DC 1 – PhD Position: Predictive models for early childhood obesity

The Healthy Adaptation to Pregnancy, Postpartum and Parenthood (HAP3) project aims to address the detrimental impact of intergenerational transmission of obesity and mental health problems from parents to infants in the first three years of life.

HAP3 is a Doctoral Training Network funded by the European Commission (EC). More specifically, it is part of the EC’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and is a Joint Doctorate Training Network which provides high-level transdisciplinary training to 11 high achieving and committed doctoral candidates. Each candidate will work towards a Joint Doctorate from two European Universities and serve as a “PERINATAL CARE INNOVATOR”. This in order to develop innovative (technical) solutions to effectively address the complex challenges of obesity and mental health problems during pregnancy and early parenthood.

Our international consortium of 5 leading universities and 11 associated partners (including 7 non-academic partners) provides the PhD candidates with a unique opportunity to engage with a diverse academic and professional community, benefit from the expertise and resources of different institutions, and contribute to cutting-edge research in the fields of obesity and mental health during critical reproductive periods.

Project for DC1: Predictive models for early childhood obesity to inform national health authorities.

The objectives for DC1 are (1) To examine risk and predictive factors of childhood obesity based on existing multi-country register and cohort data, and (2) to validate prediction models. The project will mainly rely on data from registers and large established cohorts.

This project will lead to a collaborative joint doctorate from KU Leuven (Belgium), where the main supervisory team is based, and with Aarhus University in Denmark as the second university.

Project ID: 101169127

Key responsibilities of the PhD candidate are:

• To harmonize and analyze register and longitudinal data to identify modifiable risk factors for childhood obesity;
• To conduct cross- national comparisons (Belgium- Denmark) of modifiable factors for the prevention of childhood obesity;
• To use a combination of traditional prediction models and machine learning approaches for the prediction of childhood obesity;
• Collaborate with DC2 and DC3 to integrate/merge data from multiple registers and cohorts;
• Complete a successful PhD thesis within the project;
• Attend the training workshops, seminars and conferences organized within the HAP3 network;
• Publish in high-impact journals and present findings at conferences.

[BENEFITS]

Selected candidates will be offered a competitive salary aligned with the MSCA-JD regulations for Doctoral Researchers. The exact net salary will be determined at the time of appointment, taking into account local tax laws, employer costs, social security contributions and the country correction factor to account for varying costs of living across different EU Member States. The salary package includes: a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if applicable). The EU Researcher Allowances will be used to cover both the employee’s as the employer’s mandatory charges.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for an additional 3 years. Preferably, the appointment will start on March 1, 2025.

[ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA]

We welcome applications from individuals of any nationality and background, provided they meet the following requirements:

• Educational Qualification: Applicants must possess a MSc in the field of Epidemiology, Medicine, Psychology, Midwifery, Public Health or Social sciences or other disciplines relevant to the overall project (more details specified in the project specific requirements)
• PhD Status: Applicants must not hold a PhD degree or have successfully defended a PhD.
• Mobility Condition: Applicants must not have lived or conducted their main activities (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months within the three years immediately preceding the recruitment date. Exceptions include compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and periods spent in the process of obtaining refugee status.
• Local Eligibility: Applicants must meet local requirements and be eligible for enrollment in the PhD program at the recruiting (KU Leuven Belgium ) and second university (Aarhus University Denmark) involved in the supervision of the doctoral candidate.
• English Proficiency: Applicants must demonstrate a high level of proficiency in both written and spoken English (B2 level or equivalent)

[PROJECT SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS]

• A MSc degree in a relevant field such as Epidemiology, Medicine, Midwifery, Nursing, Psychology, Public Health, Nursing, Social Sciences or a related discipline; or you will obtain this degree before 30th of September 2024;
• Strong background in statistical/epidemiological analysis and experience with longitudinal data is a plus.
• Proficiency in using statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R);
• Good analytical, writing, and presenting skills
• Eager to learn new things, highly conscientious, flexible, and a collaborative attitude;
• Willingness to learn Dutch is desirable.

[APPLICATION]

Applicants are required to submit following documents to the project’s central mail address: info@hap3.eu, on www.hap3.eu website. Please clearly indicate in the subject of the email and in the motivation letter what DC (or DCs) you are applying for.

• A photocopy of their ID card, or passport. You can use the kopieid app to prepare the ID copy safely;
• A copy of their academic qualifications, if not awarded in English, a certified translation is required;
• An academic CV;
• A motivation letter;
• A transcript detailing the grades obtained during their Master’s degree;
• The names and email addresses of two academic referees;
• You can apply for multiple DCs. Please clearly indicate 1) what DC or DCs you are applying for and 2) rank them in order of preference.

The deadline for applications is: 30th of September 2024.

[SELECTION PROCESS]

The initial phase involves reviewing eligibility and evaluating each candidate’s qualifications, which does not require their presence. Eligible candidates will be ranked based on the merit and required skills. Candidates who pass this evaluation will be invited to an online interview (Indicatively 23-29 September). Shortlisted candidates based on first interview will be contacted for final online interview on November 21st or 22nd 2024.

[WHERE TO APPLY]

info@hap3.eu

[INFORMATION]

For further information, please contact Prof dr. Annick Bogaerts  via email at annick.bogaerts@kuleuven.be  

For information on the application process or technical issues, please contact Dr. Alice Cavolo at info@hap3.eu

[PRIVACY NOTICE]

Please be informed that we will process personal data collected from you in response to this vacancy, such as your name, photo, address, email address, or personal data contained in your curriculum vitae, recommendation letter or other documents submitted by you in response to this vacancy for recruitment and selection and for fair and transparent selection processes.

You have various rights in relation to our processing of your personal data. In particular, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: you can request access to your personal data, i.e. the right to get an overview of your personal data that we process.
• Right to rectification: you can request correction of inaccurate data or completion of incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: you have the right to ask us to erase your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction of processing: you have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: you have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data you provided us to another organization, or to you, in certain circumstances.

In case you object to the processing of your data necessary for recruitment and selection, please be aware that no contractual relation is possible and we will not be able to consider your application.

To exercise your rights, please fill in the web form made available for this purpose on the following website: https://admin.kuleuven.be/privacy/en/application-form.