Project: Preventable Harm: How Health System Failures Shape Climate-Demographic Inequality
Institution: Center for Demographic Research (DEMO), UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Position: Full-time doctoral researcher
Application deadline: 16 November 2026 at 17:00 CET (Belgian time)
Interviews: Shortlisted candidates are expected to be interviewed online in early December 2026
Expected starting date: February 2027 (negotiable)
Contact: Prof. Risto Conte Keivabu – risto.conte@uclouvain.be
Position description
The full-time doctoral position in demography is situated at the intersection of population and environment and funded by an FSR project titled "Preventable Harm: How Health System Failures Shape Climate-Demographic Inequality". The project emphasizes how climate change related environmental exposures affect population processes and inequalities, with particular attention to how health systems and institutional contexts shape vulnerability to environmental risks.
The doctoral research may address a broad range of questions concerning the demographic consequences of climate and environmental change, including effects on health and mortality, fertility, migration and other dimensions of population dynamics. Additionally, projects could engage with understanding inequalities across population groups, places and institutional settings with a focus on the role of health care access, quality and preparedness with the aim to inform relevant policies.
The doctoral researcher will have substantial scope to develop their own research questions within this broader agenda. The project will primarily use quantitative approaches and may combine demographic, administrative or survey data with spatially and temporally detailed information on climate and environmental exposures. Also, the candidate is welcome to pursue research on High-Income and/or Low-Middle-Income countries.
Profile
Applicants should hold, or expected to obtain before taking up the position, a Master's degree or equivalent in demography, sociology, population health, epidemiology, economics, geography, public policy, quantitative social science, statistics/data science, or another closely related field. Applicants must also meet UCLouvain's requirements for admission to doctoral studies for which further information is available at the link: https://uclouvain.be/fr/facultes/espo/conditions-dacces. Applicants still completing their master’s degree may apply provided they expect to meet the admission requirements before starting the doctoral position. Candidates that do not comply with these requirements cannot be considered.
We are particularly interested in candidates with:
• strong quantitative research skills and an interest in demography, environment, climate change, social inequalities, health and population dynamics;
• experience with statistical programming, particularly R, Stata or Python;
• the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively;
• strong written and spoken English.
Experience with administrative or health data, geospatial/environmental data, causal inference, longitudinal methods is an advantage but is not required. Knowledge of French is not required but preferable.
Candidates are encouraged to apply even if they do not meet every listed skill or area of experience, and applicants from a wide range of disciplinary and social backgrounds are very welcome.
Working conditions
The position is based at UCLouvain in Louvain-la-Neuve and is embedded in the Center for Demographic Research (DEMO). The doctoral researcher is expected to reside in Belgium and to participate actively in the scientific life of the research center, including seminars and collaborative activities and engage in an international research environment.
The position is full-time and funded through an FSR doctoral scholarship for an initial period of 24 months. Progress will be reviewed during the doctoral programme and follow-up funding for additional 24 months will be sought jointly by the candidate and supervisor through relevant funding schemes.
Remuneration and social benefits follow the applicable UCLouvain rules for doctoral scholarship holders.
How to apply
Applications must be submitted through this online form by 16 November 2026 at 17:00 Belgian time.
Please upload one PDF file containing the following documents:
1. Motivation letter (maximum 2 pages), explaining your motivation for applying, your research interests and their fit with the project, and your relevant methodological and substantive experience. In case the Master degree is still ongoing please provide here an expected date of completion;
2. Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages);
3. Bachelor's and Master's degree certificates and academic transcripts, as well as any other relevant academic records (if your Master's degree has not yet been completed, please provide a certificate of enrolment and your most recent academic transcript);
4. Contact details of two academic referees (name, position, institution and email address). Reference letters are not required at this stage; referees may be contacted for shortlisted candidates;
5. One example of academic or research-oriented written work, such as a Master's thesis, Bachelor's thesis, research paper, working paper or published article. If the document is long, a relevant chapter or excerpt is sufficient.
For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Prof. Risto Conte Keivabu at risto.conte@uclouvain.be.
The personal data and documents submitted through this form will be used solely by the members of the selection committee for the purpose of evaluating applications for this doctoral position. They will be handled in accordance with the GDPR and UCLouvain’s privacy rules.
There are 8 questions in this survey.
