PhD Position at the Behavioral Science for Prevention and Care Team (m/f/d)

06.11.2025, Wissenschaftliches Personal

We are looking to hire a PhD researcher to join our team and work on two main projects. Your dissertation work will draw from these projects; however, we may always obtain new projects and are flexible in finding the best fit for your interests.

About the Behavioral Science for Prevention and Care Team

We are a team of social scientists and development economists. Our main research aims are to design and evaluate strategies to improve the quality and use of preventive health care services in low- and middle-income countries. We draw heavily from social, economic, and behavioral theories to understand the forces that affect patient and clinician behavior. We then design interventions that focus on the behavior of people and systems involved in an effective health care system, rather than creating new medical treatments.

Our recent studies have been motivated by two parallel questions:

1. How can we encourage people to engage with preventive care, including seeking screenings, making regular health care visits, and adhering to preventive treatments?
2. How can we motivate clinicians to consistently deliver better quality preventive care?

Our current research is based in India, Rwanda, and Uganda, but we are always seeking ways to learn about and work in new places! You can find out more about us here .

About the PhD Researcher Position

We are looking to hire a PhD researcher to join our team and work on two main projects:

1. The BetterHeart Study : BetterHeart is a randomized controlled trial focused on designing and evaluating a community health worker-delivered counseling intervention to encourage individuals with high blood pressure to seek formal care and engage with the health system. The study is based in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a collaboration between TUM, the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, J-PAL South Asia, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

2. The Butaro Human Development and Demographic Surveillance Site (HD²SS) : The Butaro HD²SS is a longitudinal study of all individuals and households in the Butaro Sector of rural Rwanda. We are collecting comprehensive data on health and human development—including mental health, non-communicable diseases, gender, wellbeing, and livelihoods. Our aim with the HD²SS is to identify priority areas for intervention and to design and evaluate programs that enhance community wellbeing. The project is a collaboration between the University of Global Health Equity (Rwanda), TUM, NYU Abu Dhabi, and the Government of Rwanda.

Your dissertation work will draw from these projects ; however, we may always obtain new projects and are flexible in finding the best fit for your interests.

Role and Responsibilities : Your primary role will be to engage in a diverse range of research and project administration activities. This includes conducting literature reviews, study ideation and design, preparing study tools, assisting in the training of data collectors, programming digital survey software, monitoring the fidelity and quality of study implementation in the field, conducting routine data quality checks during data collection periods, helping to troubleshoot on-the-ground challenges, conducting statistical data analysis and visualizing results, writing and submitting research papers, presenting your research at academic conferences and workshops, and supporting the team in preparing grant applications. You will also be expected to contribute to teaching in our master's program and assist in supervising bachelor's and master's theses.

We are a small and highly collaborative team. While you will be responsible for leading your dissertation papers, you will also be expected to contribute to studies being conducted by other team members (and they will help you with yours!).

Location : The position will be based at the TUM campus in Munich and will require you to be present in the office for 2-3 days per week.

Contract duration and salary : You will be hired on a 65% TVL-E13 contract. Your exact salary will depend on your qualifications, but will likely start between 1800 to 2100 € per month (net). The contract allows for additional income through outside work (~1 day per week); however, the PhD is demanding, and many students find it challenging to complete a PhD and a second job. The contract will initially be for 1 year with an extension to 4 years pending performance. There may be a possibility of further extension based on available funds. The salary is in accordance with the Public Sector Collective Agreement on Länder (TV-L E13/65%).

Additional benefits : TUM offers a wide range of services for PhD researchers, including family services, language classes, and professional development courses. Please see this site for a full list of what TUM offers: https://www.gs.tum.de/en/gs/community-diversity/welcome-services/

Qualifications and Interests:

● Master's degree in Economics, Psychology, Behavioral Science, Social Science, Health or Public Policy, International Development, Health Sciences (with a strong empirical background and coursework in social science fields), or related fields. Coursework and strong grades in math, statistics, economics, and study design are highly valued.

● Experience with planning and implementing primary research studies, ideally in low- and middle-income countries.

● Strong proficiency in statistical data analysis using any of R, Stata, or Python.

● Doing a PhD in our team will involve travel and research stays in study sites abroad (likely India and Rwanda). An ideal candidate should be excited about travel and in-field research.

● Ability and eagerness to self-learn statistical or design methods with minimal supervision.

● Strong written and spoken English.

● Eagerness to work as part of a team.

How to apply: "How to apply: Please submit a cover letter, CV, and your master’s transcripts through this form: https://forms.gle/pgZGSwoGvtQgraoi6 "

The application deadline is 30 November 2025 at 23:59. If you have any questions, please write to us at application.tumbehavsci@gmail.com

The Doctoral Experience in our Team

Here is a list of some of the studies that were led and published by our current and recently graduated PhD students. This should give you an idea of the type and range of work that we do: