St Andrews–Max Planck PhD Studentship in Population, Health and Data Science Full-time NEW

St Andrews–Max Planck PhD Studentship in Population, Health and Data Science

We invite applications from qualified and highly motivated students for a 3.5-year St Andrews–Max Planck PhD studentship in Population, Health and Data Science. The PhD studentship is funded by the University of St Andrews and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). The successful candidate will work on a project that examines the social and environmental determinants of health and socio-economic outcomes in adolescence and emerging adulthood. This project adopts a life-course approach to investigate how adverse exposures in the socio-economic environments of adolescents accumulate or act during sensitive periods to shape outcomes in young adulthood across life domains, including housing, family formation, education, and health.

The research will use advanced quantitative methods to explore how both individual-level factors and structural or area-level determinants contribute to inequalities in these outcomes, including potential regional variation. The project will be part of the International Max Planck Research School for Population, Health and Data Science (IMPRS-PHDS), the Centre for Population Change & Connecting Generations, and the Max Planck – University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health. The studentship is available from October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

In the first 21 months, the successful applicant will work in the Laboratory of Population Health at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, one of the leading centres for demographic research worldwide. They will be expected to enroll in the IMPRS-PHDS programme.

For the remainder of the studentship, they will be working at the University of St Andrews. They will become a member of the Population and Health Research Group at the School of Geography and Sustainable Development (SGSD), which combines expertise in advanced techniques of demographic, longitudinal, and spatial analysis. The student is expected to use the opportunity of preparing a PhD thesis as a collection of research articles according to the PGR regulations of the University of St Andrews.

During the period in Germany, the PhD student will be paid according to the MPIDR rules and regulations. This includes: 1) A contract currently amounting to a gross salary of about €40,000 per year, including an annual bonus (Sonderzahlung); and 2) Financial support for travel, research training, and data acquisition. During the period in the UK, the St Andrews–Max Planck PhD studentship will cover: 1) A maintenance grant at the St Andrews stipend rate, currently set at £19,775 per year (the 2026/27 rate may increase, with the increase amount confirmed in due course); 2) A research training support grant (RTSG) of £750 per year; and 3) Full tuition fee waiver.

The position offers an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated PhD student to join an international team of researchers applying advanced quantitative methods and statistical modelling to a cutting-edge population topic. Students with an excellent master's degree (distinction or merit in the UK) or the equivalent national qualification in any area of social sciences, including statistics and applied mathematics, who are interested in this opportunity must submit their application by Monday, 8 June 2026. Please see the advice on the Entry requirements for postgraduate research programmes. Please apply to the programme “PhD Geography (Science)” on the How to apply for research study at St Andrews webpage. Please include a personal statement outlining your interest in applying advanced quantitative methods to studying populations. Please also upload an academic writing sample (normally a chapter of a Master's dissertation) to your online application. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in the second half of June. The University of St Andrews and the Max Planck Society strive for equal opportunities. Applications from any background are welcome.