PhD position

2-year PhD position (with a possible extension to 3 years upon additional funding) in ethics and philosophy of measurement in the project “Normative measurement framework for assessing the impact of socio-ecological transformation on lifespan inequity within populations”

 Dr. Magdalena Muszynska-Spielauer (PI)

Univ.-Prof. Julian Reiss, PhD, lic. oec. HSG, ML, MAE, MEUrASC (co-PI)

 Short description of the project

Population subgroups are disproportionately exposed to and affected by current socio-environmental challenges. This leads to inequitable population health outcomes. Lifespan inequality has been a much-studied topic in demography over the last decade, but not lifespan inequity, i.e. inequality in the length of life that is ethically problematic. Questions about changes over time or differences between populations in the equity of health outcomes require a statistic of inequity developed in an ethically justified measurement framework. The aim of this project is to develop that framework by negotiating concepts from demography, philosophy, poverty measurement in economics, spatial planning and statistics.

The measurement framework is constructed in two steps according to the ethical assumptions of the capability approach and related mid-level theories of justice: 1.defining deaths that are ethically problematic, i.e. premature mortality; 2.deciding on the statistic to aggregate the distribution of premature deaths. In line with the objective of assessing socio-ecological transformative change, in the second step we account, through disproportionate weights, for the composition of the population in terms of the unequal distribution of environmental and social risks and the different resilience of its sub-populations. Measurement decisions are based on scoping reviews of the definitions in demography, global health policy and poverty studies. We reappraise the most commonly used inequality statistics to understand their statistical properties and measurement implications. Solutions to the disproportionate weight of vulnerable groups are developed in a spatial analysis of the exposure and resilience of Austrian municipalities to environmental and demographic challenges.

 Job posting

2 years predoc position (30h per week)

 Deadline for applications: 08.01.2025

You can apply here: https://shorturl.at/qPGFx

Start date: 01.03.2025

End date: 28.02.2027

Possible extension to 3 years upon additional funding in total 30 hours/week.

Job Duties:

• Conduct research and write a doctoral thesis on the topic of an ethically justified measurement framework for health/lifespan inequalities in the context of the LIFT_C project "NORM_LIFE"
• Participate in the project’s and the institute’s administrative tasks

Your Qualifications:

• The successful candidate must hold a Diploma/Master’s degree in Philosophy & Economics, Philosophy, or another relevant discipline by the start date
• Good knowledge or willingness to quickly acquire good knowledge of studies on the normative basis for measuring health inequalities
• Good knowledge or willingness to quickly acquire good knowledge of poverty  and inequality measurement methods
• Fluent in English
• Strong team player
• Intellectual curiosity regarding the themes of the project and beyond

What we offer:

• On the basis of 30 hours per week employment, the salary for doctoral candidates of the Austrian Science Fund (to be adjusted to inflation annually in February, 14x per year). Current rates available here: https://tinyurl.com/3x5z3whs
• Dynamic and internationally well-connected research environment
• Stable employer
• Attractive campus environment with good public transportation connections
• Broad range of on-campus dining services / healthy meals (organic food at the cafeteria)
• Exercise and sports classes (USI)
• … and much more

Application documents:

• Cover letter [optional]
• CV
• Reading sample (seminar paper, MA thesis, published paper, review essay, …) [5000-50000 words]
• Outline of your previous involvement with themes relevant to the project and/or sketch of ideas for your research in the project [500-5000 words]
• Transcript and/or diploma
• Other documents [optional]