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Funded PhD in Migration Sustainability

This PhD project seeks to systematically assess the environmental footprint and consequences of population movement in both migration source and destination areas. It builds on theories of migration as social transformation 1, demographic metabolism 2, sustainability science 3 and migration transition theories 4, to incorporate migration into the sustainability paradigm.

The project involves three activities designed to build on knowledge and expertise of the co-supervisory team. First, the research will systematically detail the processes by which migration types (from rural-rural, frontier, rural-urban, international and seasonal): a) create the potential for transformations of well-being; b) affect sustainability indirectly through changing labour demand, resource pressures and demands for services; and c) affect sustainability directly through changing consumption and resource use patterns. The research integrates migration transition types with data on environmental impact, trajectories, and behavioural responses to environmental risks.

Second, the research will develop empirical models to provide country-level patterns of the role of migration in sustainability. The model will be calibrated using existing publicly available demographic, economic, social and political data available from diverse sources: e.g. international migration flows; internal migration flows, and sustainability and environmental data.

The third element involves testing the robustness of the general model through collecting new empirical data on the social processes and environmental outcomes from one major international migration flow: from a selected Pacific island source country, to Australian destination cities and towns. This will involve survey and in-depth social methods collecting data with migrants, return migrants and left-behind populations in both the Pacific island economy and Australia.

The outcome of the project will be the first migration-sustainability model operationalized for all countries and an in-depth examination of its robustness using a discrete international migration flow. Both represent major contributions at the interface of migration studies and sustainability science.

Call for Applications: Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Data User Workshop

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), begun in 1968, is the world’s longest-running multigenerational household panel study. It is used widely in behavioral, social, and health sciences to investigate scientific and policy questions about life course trajectories in health and well-being, intergenerational social and economic mobility, income and wealth inequality, family investments in children, neighborhood effects on opportunity and achievement, and many other topics.

This five-day workshop will orient participants to the content and structure of the core PSID interview, its special topics modules, and its supplemental studies, including the 1997-2007 and 2014 Child Development Supplements (CDS I-III and CDS-2014), the Transition into Adulthood Supplement (TAS), the Disability and Use of Time Supplement (DUST), and the Childhood Retrospective Circumstances Study (CRCS).

Morning sessions will include lectures on topics such as study design, changes to content and sample composition over time, rules for following sample members into new households, and weighting. Classroom demonstrations using PSID data extracts will illustrate key concepts. In afternoon lab sessions, participants will develop their own analytic data files under the guidance of project staff.

Eligibility: The workshop is designed for faculty, research professionals, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.

Software: Participants should be familiar with Stata or SAS, but all examples used in the workshop will be in Stata.

Application: Enrollment is limited to 25 participants. Apply using the Summer Program Portal (by clicking on the “Registration” tab at the top of this page) to provide your information and select the course. Also, upload the following documents via the Portal:

  • Current curriculum vita.
  • Cover letter summarizing research interest in this course and in PSID data.
  • Indicate how the workshop will help you meet your research or your educational goals.

Stipends: Admitted graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and junior faculty or researchers can request to be considered for a stipend to help with travel and housing costs. To be considered, applicants must include in their application:

  • A one-page or shorter statement that describes why attending the PSID workshop is important to your success, what you hope to gain from the workshop, and any sources of funding you expect to receive to cover the costs of attending the workshop.
  • Letter of recommendation from faculty adviser, project manager, or Department Chair. Your letter writer should directly submit their recommendation to the ICPSR Summer Program at sumprog@icpsr.umich.edu and include your name and “PSID Workshop” in the subject line or body of the email.
    • Letter writer’s contact information (email address or telephone number) to be included in the letter of recommendation.
  • Stipend requests must be received no later than April 13, 2018.

Deadline: April 13, 2018.

Sponsor: Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)

Fee: $100 — to be assessed only after applicants have been accepted into the workshop.

CSDE Tier 3 Seed Grants: Applications Due May 25

The third and final deadline for CSDE’s Tier 3 seed grants will be May 25, 2018.  And as a reminder, Tier 1 and Tier 2 applications continue to be accepted on a rolling basis. In brief: Tier 1 applications are for in-kind services only; Tier 2 are for up to $10k; and Tier 3 are up to $25k. All UW faculty affiliates are eligible to apply. Applications can be used to support a wide range of activities: e.g. pilot research, organizing workshops or working groups, buying software, getting help with finalizing a proposal — anything that can help you move your research forward towards extramural funding.
If you have an idea and aren’t sure whether it’s something we can support — or you don’t know how to get started — please contact me!  I am always happy to meet and brainstorm about what may be possible.

Research Assistant/Associate

Job summary

Applications are invited for the post of Research Assistant or Associate to join the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London.
We are seeking outstanding candidates for projects developing new statistical methods and mathematical models for inferring HIV epidemic trends and transmission dynamics in sub-Saharan Africa.

Potential projects include:

New geostatistical models for spatio-temporal inference about HIV incidence in sub-Saharan Africa.

Developing statistical and mathematical models for combining administrative health system data and population survey data to understand HIV patterns and trends.

Validating approaches for utilizing HIV case surveillance data for epidemic estimation in sub-Saharan Africa.

Modelling and analysis of novel HIV surveillance strategies leveraging biomarkers for recent HIV infection and optimal design for new surveillance platforms.

Analysis of HIV epidemic trends and transmission dynamics in general population HIV cohort studies.

Duties and responsibilities

The post holder will collaborate closely with epidemiologists and mathematical modellers in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and the statistics section within the Department of Mathematics and Data Science Institute. Various projects will also involve collaboration with external partners including UNAIDS, US Centers for Disease Control, PEPFAR, ministries of health and public health agencies, and the ALPHA Network of general population HIV cohort studies.

New methods and models will be expected to inform the work of the UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Modelling, and Projections (www.epidem.org), which is an international collaboration of epidemiologists, statisticians, demographers, and surveillance experts who advise UNAIDS on methods and data underpinning global HIV epidemic estimates. The UNAIDS Reference Group is coordinated by a secretariat based at Imperial College London and the University of Cape Town.

Essential requirements

Applicants should have a PhD (for appointment to Research Associate) or MSc (for appointment to Research Assistant) in one of the following areas: statistics, mathematics, infectious disease epidemiology, population biology, theoretical physics, computer science or a similarly quantitative discipline, research experience in applied statistics with application to population health or infectious disease, including spatial statistics, Markov models, time series analysis, or hierarchical modelling and Working knowledge of mathematical modelling relevant to the project

Further information

This post is full time and fixed term until 30 November 2019 and will be based at the St Mary’s Campus, Paddington. Imperial College is supportive of flexible working. The College is happy to discuss the possibility of implementing such arrangements for this post, with suitably qualified people, subject to operational requirements.

Should you have any queries please contact: Dr Jeff Eaton (jeffrey.eaton@imperial.ac.uk) or Dr Seth Flaxman (s.flaxman@imperial.ac.uk).

Research Assistant or Associate UNAIDS

Job summary

Applications are invited for the post of Research Assistant or Associate to join The UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Modelling, and Projections (www.epidem.org), an open group of international experts on HIV epidemiology, surveillance, and modelling who provide scientific guidance to UNAIDS and partner organizations on the methods and data used for global HIV epidemic estimates and projections. The Reference Group is coordinated by a Secretariat based at Imperial College London and the University of Cape Town.

Duties and responsibilities

The purpose of this post is to manage the research of the UNAIDS Reference Group secretariat. As a member of the Secretariat, along with Dr Jeff Eaton (Imperial) and Dr Leigh Johnson (UCT), the post holder’s main responsibility will be to coordinate and synthesise research activities of Reference Group partners and collaborators, and conduct relevant research on HIV epidemiology, statistics, and modelling that contribute towards the objectives of improving global HIV estimates and projections.

As the post involves organisation of international workshop meetings, engagement with HIV stakeholders, and collaborative research projects, as well as dissemination of Reference Group research findings, this post will involve a high degree of external visibility.

Essential requirements

Applicants should have a MSc (for appointment to Research Assistant) or PhD (for appointment to Research Associate) or equivalent substantial experience in one of the following areas: epidemiology, public health, demography, statistics, or a similar discipline. You should be able to demonstrate substantial experience and familiarity with international HIV stakeholders and the research community. You will also have the experience and ability to independently identify, develop, and deliver major areas of work related to HIV epidemiology and modelling.

Further information

This post is full time and fixed term until 31 December 2019 in the first instance and will be based at the St Mary’s Campus, Paddington. Imperial College is supportive of flexible working. The College is happy to discuss the possibility of implementing such arrangements for this post, with suitably qualified people, subject to operational requirements.

Should you have any queries please contact: Dr Jeffrey Eaton (jeffrey.eaton@imperial.ac.uk)

Assistant Professor, Center for Science, Technology & Society

Job Overview:

Assistant Professor, Center for Science, Technology and Society and Global Studies & Modern Languages Department, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. to  Teach undergraduate and graduate courses and perform research related to Anthropology within the Center for Science, Technology & Society and the Global Studies & Modern Languages Department

 

Request Your CSDE Certificate by May 23

Trainees who qualify for the Graduate Certificate in Demographic Methods should submit their documentation as soon as possible, and no later than May 23rd, 8PM, to be presented with a framed certificate in the June 1 end of year reception. To receive the certificate, please follow the instructions on the CSDE webpage. Contact Aimée Dechter, dechter@uw.edu, for additional information.

Rebecca Rebbe & Paula Nurius Examine Health Risks of Former Youth in Foster Care

What is the relationship between former youth in foster care and divergent health trajectories? CSDE trainee Rebecca Rebbe, a social welfare doctoral student at the School of Social Work, Affiliate Paula Nurius, Professor at the School of Social Work, and co-authors Mark Courtney, Professor at University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, and Kym Aherns of Seattle Children’s Hospital & Research Institute examined this question in a recent paper published in Academic Pediatrics. 

The research team collected data from longitudinal research following transition-age youth in foster care between the ages of 17 to 26. Their findings strongly suggest the need for strategies that screen for relationships between adverse childhood experiences and chronic health conditions. You can read the full paper below.

Full Professorship Position in Geography and Urban Planning

The School of Social Sciences (SSS) is recruiting a full professor to lead and grow its new subject area in Geography and Urban Planning. The subject area presently has three tenure-track faculty members, who are supported by a wider community of scholars at NTU with relevant research interests. This new subject area will equip graduates with the capability to critically address issues confronting contemporary societies and to creatively pursue possibilities for alternative urban futures.

Applicants from all streams of Human Geography and Urban Planning will be considered, although expertise in the following areas is of particular interest: Asia in a comparative perspective, urban theory and planning, issues of international development and inequality, and the human dimensions of science and technology.

The successful applicant will have a distinguished record as an outstanding teacher and researcher, as well as leadership experience in developing academic programmes at a research-intensive university. Candidate with interdisciplinary collaborations and public engagement will also be valued. The successful applicant will further develop the curriculum, drive student recruitment, mentor junior faculty, formulate research strategies, and provide leadership within the subject area and the university community.

For further information about the School, please refer to the following website: http://www.sss.ntu.edu.sg/Pages/Home.aspx

Chronic Diseases of Aging in an Evolutionary Context

Benjamin Trumble, Assistant Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Center for Evolution and Medicine, at Arizona State University

Noncommunicable diseases are the leading causes of death and disability in the Unites States. The burden of these conditions is expected to increase in association with population aging worldwide. Many of these chronic diseases have underlying etiologies related to lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity. Were noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular disease common throughout evolutionary history? This seminar explores evidence of two chronic conditions- benign prostatic hyperplasia and cardiovascular disease- within a non-industrial population of forager-horticulturalists, the Tsimane of the Bolivian amazon.