PhD position on Air pollution and its socio-economic and health consequences in Dutch cities, 1850-1950 (4 years, 1.0 FTE)

24 May 2023
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Utrecht University

Research Field

Language sciences

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

15 Jun 2023 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Utrecht University’s economic and social history group has an exciting opportunity for a PhD candidate to work on a project titled “Air pollution and its socio-economic and health consequences in Dutch cities, 1850-1950”. This PhD position is part of the interdisciplinary UU PhD programme of the Faculty of Humanities, funded by the administrative agreement (‘bestuursakkoord’) between the Ministry of OCW and the universities.

• Do you want to explore the impact of air pollution on society and health in the past, and working at the cutting edge of history and the environmental sciences?

Clean air is essential for human wellbeing. However, the rapid rate of economic globalization and the corresponding energy transition have led to air pollution across the world, with detrimental effects on life. During industrialization, air pollution was a major challenge as economic growth relied on highly polluting technologies and effective environmental regulations were lacking. The topic of pollution during industrialization is underexplored and existing studies often analyze this at a broad level such as cities, even though many pollution effects are highly localized and may vary by social groups.

The project will analyse the impact of air pollution on health and other well-being outcomes (such as locational choices, occupational change, and schooling) in Dutch cities during a period of rapid technological change and economic growth (c. 1850-1950). Using individual-level data, this relationship will be examined in general but also differentiated by socio-economic status. The case is particularly interesting as the country industrialized late and had access to less polluting technologies. Additionally, during the time period of the proposal, pollution regulations were enforced at the discretion of municipalities. What was the impact of these regulations, and why did some municipalities enforce them, while others did not?

The project will make use of digitised Dutch archives, providing us with a massive dataset of vital records and high-precision data on factory locations. The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art techniques such as record linkage and GIS to integrate existing data sets, and enrich them with additional information from archives where needed. The resulting dataset will be analyzed using regression analysis to uncover the causal effects of air pollution.

As a PhD candidate you will work together with an interdisciplinary supervisory team consisting of Liesbeth van de Grift (Professor of International History and the Environment), Swantje Falcke (Assistant Professor Economic and Social History), Auke Rijpma (Assistant Professor Economic and Social History) and Kees Klein Goldewijk (Assistant Professor Land Use). The supervisory team has strong ties to the UU strategic theme “Pathways to Sustainability ” which offers access to a network of interdisciplinary colleagues. You will be based at the Economic and Social History (ESH) group at Utrecht University, a vibrant and friendly community that fosters social and intellectual exchange, including joint lunches, co-teaching and co-publishing.

Requirements
Specific Requirements

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• A (nearly completed) Master’s degree in economic history, or a related field (such as economics or environmental sciences);
• Strong quantitative and data analysis skills;
• Experience or interest in GIS and record linkage techniques;
• Experience or interest in archival research;
• Affinity with environmental sciences, health, and/or socioeconomic issues;
• A drive to publish and write a dissertation;
• Enthusiasm for working interdisciplinary and collaborating with others;
• Excellent command of English in speech and academic writing skills;
• Willingness to learn sufficient Dutch language skills to process Dutch primary sources.

Additional Information
Benefits

You will be offered a temporary position (1.0 FTE), initially for 18 months with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period. The gross salary ranges between €2541 in the first year and €3241 in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year.

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions , including an attractive retirement scheme, professional development , (partly paid) parental leave, sports and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University .

Employment will become effective on 1 September 2023 or, by mutual agreement, shortly thereafter.

Selection process

Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

To apply, please use the ‘apply’ button.

The application should include:

• A cover letter including an explanation of your interest in the position, your research focus, and how your background prepares you for the position (approx. 500 words);
• A short proposal how you would carry out the PhD project (approx. 400 words);
• A curriculum vitae;
• A writing sample (e.g. your Master’s thesis).

Candidates who make the shortlist will be invited for an interview. These may be conducted in person in Utrecht of online. Interviews are scheduled on 26 or 28 June.

Additional comments

For more information about this position, please contact Swantje Falcke (Assistant Professor) at [email protected] .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/328222/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Utrecht University

Country

Netherlands

City

Utrecht

Postal Code

3512 BS

Street

Drift 6

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/328222/phd-position-on-air-pollution-and-its-s…

Contact

City

Utrecht

Website

http://www.uu.nl/

Street

Domplein 29

Postal Code

3512 JE

STATUS: EXPIRED