Doctoral Researcher (2 positions) in Health Economics

University of Duisburg-Essen; Deutschland; Vor Ort; EUR 40.000 - 60.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

A leading German university is seeking two Doctoral Researchers for the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics. Candidates will work on health economic policy using advanced empirical and simulation methods. The role demands strong quantitative skills and offers an interdisciplinary environment with academic secondments and a comprehensive training programme. Positions come with a competitive salary based on public sector agreements.

Leistungen

Family-friendly policies

Professional development opportunities

Excellent public transport connections

Attractive sports and health offerings

Possibility to work from home

Qualifikationen

• Strong quantitative skills with advanced training in econometrics, data analysis, or simulation modelling.
• Solid background in economics or a related field, ideally with knowledge of health or public economics.
• Candidates must not possess a doctoral degree.

Aufgaben

• Conduct independent research within the HEPARD project.
• Analyse administrative data from European health systems.
• Engage with European project partners through visits and workshops.
• Participate in structured doctoral training programme.
• Contribute to teaching activities and disseminate research results.

Kenntnisse

Quantitative skills

Econometrics

Data analysis

Simulation modelling

Programming in Stata

Programming in R

Programming in Python

Ausbildung

Solid background in economics or related field

Jobbeschreibung

Faculty of Business Administration and Economics

Organisation/Company University of Duisburg-Essen Department Faculty of Business Administration and Economics Research Field Economics » Health economics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Germany Application Deadline 19 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 39.5 Offer Starting Date 1 May 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101226455 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The University of Duisburg-Essen(UDE)is seeking, for the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics at the Essen campus, a

Doctoral Researcher (2 positions)(Pay grade 13 TV-L,100 %)

The positions are part of HEPARD (Health Economic Policy Advice with Real-world Data), a European interdisciplinary doctoral training network funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme (MSCA). HEPARD equips early-career researchers with solid theoretical foundations, advanced empirical methods, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines.

In this context, the two doctoral candidates will work in closely related work packages that investigate how health and economic outcomes evolve over the life course, with a particular focus on health insurance models, socioeconomic inequality, and cross-national comparison. The projects combine microeconomic theory, advanced empirical methods, and simulation or machine-learning approaches to inform equitable and sustainable healthcare policy across Europe. They contribute to a deeper understanding of how health risks develop over time, how they interact with labour market trajectories, and how different healthcare financing systems shape these dynamics.

Key research themes include:

• Simulation of lifetime health and earnings trajectories under varying socioeconomic and institutional conditions.
• Cross-country comparison of health and earnings patterns using linked claims and utilisation data from Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
• Analysis of the welfare and distributional consequences of different health insurance schemes (social, private, tax-based).
• The role of lifestyle behaviours (e.g., smoking) as mediators in the relationship between socioeconomic status and health.
• Development and evaluation of innovative modelling approaches (e.g., machine learning, structural models, Markov processes, regression trees) for understanding health transitions and informing policy.

Your responsibilities:

• You conduct independent research within the HEPARD project, contributing to the development and application of simulation-based models, causal inference methods, and advanced empirical techniques in health economics.
• You analyse rich administrative data from several European health systems (e.g. German sickness fund claims, Dutch insurance data, Swedish utilisation and earnings records) to generate robust, policy-relevant evidence.
• You engage with European project partners through institutional visits, secondments (academic and non-academic), workshops, conferences, and joint research activities.
• You participate in HEPARD’s structured, interdisciplinary doctoral training programme, which integrates economics, epidemiology, public health, data science, microeconometrics, policy engagement and transferable skills (e.g. leadership, communication, grant writing).
• You contribute to network-wide research seminars, journal clubs, online meetings and scholarly exchange formats (blended learning).
• You contribute to the department’s teaching activities, for example by assisting in courses, tutorials or student supervision.
• You disseminate research results through presentations, academic publications, and contributions to policy dialogue.
• You work towards your doctoral qualification within the programme.

We are looking for candidates with:

• Strong quantitative skills, with advanced training in econometrics, data analysis, and/or simulation modelling.
• A solid background in economics or a closely related field, ideally with knowledge of health or public economics.
• Programming experience in Stata, R, or Python.
• Intellectual curiosity, analytical rigour, and a keen interest in policy-relevant research.
• Desirable: familiarity with health insurance systems, structural estimation, or experience with life-cycle or longitudinal data.
• Eligibility in accordance with the MSCA mobility rule: candidates must not have lived or carried out their main activity (work or studies) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date. Exceptions apply only for compulsory national service (for example mandatory military or civilian service) or recognised refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
• Candidates must not already be in possession of a doctoral degree.

Both positions offer:

• The opportunity to work with rich administrative datasets, including German sickness fund claims, Dutch insurance data, and Swedish utilisation and earnings records.
• A robust methodological component, developing simulation-based models and testing various estimation techniques across institutional settings.
• A strong policy orientation, contributing evidence-based recommendations to improve health insurance design and address socioeconomic inequalities.
• An interdisciplinary research environment, integrating economics, public health, and data science.
• Participation in network-wide activities including training in health economics, microeconometrics, policy engagement, and transferable skills.
• Academic secondments with international partners (Tilburg and Uppsala Universities) offering collaboration and cross-country research experience.
• The remuneration is commensurate with the grades stipulated in the public sector agreements TV-L E13 at 100% (approximately 4,629.74 € gross per month).

The doctoral training programme in particular offers:

• Core courses in health economics, causal inference, microeconometrics, health inequalities, medical epidemiology, and healthcare decision-making.
• Electives covering data science, public health, implementation science, and empirical microeconomics.
• Two secondments: one academic, fostering research collaboration and methodological expertise, and one non-academic, providing real-world policy and practice experience.
• Network-wide workshops and conferences fostering interdisciplinary exchange and policy engagement.
• Regular online meetings featuring research seminars and journal clubs.
• Career development sessions including leadership, team building, and grant writing.

In addition, the UDE offers:

• Family-friendly policies including childcare support
• Advisory services for family care responsibilities
• A broad range of professional development and training opportunities
• Excellent public transport connections and free parking
• Attractive sports and health offerings (University Sports Programme)
• The possibility to work from home

Please submit (in English):

• Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages recommended).
• Motivation letter outlining your interest in the position and your relevant experience.
• Research statement describing your research interests and their relevance to the project (maximum 1500 words).
• Names and contact details of two academic references.
• Degree transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees (if the Master’s degree is ongoing, please provide current transcripts).

Interviews are expected to take place in mid-February.