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The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is inviting applications from qualified and highly motivated PhD students for a Summer Research Visit in the Lab of Digital and Computational Demography.

MPIDR is one of the leading demographic centers in the world. It is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of 84 institutes that form Germany's premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, social sciences and the humanities. They offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.

The Lab of Digital and Computational Demography brings together methodologists (from areas like Statistics, Computer Science or Mathematical Demography) with experts in areas of the Social Sciences (e.g., Sociology, Geography, Economics, etc.) in order to favor cross-pollination of ideas, to advance methods and theory, and to address pressing societal questions.

Key substantive areas for the Lab include: 

i    Migration and mobility
ii   Population aging and generational processes
iii  The interplay of social and environmental forces and population dynamics

Examples of project areas relevant for the Lab include (but are not limited to):

1) Combining traditional data sources as well as those that emerged from the digitalization of our lives to study demographic processes, like migration, health and well-being, intergenerational relationships and gender disparities.

2) Developing innovative forms of data collection for demographic research (e.g., surveys via web and social media advertisement platforms, or data collected via sensors, tracking devices, mobile phone apps, or crowd-source approaches).

3) Developing simulation models of individual choices and population-level processes to produce new insights on demographic dynamics and advance population theory.

4) Evaluating the impact of the digitalization of our lives on demographic behavior and population processes.

5) Modeling, estimating and predicting the relationships between environmental change, demographic processes and disease dynamics.

For more information about the Lab of Digital and Computational Demography, see: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/go/lab-dcd

The Lab of Digital and Computational Demography, headed by MPIDR Director Emilio Zagheni, is looking for PhD candidates who would like to spend 3 months at MPIDR (June 1st-August 31st 2020) to work on a collaborative research paper under the supervision of one or more experienced scientists at MPIDR.

Applicants must be enrolled in a PhD program (at the time they visit MPIDR) in Demography, Statistics, Data Science, Computer Science/Informatics, Applied Mathematics, Economics, Sociology, Geography, Public Health, Public Policy or a related discipline.

The successful candidates have demonstrated the ability to work on research projects independently and in interdisciplinary teams, and present a research proposal that is relevant, doable and that fits with the research agenda of the Lab of Digital and Computational Demography.  

Applications must be submitted online via job portal and include the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae

• Research Proposal (Max 2 pages)

- Please state why you are interested in spending the Summer at MPIDR, and in which ways your research interests fit the research strengths of the Lab of Digital and Computational Demography.

-Please articulate your research proposal for a Summer project, including expected data and methods that would be appropriate for achieving these goals.

-Please describe your technical skills, as well as what you would like to learn over the course of the Summer visit.

• Copies of transcripts of undergraduate and master’s degrees

• Names and contact information for 2 academic references

• One or two writing samples/publications

In order to receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by December 1st, 2019. Selected PhD students will be expected to be in residence at MPIDR in Rostock for the period of the research visit and would be offered reimbursement for travel costs to/from Rostock and a stipend of approximately 1,365 € /month (if they do not receive financial support from their home institution).

Our institute values diversity and is committed to employing individuals from minorities. Individuals with severe disability are especially welcome to apply. Our Institute and the Max Planck Society also seek to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourage women to apply.

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