项目介绍

2024年9月20日

The Department of Public and Global Health (EBPI, UZH) is seeking to fill the position of a PhD candidate to work on an SNSF funded project entitled, “Exploring the impact of climate change and urbanization on maternal and child health in Mozambique using digital data: the CliMaH project.” The PhD will work in collaboration with Dr. Andrea Farnham and Prof. Dr. Jan Fehr, and will be part of the structured EBPhD program.

Your responsibilities

In the CliMaH project, we aim to integrate satellite and climate data with a mixed-methods on the ground study to better understand how long-term population movement, trends in urbanization, changes in agricultural productivity, and demographic change link with climate change and health in Mozambique. In particular, we are looking for a PhD candidate to work in WP1 of the CliMaH project, which aims to use remote sensing data (e.g., satellite data) to characterize changes in land use and agriculture in Mozambique. The PhD student will also analyze data from WP2, which uses quantitative household survey data in three to four climate change hotspots to study how climate change and urbanization trends affect maternal and child health outcomes.

Key responsibilities include:

• Conducting geospatial analyses using statistical software (preferably R and/or ArcGIS/QGIS) to assess environmental exposures.
• Handling and processing very large datasets, including satellite data, to derive relevant environmental metrics.
• Developing and applying advanced modeling and machine learning techniques to investigate health outcomes.
• Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of researchers and contribute to high-impact publications.
• Participating in regular team meetings, seminars, and conferences to present research findings.

Your profile

• A Master’s degree in Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Geography, Data Science, or a related field.
• Proven experience with geospatial analyses and software, preferably R and ArcGIS/QGIS (Python or MATLAB also a bonus).
• Demonstrated ability and interest in handling and analyzing very large datasets, including satellite data.
• Strong interest in learning and applying cutting-edge modeling and machine learning techniques.
• Passion for researching the effects of climate change and urbanization on child and maternal health.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team.

Further information

Questions about the job

Andrea FarnhamSenior Researcher/Study PI