CED - Predoctoral Research Contract for Doctoral Training (FPI) - HEALTHDYNAMICS Project

Doctorat / PhD Profil chercheur : First Stage Researcher (R1) Type de contrat : Temporary Date limite de candidature : 20 Nov 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Date de début : 1 May 2027 Programme UE : Not funded by a EU programme Domaine : Political sciences

Background to the Call This call for applications is being published in advance of the final award decisions for projects funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI) and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), as well as the final award decisions for predoctoral research contracts for doctoral training. These awards are governed by Article 12 of the call for “Knowledge Generation Projects” and associated initiatives for the training of predoctoral researchers, dated 29 October 2025 and published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) on 31 October 2025. Accordingly, this call is conditional upon the final award decisions for the relevant projects. The successful candidate will undertake research activities and a doctoral thesis within the Doctoral Programme in Demography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), as part of project PID2025-176051OB-I00, hosted by the Centre for Demographic Studies (Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics, CED). Project Overview The project HEALTHDYNAMICS - Dynamics of Health and Survival: Leveraging Unique Population Registers to Address New Challenges and Old Debates (Ref. PID2025-176051OB-I00), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) and led by Iñaki Permanyer and Aïda Solé-Auró , aims to investigate the evolution of health and mortality dynamics in Catalonia using a data source that has been largely underused: the health and mortality registers of the Catalan population. With these data, the project seeks to shed light on one of the most pressing challenges Spanish society will have to face in the coming decades: ensuring that longevity continues to rise while population health continues to improve. Duties The specific tasks of the person hired include: Carrying out doctoral research linked to the scientific objectives of the project Taking part in the literature review and the development of theoretical frameworks on contemporary dynamics of health and disease in the Spanish and European context Collaborating in the preparation, management and analysis of health and mortality registers in Catalonia, which will be complemented with other health-related sources (such as health surveys, SHARE surveys, etc.) Applying statistical methods to study individual health and mortality trajectories, analyzing different dimensions of inequality (for example, by gender, educational level, territory, origin/nationality, etc.) Taking part in the preparation of scientific publications, conference presentations and other dissemination activities Collaborating in the scientific and coordination activities of the research team Requirements Applicants must meet the following requirements: Holding the degree and academic profile required for admission to the PhD in Demography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), preferably in Sociology, Demography, Economics, Statistics, Geography, or related disciplines Advanced level of English (C1), both spoken and written Advanced quantitative analysis skills and an interest in empirical social research Knowledge of statistical methods and use of data analysis software (R, Stata or similar) will be valued Experience or interest in the study of health and mortality and the corresponding inequalities across different dimensions (e.g. gender, educational level, territory, origin/nationality) will be valued Employment Conditions The successful candidate must take up the position at the host institution within a maximum of nine months from the first day of the month following publication of the award decision on the website of the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI). The employment start date must be the first day of the relevant month A four-year employment contract is offered. If the candidate completes their PhD during this period, they may be eligible to enter the postdoctoral orientation stage (POP) for a maximum of one year. In all cases, the total duration of the contract may not exceed four years Remuneration and eligible costs will be governed by the terms and conditions set out in the relevant call issued by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) Application Procedure Applicants must upload the following documents through the online application platform : a curriculum vitae (CV), academic transcripts and degree certificates for both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and a motivation letter Applicants who completed their studies abroad must also submit the official declaration of equivalence of the average grades obtained for their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, available via the following link The evaluation process will follow the criteria set out in Article 12.2 of the relevant MICIU call The Evaluation and Selection Committee (CAS) will comprise the project’s principal investigators and any additional members deemed appropriate, in accordance with the CED’s Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R) policy Interviews may be conducted where deemed appropriate Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process by the end of November 2026 Application submission period From 2 to 20 November 2026 (until 11:59 p.m.) Further Information For enquiries, please contact: [email] Further information about the CED is available on our website This call is subject to the provisions of the 2025 call for Knowledge Generation Projects and associated initiatives for the training of predoctoral researchers, within the framework of the Spanish State Plan for Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research 2024-2027, as well as any decisions arising from that call

Background to the Call

This call for applications is being published in advance of the final award decisions for projects funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, AEI) and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), as well as the final award decisions for predoctoral research contracts for doctoral training. These awards are governed by Article 12 of the call for “Knowledge Generation Projects” and associated initiatives for the training of predoctoral researchers, dated 29 October 2025 and published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) on 31 October 2025. Accordingly, this call is conditional upon the final award decisions for the relevant projects. The successful candidate will undertake research activities and a doctoral thesis within the Doctoral Programme in Demography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), as part of project PID2025-176051OB-I00, hosted by the Centre for Demographic Studies (Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics, CED).

Project Overview

The project HEALTHDYNAMICS - Dynamics of Health and Survival: Leveraging Unique Population Registers to Address New Challenges and Old Debates (Ref. PID2025-176051OB-I00), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) and led by Iñaki Permanyer and Aïda Solé-Auró , aims to investigate the evolution of health and mortality dynamics in Catalonia using a data source that has been largely underused: the health and mortality registers of the Catalan population. With these data, the project seeks to shed light on one of the most pressing challenges Spanish society will have to face in the coming decades: ensuring that longevity continues to rise while population health continues to improve.

Duties

The specific tasks of the person hired include:

Carrying out doctoral research linked to the scientific objectives of the project

Taking part in the literature review and the development of theoretical frameworks on contemporary dynamics of health and disease in the Spanish and European context

Collaborating in the preparation, management and analysis of health and mortality registers in Catalonia, which will be complemented with other health-related sources (such as health surveys, SHARE surveys, etc.)

Applying statistical methods to study individual health and mortality trajectories, analyzing different dimensions of inequality (for example, by gender, educational level, territory, origin/nationality, etc.)

Taking part in the preparation of scientific publications, conference presentations and other dissemination activities

Collaborating in the scientific and coordination activities of the research team

Requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

Holding the degree and academic profile required for admission to the PhD in Demography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), preferably in Sociology, Demography, Economics, Statistics, Geography, or related disciplines

Advanced level of English (C1), both spoken and written

Advanced quantitative analysis skills and an interest in empirical social research

Knowledge of statistical methods and use of data analysis software (R, Stata or similar) will be valued

Experience or interest in the study of health and mortality and the corresponding inequalities across different dimensions (e.g. gender, educational level, territory, origin/nationality) will be valued

Employment Conditions

The successful candidate must take up the position at the host institution within a maximum of nine months from the first day of the month following publication of the award decision on the website of the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI). The employment start date must be the first day of the relevant month

A four-year employment contract is offered. If the candidate completes their PhD during this period, they may be eligible to enter the postdoctoral orientation stage (POP) for a maximum of one year. In all cases, the total duration of the contract may not exceed four years

Remuneration and eligible costs will be governed…