Fully funded PhD Position within research project in Health Policy and Decision Modelling

About the project

‘Regulating physician dual practice in Mozambique and South Africa’ is a 3-year research project funded by the UK National Institute of Population Health (NIHR158137). The project aims at identifying regulatory options for public sector doctors’ engagement with private services in low- and middle-income countries.

The team includes researchers and policymakers from the National Institute of Health of Mozambique, the University of Witwatersrand of South Africa, the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Queen Mary University of London.

About the Position

The student will enrol in a PhD programme within QMUL’s Wolfson Institute of Public Health, under the supervision of Dr Giuliano Russo (WIPH) and Prof. Pietro Panzarasa (School of Business and Management).

As part of the project team, the PhD student will support the development of discrete choice experiments in two countries, and agent-based modelling, as we plan to model how doctors make job choices among alternative hospitals and managers adjust the stringency of regulation.

Specific responsibilities

• Conduct original research in health policy regulatory options of doctors’ dual practice
• Support the implementation of the Discrete Choice Experiments in Mozambique and South Africa, and the analysis of the ensuing data
• Develop computational models of health actors’ decisions and responses to regulatory options
• Collaborate with supervisors and other international researchers of the consortium for the implementation of the project
• Support the project’s financial reporting to the funder by liaising with the QMUL-based project manager, the Joint Management Office, and the international partners
• Publish findings in high-impact journals
• Represent the research team and present research at international conferences and seminars

Requirements

We will only consider candidates with a good Bachelor’s degree (ideally, a first, minimum 2:1) and/or a master’s degree in computer science, data analytics, health economics, or computational economics.

The following skills and experiences represent criteria for selection:

• Background in health services or labour economics, particularly with applications in low- and middle-income countries
• Appropriate computational skills and knowledge of programming languages (Python, C++, etc.)
• Experience with Machine and Deep Learning models and software (Keras, Scikit-Learn, Convolutional Neural Networks, etc.)
• Strong background in quantitative methods, including econometric analysis of cross-section and panel data
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to publish research findings
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Previous experience of participating in international research project will be considered an advantage.

How to apply

Applicants must be UK nationals or international students who already hold a UK visa or pre-settled status. To apply, please submit the following documents via the QMUL application site via the 'Apply' button above.

1) A CV (maximum 2 pages)

2) A Personal statement (maximum 1 page) that should cover why you are interested in undertaking this project and what relevant existing skills, training, and knowledge you would bring to the project.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a face-to-face interview and be required to provide transcripts and two references.

Deadline for applications is 16.06.2025. Late applications will not be considered. Interviews will be scheduled for week commencing on 23.06.2025.

This is a 3-year studentship, funded by Dr Russo’s NIHR project, and comes with an annual tax-free stipend of £19,688. Student tuition fees will be paid by the funding body. Additional funding for travel, conference attendance, and consumables is available.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact: Dr Giuliano Russo, (g.russo@qmul.ac.uk) or Prof. Pietro Panzarasa (p.panzarasa@qmul.ac.uk)

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