PhD Position/Junior Teacher: Build4Health and Teaching

1. Introduction

The Department of Spatial Planning at Radboud University is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD candidate to join the Build4Health project. This project is a collaborative effort between the Radboud university medical center, Radboud University, and several public and private stakeholders in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region. The project is funded by the Regio Deal, a regional development programme in the Netherlands. The overarching goal of Build4Health is to develop an evidence-based framework for creating healthy living environments that stimulate physical activity and mitigate heat stress. This may be achieved through the design, implementation and evaluation of spatial interventions in a variety of settings, including existing residential areas, new housing developments, and transportation corridors.

2. Job description

This position is a six-year project with a 50/50 division between PhD research and teaching. Your involvement in our teaching programme will be discussed with you in more detail at the start of the project. The PhD project will focus on the spatial planning aspects of the Build4Health project, investigating the relationship between interventions in the built environment, physical activity, and health. The project will be structured around five 'living labs', each focusing on a different area or type of development. These living labs will serve as real-world testing grounds for various interventions designed to promote physical activity and improve thermal comfort.

Examples of interventions that will be implemented and evaluated in the living labs include improving the ’walkability’ and ’cyclability’ of neighbourhoods, creating high-speed cycling infrastructure, creating more opportunities for sport and play, and/or integrating green and blue infrastructure to reduce heat stress. The living labs will involve collaborations with a range of stakeholders, including residents, municipalities, housing corporations and researchers from other disciplines.

You will have the opportunity to contribute to the design and evaluation of these interventions, working closely with the project partners. The project will involve extensive monitoring of health outcomes utilising both physical measurements and questionnaires to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Data will be collected from a large sample of residents, potentially between 10,000 and 15,000 participants. This will involve the use of state-of-the-art digital technology to measure physical activity and risk factors, as well as questionnaires to gather data on health, well-being, and perceptions of the built environment. To strengthen the research, the project will draw upon data from the Nijmegen Exercise Study, a long-running study that has been monitoring the health and physical activity of 25,000 participants since 2013.

Potential research topics for the PhD project could include:

• Designing and implementing natural experimental studies to assess the effectiveness of the built environment interventions in Build4Health.
• Analysing the impact of spatial interventions on specific target groups, such as children, elderly people, and people with disabilities.
• Developing spatial design guidelines for healthy living environments based on the findings of the Build4Health Living Labs.
• Investigating the role of participatory planning in promoting physical activity and improving health outcomes.
• Exploring the use of GIS and other spatial analysis tools to assess the effectiveness of built environment interventions.
• Developing a decision support system for municipalities to integrate health considerations into spatial planning policies.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate.

3. Profile

• You should hold a Master's degree in spatial planning and urban studies, or a related field with a focus on policy evaluation.
• You have strong analytical and research skills.
• You are proficient in quantitative research methods and evaluation design.
• You are proficient in GIS and spatial analysis techniques.
• You possess excellent written and oral communication skills in Dutch and English. Dutch is a requirement for teaching.
• You are a team player and able to work independently.
• You have an affinity for teaching.

4. We are

The department of Geography, Planning, and the Environment (GPE) seeks to provide a deep understanding of how places, from the local to the global level, are politically and materially shaped, experienced and governed, and to contribute to the development of more sustainable and equitable places. GPE's approach goes explicitly beyond a government and policy orientation, addressing the deep political and institutional nature of placemaking and spatial-environmental governance. The group seeks to contribute to more future-oriented practices and territorial images. Located at GPE, the Centre for Urban and Regional Research (CentUR) specifically investigates the relationship between urban spaces, landscape, energy, health, climate adaptation and mobility from different perspectives. We operate in cooperation with the Radboud university medical center, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science, and societal partners.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract of six years.
• Your salary starts at €3,378 gross per month (salary scale 10, step 0) and progresses further within salary scale 10. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Kevin Raaphorst. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Monday 24 March. Any second interview will take place on Monday 31 March. You will preferably start your employment as soon as possible.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information.