BACKGROUND
The RCSI School of Population Health is looking to transform the way that population-level data and research platforms are deployed in Ireland to make key decisions for prevention and reduction of chronic disease burden.
To this end, we are establishing a new research centre Converge: Centre for Chronic Disease and Population Health Research which will attract, inspire and shape the careers of a new generation of leaders, scientists and practitioners engaged in the development of new integrated, population-level models, methodologies and interventions for complex, multimorbidity conditions.
The Centre is led by Prof Edward Gregg as part of a Science Foundation Ireland-funded Research Professorship Grant and promises to be a significant and exciting development in population health research. Researchers in this new Centre will work with a national and international team of partners and collaborators to deliver outputs and impact to policy makers worldwide, with essential data to prioritise specific interventions to specific populations to reduce the burden of chronic diseases.
OVERVIEW
Converge: Centre for Chronic Disease and Population Health Research will serve as the coordinating hub for three integrated streams of SFI-funded research:
• An epidemiology and disease burden stream that will develop a novel data ecosystem and execute a series of epidemiologic studies to prioritise the current emerging, and future health priorities in chronic disease and morbidity in Ireland and globally;
• A population implementation and effectiveness stream will develop and use new population registries and integrated data sources to quantify the impact of care and prevention in the real world, taking both an Irish and global perspective;
• A health impact and economic modelling platform will develop novel disease progression models and health impact models to prioritise intervention and risk stratification options.
RECRUITMENT
A PhD candidate will be recruited to carry out 4-year PhD projects to support each of the three thematic research strands. Then PhD candidate will advance a programme of research combining all three strands, and will be based at RCSI.
Candidates are sought with experience in diverse areas of population health research, including:
• Observational and clinical epidemiology
• Chronic disease prevention and effectiveness research
• Design and analysis of natural experiments and real-world health interventions
• Health services and policy research
• Biostatistics, machine learning and data science
• Health impact and cost-effectiveness modelling
The post will collaborate closely with other world-class institutions and researchers, including Imperial College London, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the WHO, the Health Services Executive and other universities within and beyond Ireland.
The successful candidate will enrol on the SPHeRE Programme https://www.sphereprogramme.ie which will provide a valuable peer-to-peer learning and support structure.
The full-time 4 year structured PhD Programme features:
· 6 taught modules completed in the first year of the Programme
· Opportunities for multidisciplinary research
· Supervision by internationally renowned Principal Investigators
In addition, the SFI funded scholarships will provide;
· Additional skills training & dissemination allowance (up to €1,500 per year)
· Annual stipend of €18,500 (4 yrs)
· Laptop computer & Fees (4 yrs)
INFORMAL ENQUIRIES
Informal enquiries are invited in the first instance through
Elaine Healy, Research Manager, School of Population Health, RCSI: [Email Address Removed]
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants should apply through the SPHeRE website www.sphereprogramme.ie/apply/ with a CV and cover letter. Closing date for applications is 9th June 2023