Fully funded PhD Position in European Research Council (ERC) – Ageing, Health and Society

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.

Add to this our principle of free research – in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central – and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again.

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 – Position description

The Faculteit Geneeskunde en Farmacie, Department Huisartsgeneeskunde en chronische zorg, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant.

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains:

The End-of-Life Care Research Group of Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University, one of the most renowned research groups worldwide in the field of ageing and the end of life, is looking to fill one PhD position for the TRAJECT research project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and supervised by Prof dr Lara Pivodic.

As part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers, you will conduct a research project and write a dissertation on trajectories of physical and psychosocial well-being of towards older people’s end of life. Your work will be part of a large-scale mixed-methods and inter-disciplinary investigation of older people’s end-of-life trajectories, using approaches from epidemiology, sociology, medicine, anthropology and psychology. The TRAJECT project responds to the long-standing scientific challenge of identifying commonalities in end-of-life trajectories across groups of people, without masking important inter-individual differences. Its central aim is to gain understanding of what is generalisable and what is individually specific in older people’s end-of-life trajectories and in the circumstances that shape them.

As part of your work, you will:

• Set up, prepare and conduct a large quantitative longitudinal study, together with a second PhD student and under the supervision of the project coordinator and a postdoctoral researcher. You will contribute to the ethics application of the project, prepare study materials, recruit participants, collect data through structured questionnaires, process and analyse quantitative research data and write scientific articles on the findings
• Establish and maintain contacts with clinicians at the participant recruitment sites
• Complete a doctoral dissertation within the topic of this project (PhD by publication)
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team on the mixed-methods integration of the quantitative data of this study with the findings of a qualitative (narrative) study, running in parallel as part of the TRAJECT project
• Ensure the project’s visibility by (co-)authoring scientific publications, presenting findings at national and international scientific meetings, communicating study findings to general audiences, helping organise scientific events, and by updating the project’s website and social media accounts
• Contribute to logistic and administrative support of the project, together with all team members
• Maintain contacts with the scientific advisory board of the TRAJECT project
• Contribute to the activities of the End-of-Life Care Research Group

For this function, our VUB Health Campus (Jette) will serve as your home base.

3 – Profile

What do we expect from you?

Master’s degree with honours/magna cum laude or an equivalent or higher study result in epidemiology, sociology, psychology, gerontology, health sciences, or a similar field by December 2023

We encourage you to apply if you are a driven and passionate researcher with a

• Deep interest in and enthusiasm for research and strong motivation to embark on an early-career researcher position and complete a doctoral degree within the foreseen time frame
• Demonstrable scientific skills and knowledge of research methods (e.g. through the quality of your master thesis and your academic background)
• Very good skills in quantitative data analysis and high motivation to develop these skills further; very good skills in commonly used data analysis software (e.g. SPSS, STATA, R, etc.). Proficiency in advanced statistical analysis methods is an advantage.
• Background (e.g. through your studies, internships, specialization courses, master thesis, previous employment etc.) in at least one of the topics of the project: population ageing, serious/chronic illness, end of life, health/illness trajectories; or otherwise demonstrated affinity with these topics
• High level of written and oral communication skills in Dutch and English, especially academic English; mastery of additional languages commonly spoken in Belgium is a strong asset
• Experience in work or research with vulnerable populations is highly appreciated
• Collaborative, team-minded and pro-active attitude

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone’s talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 – Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/12/2023.

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks…) and Ecocheques;
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 – Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 23/10/2023, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Lara Pivodic at lara.pivodic@vub.be or on 0489959083.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.