We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD-candidate who is keen to innovate clinical trials to improve the inclusion of underserved and underrepresented populations to achieve equitable access to clinical research in Europe and work in an international multistakeholder consortium.

Clinical trials are a fundamental component of evidence-based medicine as they are seen as the gold standard for assessing causality of the effectiveness of novel interventions. Yet, patient recruitment and retention remain a leading challenge in the efficient completion of clinical trials. Furthermore, despite advancement of enrolment practices designed to better reflect the population most likely to use the health interventions in clinical practice, there is still only limited diversity within recruited patient populations. The underrepresentation of diverse populations (due for instance to their race and ethnicity, gender, age, socio-economic status, geographical location) creates knowledge gaps about the risks and benefits of health interventions for these specific populations. To address this, a large European public-private consortium has been established which seeks to improve the inclusion of underserved and underrepresented populations in clinical studies. The consortium aims to develop a multi-faceted, intersectional approach to overcome the multifactorial barriers associated with the recruitment and retention of underserved patient populations in clinical studies and to contribute to transforming the way clinical studies are conducted in Europe. The consortium involves several industry partners, academia, regulators, patient organisations, amongst others.

Specific tasks for the incoming PhD candidate include;

• achieving a clear understanding and characterisation of underserved and underrepresented populations;
• assessing the current inclusion of underserved populations in clinical studies using data-driven approaches;
• informing guidance on how to enhance the inclusion in clinical studies, including both methodological and ethical considerations;
• Evaluation and optimisation of methodological, operational, and data approaches in clinical studies, including innovative clinical trial approaches such as decentralisation and the use of real-world data.
• You will design and conduct scientific research and write papers for scientific journals, which together will also form the basis for your thesis

In addition to your research, you will spend about 10% of your time on teaching activities. The initial duration of employment is 1 year. After a positive evaluation, the employment will be extended with 2 years.

We are seeking for enthusiastic candidates that meet the following requirements:

• A completed MSc degree (or similar) in epidemiology, data science, (bio)statistics, health sciences, medicine, drug innovation or a related field
• Experience or interest in research on clinical trials (methodology) and health equity
• Excellent analytical skills and experience in handling complex databases and advanced data analytics (preferably in R)
• Excellent communication skills in English, both in writing and speaking
• Creative and pro-active, with good collaborative skills and a sound academic attitude
• Able to work independently and efficiently in a multi-disciplinary team and meet consortium deadlines
• An interest in collaborating with different partners and stakeholders locally and internationally

The maximum salary for this position (32 - 36 hours) is € 3.824,00 gross per month based on full-time employment.

In addition, we offer an annual benefit of 8.3%, holiday allowance, travel expenses and career opportunities. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Cao University Medical Centers (UMC).

The PhD-position is situated within the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Department of Global Public Health and Bioethics of the UMC Utrecht. The Julius Center is one of the 10 divisions within the UMC Utrecht and has distinguished itself through high-quality (clinical) epidemiologic research and education. The Department of Global Public Health and Bioethics is embedded in the Julius Center and aims to promote health and equity in health through high-quality epidemiological and public health research and education. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with the above mentioned public-private consortium.