Aberdeen - Curtin Alliance - two fully funded joint PhD scholarships in Health Economics available for 2019 entry

Health Economics

The Aberdeen-Curtin alliance brings together internationally recognized experts in health economics from the Health Economics Research Unit at Aberdeen and Curtin University.

We welcome PhD proposals in the following areas of Health Economics:

• Economics of health behaviours including behavioural economics (the role of time and risk preferences in health behaviour), economics of food choice (food labelling and habitual behaviour), alcohol (evaluation of policies such as minimum unit pricing) and healthy ageing (influence of health behaviours and self-management strategies on life satisfaction over the life-course).
• The development and application of discrete choice experiments (DCEs) in health economics including: how individuals process information when completing; its use to enable shared decision making; and external validity of the method.
• Economic evaluation of interventions which require broader measures of value (cost benefit analysis) including preventative dental care, fertility treatments and public health interventions.
• Development of novel methods for utilising and analysing linked administrative health data to promote evidence-based care; reduce ineffective, wasteful or harmful care; reduce unnecessary downstream health care use and costs, and improve health outcomes for patients with a range of chronic conditions.

Successful candidates will undertake a 3 year PhD programme. Two studentships are available:

1. One studentship is based at Aberdeen: spending two years at the University of Aberdeen (home institution) and one year at Curtin University.
2. One studentship is based at Curtin: spending two years at Curtin University and one year at the University of Aberdeen.

Applicants should have (or expect to obtain) a UK honours degree (or equivalent) at 2.1 or above (and preferably a Master degree) in Economics or related discipline.

If English is not your first language please visit the click here website for details of the requirements.

If you are interested in applying please contact Professor Marjon van der Pol (m.vanderpol@abdn.ac.uk). Applicants are expected to develop PhD proposals with input from potential supervisors at Aberdeen and Curtin.

Funding Notes

• Successful applicants will be awarded a fee waiver and a living stipend of c. £14,777 per annum (RCUK rates) or AU c$27,082 (2018) per annum (Australian Government RTP scholarship base rate) for three years.
• Candidates must be willing and able to spend the second year of their supervised period in the partner institution (failure to fulfil this requirement will result in termination of the joint PhD).
• Travel expenses of up to £1,500 in total for both outward and inward bound flights to host institutions will be provided.