PhD Position in Behavioral Health Economics

Introduction

Are you interested in expanding the scope of economic evaluations in healthcare? This PhD position allows you to investigate the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of well-being instruments and facilitate their application in real-world decision-making. Combine cutting-edge research with tangible societal relevance!

Job description

Economic evaluations increasingly guide healthcare allocation decisions. These evaluations typically assess healthcare interventions by measuring health gains, often expressed as Quality-Adjusted Life-Years (QALYs). However, there’s growing recognition that health and social care interventions yield benefits beyond just health. Consequently, broader well-being measures have been developed to capture these wider benefits, thus broadening the scope of economic evaluations.

Despite the increasing use of well-being instruments in economic evaluations, questions regarding their theoretical foundations and empirical validity persist. Addressing these is crucial, especially concerning decision-making by the Dutch Healthcare Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland). In this PhD thesis, you will advance knowledge in this domain.

Your responsibilities will encompass:

• Investigating the theoretical basis of well-being measures and their relationship to conventional QALY measures.
• Designing and executing empirical studies on the validity of these outcome measures (e.g., procedural invariance, constant proportional trade-offs).
• Examining equity preferences concerning (health and) well-being and linking findings to current decision-making frameworks.

This PhD project will utilize a mix of surveys, laboratory experiments, and theoretical research to explore the validity and application of well-being measures in healthcare decision-making. The goal is to enhance the theoretical and empirical basis of economic evaluations, leading to fairer and more efficient healthcare policies.

Job requirements

We seek a highly motivated and skilled candidate with:

Must-haves:

• A master’s degree (or equivalent) in (health) economics, health economics, policy & law, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong conceptual and analytical abilities, familiarity with welfare economic evaluations, and an interest in experimental/survey research.
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken), capable of clearly communicating complex concepts.
• Experience with statistical software (e.g., Stata, R, EViews).
• Ability to collaborate within a multidisciplinary team while effectively managing independent research tasks.

Nice-to-haves:

• Interest in welfare economics, health economics, behavioral economics, and healthcare decision-making.
• Knowledge of concepts like prospect theory, ambiguity aversion, and equity weighting.
• Programming skills (e.g., zTree, oTree, Qualtrics) for designing experiments and surveys.

Employment conditions and benefits

An internationally focused and diverse role within an enthusiastic team, offering excellent employment conditions as per the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

Start date: 01-SEP-2025, based at Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM). Full-time position (1 fte). Salary: €2,901 – €3,707 gross/month (Scale PhD), based on full-time (38 hours). Initial contract duration specified by CAO-NU.

Additional benefits:

• Work-life balance support: flexible home working options, 41 paid leave days (40hr contract), 8% holiday pay, 8.3% year-end bonus, discounted campus sports subscription.
• Sustainable, inclusive environment: open culture, employee networks (Young@EUR, FAME, QuEUR).
• Development opportunities: development days, personal career budget, free university library access.
• Financial security: Good ABP pension (2/3rds EUR contribution), discounts on collective insurances, compensation for travel, home working, and internet.
• Family support: partially paid parental leave, fully paid additional birth leave for partners, on-campus daycare available.
• Relocation support: Potential eligibility for 30% ruling (tax advantage), Dual Career Programme support for partners.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an international university with a strong societal focus, reflected in its mission: ‘Creating positive societal impact’. Home to 4,100 staff and nearly 33,000 students from 140+ countries, EUR operates under the motto ‘Making Minds Matter’. We embody Erasmian Values: global citizenship, connection, entrepreneurship, open-mindedness, and social involvement. Our diverse community collaborates to address societal challenges from Rotterdam. High-quality research and education enable EUR to compete with top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)

ESHPM leads in the Netherlands with its education and research on economics, policy, and management in healthcare. It offers bachelor’s, master’s, transition, and postgraduate programs. Established in 1982, ESHPM integrates research and education, applying insights from economics, law, socio-medical sciences, organizational studies, and public administration to healthcare. This multidisciplinary approach is unique. Located at EUR’s Woudestein campus, ESHPM has over 1500 students and 160 staff. Internationalization is key, with growing numbers of international students and faculty enriching our programs.

Department

You will be part of the Health Economics department at ESHPM, renowned for interdisciplinary healthcare research and education. This focus fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration and allows researchers to publish in diverse fields like economics and medical sciences. ESHPM actively creates societal impact through strong ties with practitioners, policymakers, and media engagement. The Health Economics research group is dynamic, covering areas like behavioral/experimental health economics, global health, and health/labor economics. It’s part of EsCHER, a major European health economics centre, ensuring close links with health economists at Erasmus School of Economics via joint seminar series.

Applying

Submit your application (motivation letter & CV) before June 1, 2025, via AcademicTransfer, referencing PhD Position in Behavioral Health Economics 2. The selection involves 1-2 interviews, expected around June 16, 2025 (week 25). For more info, contact Arthur Attema (attema@eshpm.eur.nl or 0104089129). EUR welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and identities.

Tagged as: Student / PhD