PhD Position on “The societal and economic effects of public health interventions from an EXPOSOME approach: TiO2 as a case-study”

PhD Position on “The societal and economic effects of public health interventions from an EXPOSOME approach: TiO2 as a case-study”
PhD Position on “The societal and economic effects of public health interventions from an EXPOSOME approach: TiO2 as a case-study”

Published	Deadline	Location
5 Jul	31 Jul	Maastricht

Who is most affected by exposure to potentially harmful chemicals in our food system, and what policies can be enacted to minimize exposure whilst fostering a healthy food-market at the Belgian and European level ? Are you interested in this question from an exposome approach? Then please keep on reading…
Job description

We are looking for a PhD researcher interested in spending 4 years collecting and analysing data relating to Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) in the food system, and generating exposure maps and policy recommendations. Moreover, the effectiveness of the recent ban and the effects on overall exposure to TiO2 in the population remain very unclear. The PhD researcher would work on generating new knowledge on this topic, and providing evidence-based policy recommendations in the common interest of the citizens and markets of the EU, and Belgium in particular. 

Specifications

• Maastricht View on Google Maps

Maastricht University (UM)

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Masters degree in statistics, biostatistics, (bio)engineering, epidemiology, mathematics or physics, computational social / data sciences or in a related field with evidence of interest in statistical and computational methods ; 
• Strong coding skills with R and/or Python / Julia ; 
• Strong statistical understanding of regression models, regularization, sampling theory, statistical power, and other elements of statistical learning ; 

Desired Qualifications: 

• A background working in collaboration with / in a lab ; 
• Knowledge of Bayesian methods – ability to code in OpenBUGS, JAGS and / or Stan ; 
• Experience with Multilevel Regression and Post-Stratification (MrP) ; 
• Interest in working or studying under the Exposome paradigm ; 

Generic competencies:

• Good academic writing skills ;
• Excellent spoken and written English ;
• Excellent communicative skills, teamplayer, enjoy a multi-disciplinary environment ;

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

• We offer a rewarding career at a young university in the heart of Europe, with a distinct global perspective and a strong focus on innovative research and education, embedded in a strong team and excellent consortium;

• The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO), supplement with local UM provisions. For more information on terms of employment, please visit our website http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM ;

• The salary will be set in the PhD-candidate salary scale of the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (€ 2.541 gross per month in the first year up to €3.247 gross per month in the fourth year). On top of this, there is an 8% holiday allowance and a 8.3% year-end allowance.

• We offer an attractive package of fringe benefits such as reduction on collective health insurance, substantial leave arrangements, optional model for designing a personalized benefits package and application for attractive fiscal arrangements for employees from abroad.

We offer a full-time employment contract as a PhD candidate for 4 years. Teaching will be expected for 20 % of the time. Research will be required at the two venues, both Maastricht University and Sciensano (Tervuren, Belgium), main location to be decided with the applicant.

Employer
Maastricht University / Sciensano Belgium

Data Analytics and Digitalisation (School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University) and Trace Elements and Nanomaterials (Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, Belgium) join forces for this project. 

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. The School of Business and Economics. SBE is the youngest economics and business faculty in the Netherlands with a distinctively international profile. It belongs to the 1% of business schools worldwide to be triple-crown accredited (EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA). SBE strongly believes in close connections with its academic partners and societal stakeholders, with its students and alumni, and with businesses and organisations in the Limburg Euregion, the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world. 

The department of Data Analytics and Digitalisation (DAD) connects data science (mathematics, statistics, computer science, artificial intelligence) with business and economics research (finance, accounting, marketing, information management, operations, micro- and macroeconomics, policy design). We are responsible for conducting top-level research in data science for business and economics ranging from fundamental theoretical studies to applied industrial projects. 

Sciensano is a Belgian public health institution where science and health are central to its mission. Sciensano’s strength and uniqueness lie within the holistic and multidisciplinary approach to health. More particularly we focus on the close and indissoluble interconnection between human and animal health and their environment (the “One health” concept). By combining different research perspectives within this framework, Sciensano contributes in its unique way to everybody’s health. For this, Sciensano builds on the more than 100 years of scientific expertise of the former Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre (CODA-CERVA) and the ex-Scientific Institute of Public Health (WIV-ISP).

The research group Trace Elements and Nanomaterials has a long standing experience in the study of trace elements and nanoparticles in food, feed, food supplements and materials in contact with food. For these topics, it functions as the Belgian National Reference Laboratory (NRL). More specifically the group has particular (research) experience in the physicochemical characterization of nanomaterials in food additives and food contact materials, as well as the analysis of heavy metal impurities in food and feed. In the context of TiO2, Sciensano has experience in measuring and determining its physicochemical properties in candy and in face masks (EFSA-NANO, TiO2mask). 

Additional information

Research Summary

The exposome approach entails investigating environmental risk factors for health, the non-genetic factors that as a whole and in interaction with one another affect health over a lifetime. These factors are related to air pollution, food intake or lifestyle and influence to 70 percent the incidence of chronic diseases. Much of the research includes the development of methods in order to quantify the exposome. In biological and health research, typical quantifiers (lifespan, risks of developing diseases etc) are still to be properly translated into the quantifiers accepted in economics and social sciences. This PhD research aims to make a contribution to the development of a methodological framework to develop methods in order to quantify exposure to substances related to or in interaction with titanium dioxide and to assess the impact of health policy intervention.

TiO2 is mainly known as a white colorant or UV filter in medication, cosmetics, food and paint. It also has many industrial applications as a catalyst or dirt-repellent substance. The food additive TiO2 is listed as food ingredient as E171.  On the packaging of personal care products, TiO2 is often referred to as CI 77891. Titanium dioxide is a white powder that is insoluble in water and organic solvents and exists in different crystallographic structures (rutile versus anatase), physicochemical forms (pearlescent pigments versus anatase and rutile E171) and sizes (nanoparticles).

Titanium dioxide is classified as a carcinogen by inhalation (IARC cat2B, H351 according to the classification of the European Regulation on Classification, Labeling and Packaging). This concerns powdered TiO2 that contains 1% or more particles that are smaller than 10 micrometers. It is generally accepted that TiO2 does not migrate through the skin, so clothing or personal care products containing TiO2 are considered safe. However, we still know too little about the possible health risks after oral exposure to TiO2, for example via toothpaste, lip balm, medication, foods, nutritional supplements and food contact materials, to be able to estimate the risk correctly. The EFSA's recent opinion (2021) on E171 states that it is not certain that the use of E171 in food is safe because it may be a genotoxic product. As a result, the European Commission no longer allows TiO2 as a food additive as of the summer of 2022 (regulation 2022/63 [5]). A new research question arises: “Will this ban result in a lower exposure/possible risk to TiO2 for consumers?” For this it is important to know how exposure to non-food sources of TiO2 will relate to our past and present exposure to E171 (“Is the ban respected well?”).

Viewing global/total exposure will require a multidisciplinary approach from different scientific disciplines, including chemical analysis, toxicology, modeling and risk evaluation. In order to assess the policy impact of the ban on health, this research will attempt to assess the impact from a wider exposome context in which interactions with other TiO2 intake routes and closely related/similar substances are taken into account.

Apply via postal mail
Apply via postal mail

[email protected]

Don't forget to mention AcademicTransfer and the job number: AT2022.298 in your letter.

Back to the vacancy
Application procedure

Please apply by July 31, 2022, by sending the following information to [email protected] . A prolongation of the deadline is possible in case if no suitable candidates are found.

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) 
• Motivation letter indicating your research interests and experience
• Candidates are encouraged to their GitHub repository in their email, or other repositories for computational projects to which they have been a part of. 
• Candidates are encouraged to share a writing sample 

More information on this vacancy can be obtained from Sofie De Broe ([email protected] )