extent people in financially difficult situation or during recent economic shocks cope with their situation rationally given all available options and to which extent are they affected by the above-mentioned factors such as preference for energy-dense food, shame and social stigma, and the lack of or limited use of nutritional knowledge. For the most prevalent factors, interventions will be developed to diminish their effects, and it will be tested if these can lead to reduced levels of suboptimal and self-destructive behaviors.
At Zero Hunger Lab we also work on having real impact with our research. That means we want to collaborate with one, or sometimes several, organizations in the field. For example “Voedingscentrum” and/or municipalities and/or orginizations working to relieve poverty in the Netherlands.
A PhD dissertation at CentER requires the design and execution of 3 studies. The execution of the research work itself typically involves the conceptualization of the research questions and ideas, data collection, qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the data, and writing and presenting of academic papers. The aim is to publish about those projects in high-quality academic journals. Two advisors will be assigned for supervising your PhD research. Upon successful completion of your courses and your research work, as demonstrated by a submitted and approved PhD dissertation and the subsequent defense, you will be awarded a doctoral degree by Tilburg University.
As PhD researcher you contribute to our mission
The Zero Hunger Lab helps to achieve global food security using mathematics and data science. We call it ‘bytes for bites’. Our mission is to make people independent of food aid so that they themselves can ensure sustainable food security. We do this not only in Africa, Asia and South America, but also in the Netherlands where more than 190.000 people (VBN, 2022) depend on food banks for their “daily bread”. Watch the videos from our recently promoted colleagues Meike, Melissa, Koen and Valentijn: Researchers Zero Hunger Lab | Tilburg University
More information on our projects: Zero Hunger Lab
You will be enrolled as a PhD candidate in the world-class PhD program of CentER Graduate School of Business, where you will receive extensive training in theory and methods by taking several PhD-level courses. The courseload amounts to 36 ECTS, which is the equivalent for 6 full courses. The course program is composed by your supervisor and PhD program coordinator, in consultation with you.
There is also a travel budget for attending PhD level courses outside of CentER, work visits and conferences. The training can be adapted to the previous educational achievements of the PhD candidate by mutual agreement with the supervisors
80% of the position’s time will be dedicated to the completion of your PhD research, and 20% to the acquisition of academic skills through teaching courses and supervising master/bachelor theses within the department.
What do we offer?
Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment. Our offer includes:
For more information, see our website and the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.
Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainably, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.
We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.
Tilburg School of Economics and Management
Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) staat hoog aangeschreven. Het onderzoek, verenigd in CentER, behoort tot de Europese top. De Bachelor- en Masteropleidingen, waarvan er drie Bachelors en zestien Masters volledig in het Engels worden verzorgd, staan op de internationale kaart met het in 2002 verworven AACSB-keurmerk. Medewerkers en studenten vormen een ambitieuze, internationale gemeenschap.
Tilburg School of Economics and Management
About Zero Hunger Lab
The world hunger problem is immense. According to the United Nations, as many as 783 million people go to bed hungry tonight. Every 10 seconds, somewhere in our world a child dies of starvation and malnutrition. Zero Hunger Lab was founded in 2019, inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 – zero hunger. Reducing the world’s hunger problem requires not only more efficient and effective (emergency) food aid. Even more important is to increase local capacity so that farmers, businesses, and communities can provide sustainable food security themselves and become independent of aid. That’s why Zero Hunger Lab researchers work not only from the campus in Tilburg, but also on site with organizations that have access to people in need, that have a good understanding of how to make communities and their food systems sustainable, and that co-create solutions with sustainable impact together with those same communities. More than 20 researchers work within the lab. They collaborate on even more research projects with numerous partners, including the World Food Programme, Voedselbanken Nederland, ZOA, WorldVision, UNDP, ZEROW, NFP, Bioversity and CIAD Alliance, Wageningen University & Research, INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group and Zero Poverty Lab.
Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Pavel Cizek at P.Cizek@tilburguniversity.edu or Frans Cruijssen at Frans.Cruijssen@tilburguniversity.edu.
We cordially invite you to apply before Monday 16 December 2024 18:00; this can only be done online. Address your cover letter to Frans Cruijssen and attach your CV. In order to make a good selection, we also ask you to provide the following documents:
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