PhD Opportunity in Biomedical Ethics

The Institute for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Basel (IBMB), Switzerland is dedicated to research and teaching of biomedical ethics at the Medical and Science Faculties. We are currently looking for dynamic and independent graduate students (Master’s degree) or medical doctors who are interested in carrying out their PhD work in biomedical ethics. The project for which we have funding focus on ethical issues related to:

“ELSI issues of rare diseases: Evaluating Parent Perceptions, Economic Burden, and the Impact of Online Coaching Interventions for Parents of Children Diagnosed with the 22q11 Deletion Syndrome” as part of Swiss National Science supported International Eranet collaboration’s with Canada and Germany.

Project Information: The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is thought to be the most common microdeletion syndrome, with 1 out of 4,000 children having this condition. The health problems (i.e., cardiac defects, immune problems, neuropsychiatric disorders) associated with the 22q11DS strongly impact the quality of life of patients and their families. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the proposed research study aims to assess the socioeconomic impact of 22q11DS and related ethical issues. First, our Canadian partners will conduct an online survey with 500 parents of children with 22q11DS, aged 3-15 years. In the survey parents will be asked to provide information about their own and their children’s psychosocial wellbeing, barriers to care, and 22q11DS-related costs. For more in depth information on ELSI issues our Basel team will directly interview a subset of the parents. The project will also serve as a paradigm for how to best integrate online solutions into care for other rare diseases, helping to reduce their impact on families in general.

Position Available starting: June or July 2022 (at latest fall 2022)

Length of PhD Program: 3 years (full-time)

PhD Salary: In accordance with SNSF doctoral salary guideline

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in philosophy, psychology, bioethics, (computer) science, medicine, and other related fields.
• Excellent language skills in English.
• Ability to speak and understand German or French is highly desirable.
• Willingness to contribute towards an empirical project.
• Outstanding Master’s and Bachelor’s academic grades.
• Enthusiasm, responsibility and interest in an academic career.
• Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research design.

We offer:

• Enrolment in a Swiss Bologna accredited PhD Program in Bioethics, Health Policy and Legal medicine.
• Student will complete empirical methods courses as part of the PhD Program in order to successfully conduct their PhD Project.
• Student will have the opportunity to engage in a cutting-edge topic of ethics and digitalization.
• Student will also have the possibility to contribute to the academic life at the IBMB, including contributions to teaching, as well as collaboration in other research projects and academic publications in peer reviewed journals.

Environment: The University of Basel is the oldest Swiss university with a long tradition in ethics and the humanities. It has a long-standing reputation in outstanding research and teaching. Doctoral candidates at the University come from many international countries providing a vibrant and rich community. More information about the University is available at https://www.unibas.ch/en/University/About-University.html. The city of Basel is a global centre for biomedical research with major academic institutions and research departments of leading life science companies. Basel is a multicultural city and ranks among the best in terms of quality of life.

Applications: Applications must be submitted in English and should include in a single PDF file: (1) A detailed CV, including an overview of study results (grades), the title of your master thesis, contact information of (at least) two (academic) referees, and a PDF-file of the master thesis; (2) A motivation letter (maximum two pages, double-spaced, font 12), specifying your interests in the topic and PhD at Basel.

Applications for the project should be sent via email directly to Dr. Eva de Clercq (eva.declercq@unibas.ch) and Prof. B. Elger (b.elger@unibas.ch) with email subject “Eranet-funded project” by January 31th 2022.