PhD Position: Exposomic Risk of Non-Communicable Disease In Brussels

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculteit Geneeskunde en Farmacie, Department Observerende Klinische wetenschappen, Research Group Electronics and Informatics: Research – Development - Innovation is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

The exposome encompasses the totality of environmental exposures experienced across life — from air pollution, noise, temperature, green space, and light, to socioeconomic factors such as income, education, and social cohesion. Understanding the exposome is critical for addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, cancer, and diabetes, many of which are linked to where people live, work, and age. By integrating environmental, socioeconomic, and clinical outcome data, exposome research provides a holistic framework for identifying preventable risk factors and guiding targeted public health interventions.
This scientific approach underpins both the EMIR and BEE projects, which aim to transform our understanding of environmental health risks and deliver actionable prevention strategies.

EMIR (Exposomic Myocardial Infarction Risk, launched 2019) investigates links between environmental and socioeconomic exposures and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Belgium. It combines national hospital admission data (2012–2021) with high-resolution environmental modelling at patient residences. A first paper from this work is expected in September 2025.

BEE (Brussels Environmental Exposome Project, Innoviris Research Platforms 2025–2029) builds on EMIR to study multiple NCDs across the Brussels Capital Region. It is a collaboration between VUB (including UZB and VUB ETRO), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), and Sciensano. A central innovation is the BEE server — a secure, pseudonymized infrastructure enabling geocoding and linkage of environmental and socioeconomic exposures to health data while ensuring GDPR compliance and patient confidentiality.

You will be a key contributor to the EMIR and BEE projects, working at the interface of environmental epidemiology, digital infrastructure, and advanced analytics. The role will involve:

• Spatial and temporal analysis: Applying geospatial methods (GIS mapping, geographically weighted regression, spatial clustering) and temporal approaches (time-series analysis, distributed lag models, case-crossover designs) to study environmental exposures, especially heat waves and cold spells, in relation to ACS and other NCDs.
• Data infrastructure development: Collaborating with technical partners to design, implement, and test the BEE server, a GDPR-compliant, pseudonymized platform for secure geocoding and linkage of environmental and health datasets.
• Statistical modelling in R: Using advanced statistical packages for environmental epidemiology (Epi, survival, sf, gstat, mgcv) and causal inference (dagitty, MatchIt), as well as contributing to reproducible, scalable data pipelines.
• Machine learning integration: Exploring ML approaches to enhance prediction and complement traditional epidemiological models.
• Interdisciplinary coordination: Liaising between clinical and technical teams to ensure data quality, interoperability, and alignment with public health priorities.
• Knowledge dissemination: Publishing high-impact research, presenting at international conferences, and contributing to public-facing deliverables.

This position offers a unique opportunity to gain expertise in privacy-preserving data infrastructures, spatial epidemiology, and AI-enhanced public health research, while working in close collaboration with top academic, clinical, and technical partners.

For this function, our Brussels Health Campus (Jette) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences, Epidemiology, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Engineering, or related field, with a clinical interest.

• Experience or strong interest in R and/or Python for data analysis, including time-series analysis, case-crossover designs, geographically weighted regression, and causal diagrams.
• Understanding of, or willingness to learn, GDPR-compliant data infrastructure, data security, and privacy-preserving record linkage.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong communication skills in English; knowledge of Dutch and/or French is an advantage.
• Motivation to develop expertise in environmental epidemiology, spatial analytics, and digital health infrastructure.

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 15/11/2025. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 15/11/2025, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file; 
• step 2: a job interview.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Prof. Jean-François Argacha at jean-françois.argacha@uzbrussel.be or on 32 2 477 60 09.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.