Apologies for any cross-postings

ESRC/SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE - COLLABORATIVE STUDENTSHIP

http://www.shef.ac.uk/geography/pg/phd/scotexec_studentship.html

"Exploring the socio-economic and geographical determinants of
ill-health and morbidity in Scotland"

Fully funded ESRC CASE PhD Studentship

Applications are invited for a 3-year fully funded ESRC CASE Studentship
commencing October 2007. ESRC-CASE studentships include full payment of
fees at the UK/EU rate, 3-year maintenance grant (in the region of £14k
tax free per annum) and will also involve additional support from the
collaborative partner. Applications will be required to meet ESRC
residential eligibility requirements.

This  project will build on previous relevant research on the analysis
of health inequalities and morbidity, and on the development and
application of spatial microsimulation methods for 'what-if' policy
analysis.  The project will examine the potential of spatial
microsimulation and relevant quantitative research methods, such as
multi-level modelling and cohort data analysis, to be refined and
applied to Scottish data. The kinds of research question this PhD might
focus on include:

What are the main socio-economic and geographical factors affecting the
risk that Scottish individuals suffer from ill-health, and how are these
factors changing over time?

How do the factors which determine risks of poor health vary from place
to place?

To what extent are these factors affected by individual family morbidity
history?

What are the socio-economic and geographic factors affecting social
mobility of different types of individuals, and how do those factors
relate to health?

How do Scottish Executive policies appear risk factors for poor health,
and how do they potentially affect different types of individuals?

Do the outcomes of Executive policies vary geographically and if so,
what determines this variation?

Are existing policies addressing sufficiently the key population health
risk factors? What kind of new policies may be needed and what are the
potential health gains from their successful implementation?

These questions are indicative only.

The proposed research will include an extensive review of the
international literature on the socio-economic determinants of morbidity
and ill-health and it will highlight any past studies that may be more
relevant to the Scottish context. It will also provide an extensive
critical review and evaluation of existing socio-economic, demographic
and geographic data sets for Scotland, including the Scottish Health
Surveys (SHS), Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), British Household Panel
Survey (BHPS), the British Cohort Study (BCS) and the UK Census of
population (with particular attention to the new Scottish Longitudinal
study). It will assess their potential to be combined in a multi-level
and spatial microsimulation modelling framework to address the kinds of
research question listed above.

It is expected that this project  will create a powerful policy-relevant
modelling framework that will assist in assessing future policy
scenarios. A key idea is to refine and develop existing microsimulation
methods so that they will become even more policy relevant and applied.

The research project will bring together researchers with strong
interests in policy impact assessment (such as the supervisors,
their colleagues and the student who will conduct the research) and
policy practitioners.

In the context of this research project the research student will become
aware of social and spatial inequalities in health and of the
geographical dimensions of well being and public policy-related issues
in Scotland. S/He will develop a good understanding of the
socio-economic data and methods available to measure health related
variables as well as variables pertaining to the socio-economic
determinants of ill-health. The researcher will also acquire
problem-solving skills with geographical data and further develop
computer programming and statistical analysis skills. The requisite
skills will be obtained as necessary both by participation in research
methods modules available as part of the Department of Geography's
ESRC-recognised 1+3 PhD training programme and via guidance from the
project supervisors. The research student will also be a member of the
rapidly expanding Social and Spatial Inequalities (SASI) research group
(http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/sasi/) and will have access to the computer
labs and office space in the University's newly founded Informatics
Collaboratory for the Social Sciences
(ICOSS)(http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/icoss/home.htm)

The studentship will be supervised by Dr Dimitris Ballas, Professor
Danny Dorling (University of Sheffield) and Dr Richard Mitchell
(University of Edinburgh Medical School).

Informal enquires about this studentship to Dr Dimitris Ballas
([log in to unmask]; telephone: 0114 2227923)

We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates, with a good
first degree in Geography or a related social science and an
ESRC-recognised Masters degree, or who expect to receive such a Masters
degree before October 2007. Applications will be required to meet ESRC
residential eligibility requirements.

Applicants with an academic background which included training in
computer-based quantitative analysis will be at an advantage, especially
those with (or about to secure) a Master's level qualification in such a
subject. Applicants need not have a background in either geography or
any of the medical sciences, but a demonstrable interest in these areas
would be an advantage.

Applicants should send a CV, together with a brief outline of their
proposed research, to: Mo Allum, Postgraduate Secretary, Department of
Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN.
([log in to unmask]). Alternatively, applications may be submitted
on-line via:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply/index.html

Deadline for applications is Friday 15 June 2007.