____________________________________________________________________ PHD STUDENTSHIP IN STATISTICS, Maastricht University, The Netherlands The Department Methodology and Statistics of Maastricht University, The Netherlands, invites applications for a research studentship leading to a PhD. The research of the department focuses on optimal design and analysis of longitudinal studies with random effect and multilevel models and on statistics education. The department gives courses in methodology and statistics to Bachelor, Master and PhD students in the Health Sciences, Medicine, and Psychology. At the moment we offer a position for a PhD studentship. The project is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO/MAGW) The research project Many studies in the social and behavioural sciences have a multilevel data structure. The use of powerful (optimal) designs for multilevel data with time-structured measurements will result in a high probability of finding a true effect with a minimum sample size. However, a powerful multilevel design depends on the best fitting (true) model. Since the best fitting models is often unknown at the design stage, it is highly relevant to find robust designs, which remain highly powerful for alternative models. The aim of the project is to find such robust designs. A second aim of the project is to provide social and behavioural scientists with general and robust guidelines for the required sample sizes at different levels of the multilevel design. These guidelines will help researchers to reduce the costs of data collection. The output of the project will be papers in international journals and a PhD thesis. The profile We look for students with a Master degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Econometrics, Sociology, Psychology, Biology, or some related discipline, but at least have a solid training in Statistics. You preferably are familiar with research designs and with multilevel or general linear models. You are motivated to perform quantitative research, and have experience in programming. What we offer You are offered a position for four years. In the first year the monthly salary will be 1702 euro gross increasing to 2283 euro gross in the last year, provided you have a full-time appointment. If you are interested you can write a letter of application (including a CV) to the personnel Department of the Faculty of Health sciences at the University of Maastricht, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands with reference to number AT2004.250. E-mail: [log in to unmask] If you want to have more information on the project, you can contact: Prof. dr. Martijn .P.F. Berger, Department of Methodology and Statistics, University of Maastricht, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. E-mail: [log in to unmask] ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________ END OF MESSAGE