Health Economic Modelling of Infectious Disease Control

Introduction

As global temperatures rise, extreme weather events become more frequent, and ecosystems are disrupted, climate change is increasingly influencing the global burden of infectious diseases. Vector-borne, waterborne, and airborne diseases are all being affected by environmental shifts, with severe climate events, such as flooding, droughts, and heatwaves, all driving new patterns of disease transmission, outbreaks, and health system strains. Developing models for infectious disease interventions under these dynamic conditions demands innovative approaches and presents distinct challenges. We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student who is interested in advancing health economic modelling to improve the evaluation of preventive and treatment interventions for infectious diseases in the context of climate change. Unlike traditional models, this research will incorporate critical factors such as vaccine hesitancy, treatment adherence, and public responses to outbreaks, all of which influence the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions such as vaccinations.

Job description

The PhD student will develop a comprehensive decision-analytic framework that integrates climate change scenarios, dynamic disease transmission models, and behavioral factors to assess the feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and long-term impact of infectious disease interventions. We aim for a broad geographical focus including case studies form high-, middle- and low-income countries. The methodology developed will be applied across several case studies focusing on diseases such as hepatitis B, polio, malaria, or other diseases influenced by environmental and socioeconomic factors. The student will assess the feasibility of disease elimination targets and develop scenario-based strategies to inform policy decisions. The main tasks will include preparing and executing pilot evaluations, doing systematic literature reviews, collecting data on outcomes, healthcare utilization and costs, and building health-economic models. The PhD thesis will contain a carefully integrated collection of peer-reviewed scientific papers that contribute to a better understanding of the economic feasibility of climate resilient health interventions.

Job requirements

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with an MSc degree in health care policy and management, (health) economics, epidemiology, public health, biomedical sciences, biostatistics, or similar, preferably with experience in cost-effectiveness research and health-economic modelling. The candidate should have demonstrable skills in qualitative research methods, economic evaluation, and systematic literature reviews. In addition, the candidate should possess strong communicative skills in English, and preferably in Dutch as well. The candidate should be able to work independently, take initiative and keep to deadlines.

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 01-SEP-2025 and you will be based at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). This position is for 1 fte - 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.901 to a maximum of € 3.707 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of the contract.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

-        Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!

-        Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.

-        Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

-        Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.

-        Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).

-        Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

The Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM) is a leading institute in the Netherlands, specialising in healthcare policy and management across disciplines like economics, law, socio-medical sciences, organisation science, and public administration. Located in the Bayle Building at Erasmus University Rotterdam and closely associated with Erasmus Medical Centre, ESHPM educates about 1,600 students and employs around 200 faculty members, focusing on internationalisation and multidisciplinary research.

Facing the challenges of limited healthcare budgets and resources, ESHPM emphasises the prioritisation of cost-effective healthcare interventions and the integration of these considerations into clinical guidelines. This effort is supported by its acclaimed Health Technology Assessment (HTA) department and IMTA institute, which are recognised for their work in economic evaluations, preference research, and developing tools for assessing interventions from a societal perspective.

Strategically, ESHPM addresses three main themes: broadening HTA to include considerations of equity, efficiency, and environmental sustainability; enhancing the use of Real World Evidence (RWE), digital health, and AI to fill evidence gaps; and advancing personalised medicine that incorporates patient preferences and genetic testing. Through these initiatives, ESHPM is at the forefront of shaping healthcare policy and management, innovating for a holistic and sustainable future in healthcare.

Department

The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) department within ESHPM, and its linked contract research institute iMTA, are distinguished by and internationally renowned for independent and excellent research in HTA, health economics and health outcomes research. The HTA department contributes to important and influential methodological innovations in these areas. It is dedicated to stimulating the use of cost-effectiveness information in healthcare decision making. The department is responsible for teaching HTA in several courses of the bachelor Health Policy and Management, the master programmes Health Economics Policy and Law (HEPL), and Health Economics (HE), and the European master programme Health Economics and Management (Eu-HEM).

Additional information

For more information about this position, contact Dr. Mehlika Toy at (toy@eshpm.eur.nl) or on +31 10 754 5732.

Applying

Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter and CV, before the vacancy closing date (June 1st).

The selection procedure consists of at least 2 rounds of interviews.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.