2 postdoc positions Utrecht University

Institution (Location)
Utrecht
Start Date
October 1, 2017
Position Description
We invite applications for two fully funded,
full-time, 4-year postdoctoral positions to join the 5-year European Research
Council funded project called “NEEDS: Dynamic Urban Environmental Exposures on
Depression and Suicide“. NEEDS is headed by Dr. Marco Helbich at the Department
of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, and is embedded in
the interdisciplinary Healthy Urban
Living research program.
 
The project aims to
understand the relationships between environments (i.e. the
built, natural, and social environment),
depression, and suicide in the Netherlands. A key aspect is that people
are exposed to multiple environments not only throughout
the day but also over the course of their lives affecting
depression and suicide risk. To address this issue, a broad range of
methodological innovations will be applied including tracking people with
Global Positioning System-enabled smartphones, conducting register linkage
studies on a population level, space-time data analytics and statistical
modeling. The project promotes a multidisciplinary approach combining health
science, geographic information science, and geography.
 
The first postdoctoral researcher will address how
environmental exposures along people’s daily movement affect their degree of
depression. Data will be collected through a survey and people’s mobility will
be tracked with Global Positioning System. The second postdoctoral researcher
will address to what extent environmental exposures over people’s life-course
affect suicide mortality by means of setting up cohort study using linked
population register data.
Candidate’s Qualifications (who should apply)
Qualifications
 
We are looking for passionate and motivated
postdoctoral researchers, who
·        
Have a PhD either in health science, geographic
information science, geography, or related disciplines by the time of
appointment;
·        
Have proven interest in and enthusiasm about the
outlined research topics and methods;
·        
Have a strong research profile documented through
high-quality publications;
·        
Are team players who can conduct academic research
independently at the highest level;
·        
Are proficient in both spoken and written English and
have excellent communication skills;
·        
Are well versed in quantitative data analytics (e.g., in
R) and geographic information systems;
·        
Have excellent knowledge in conducting a survey and ideally
knowing the Dutch language (for the depression study);
·        
Have, desirably, experience in project acquisition and
proposal writing;
·        
Have the willingness to teach for 10% of their time
(e.g., mentoring graduate students).
 
If this profile suits you, we encourage you to apply
and are looking forward to meeting you.

Offer

 

The successful candidate will initially be offered a
full-time position as a researcher at Utrecht University for two years. On the
basis of a positive evaluation halfway through the second year, the contract
will be extended to up to four years.

 

Employment conditions are based on the Collective Labor
Agreement of Dutch Universities. Based on the experience and qualifications of
the candidate, the gross monthly salary starts in the first year at a minimum
of €3.068 and a maximum of €4.028 based on full-time (38 hours) employment. The
salary is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and a year-end
bonus of 8.3%. Applicants from abroad can apply for a 30% tax reduction.

 

Utrecht University offers a pension scheme, a contribution
to commuting expenses, collective insurance schemes, and flexible employment conditions
(multiple choice model). There are several options to adjust your employment
conditions to your personal situation. Facilities for child care and sports are
available on our campus, which is only 15 minutes away from the historical city
center of Utrecht. More information can be found in the terms
of employment.

 

How to Apply
Application
 
Your application must contain the following documents:
·        
A cover letter (max. 2 pages) describing your
motivation for one of the positions, how your experience is relevant for the
project and how you contribute to the project;
·        
Your curriculum vitae including the names and
addresses of two referees who we may contact;
·        
A complete list of publications;
·        
A writing sample of a selected publication.

plic To apply please use www.academictransfer.com/39445.
Website

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