The School of Public Health at Imperial College London is recruiting a talented, ambitious and highly motivated candidate for a 3-year PhD studentship in Public Health funded by the London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP) https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/.

Start date: October 2025

Supervisor: Dr Judite Gonçalves

The project is in collaboration with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) https://www.iisd.org.

Research project description:

Fossil fuel subsidy elimination presents a major opportunity for raising public financing for health equity, with subsidy expenditure adding up to 500 billion US dollars annually on a global scale. In Sep 2024 UN member states committed to eliminating fossil fuel subsidies. Many governments have attempted to do so in the past, but economic impacts —especially on the poor— and the fact that such measures are highly politically contentious make reform difficult.

Fossil fuel subsidies elimination should be accompanied by social protection and health investments to minimize impacts on the poor and maximize health gains equitably. Subsidy cuts result in higher fuel and energy prices which exacerbate poverty but may also promote active transportation and lower air pollution, with health gains in urban populations. Indonesia has undertaken bold fossil fuel subsidy reforms since 2005 and invested savings in comprehensive social protection packages, including major health coverage expansions. Yet there is an evidence gap regarding how much of the realised savings have been redirected to health-enhancing expenditure and the net benefits of cutting fossil fuel subsidies for health, including in vulnerable populations.

Aim: To assess the impact of fossil fuel subsidy reforms in Indonesia on health financing and health outcomes

Objectives:

  1. To develop a conceptual framework outlining causal pathways between fossil fuel subsidy reform and health with a specific focus on vulnerable populations
  2. To quantify the impact of fossil fuel subsidy reforms on government expenditure on health and social protection programmes and associated health outcomes in Indonesia
  3. To generate and disseminate policy recommendations on how fossil fuel subsidies can be optimally reformed to improve health outcomes 

Our PhD training programme

We offer a 3-year PhD programme covering a wide range of research opportunities with access to state-of-the-art research facilities and excellent training opportunities. World-leading academics will work with you to support you in completing your PhD programme. As a PhD student, you will get intensive and dedicated supervision and access to an extensive training programme including training in transferable skills such as writing for publication and communication. Combined with access to mentoring, you will get the opportunity to develop your career, direct your training and take the required steps to reach your career goals.

This fellowship in particular gives access to a range of resources under the London Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP) https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/ and unique opportunities arising from a collaboration with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) https://www.iisd.org. 

Imperial College London 

Imperial College London is the UK’s only university focussed entirely on science, engineering, medicine and business and we are consistently rated in the top 10 universities in the world. We work in a multidisciplinary and diverse community for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle the big global challenges our complex world faces. It’s our mission to achieve enduring excellence in all that we do for the benefit of society – and we are looking for the most talented people to help us get there.

School of Public Health 

The Imperial School of Public Health aims to achieve better health in the population through strengthening the public health science base, training the next generation of public health leaders and influencing health policies and programmes around the world. Imperial’s School of Public Health, under the Directorship of Professor Neil Ferguson, is committed to improving health in populations throughout the world.

The School of Public Health is unique in combining world-class research at local, national and international level with translational work within the Academic Health Science Centre in the Imperial College Healthcare Trust and translates science and epidemiology into policy, health education and primary care. Together with its research, teaching and evidence-led policy work, the School of Public Health aims to address the major public health challenges of the twenty-first century.

The post holder will be situated in the Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit (PHPE) (Director, Professor Christopher Millett). Our mission is to produce high-quality translational research that will inform public health policy, improve health and wellbeing of populations, and reduce health inequalities. 

Requirements 

Eligibility

Students applying for CASE studentships must meet the ESRC eligibility guidelines in terms of residency status and academic qualifications, specifically core social science research methods training. Please see the LISS-DTP website for further details.

Essential criteria

  • Candidates should hold a first or upper-second class honours degree (or equivalent qualification) and a Master’s in Economics, Health Policy, Global Health or a related field;
  • Experience or demonstrable interest in quasi-experimental policy analysis, and the environment and health nexus;
  • Evidence of excellent communication, organisation, and teamwork skills;
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team;
  • Evidence of potential as a career researcher;
  • Highly motivated.

Desirable criteria

  • Experience with community engagement, in a research or professional setting;
  • Relevant previous research experience and evidence of commitment to a research career;
  • Interest in energy/green transition-related policy and policy advocacy;
  • Knowledge of Indonesian.
  • We strongly encourage applications from low- and middle-income countries, and applicants from ethnic minority and underrepresented groups in social sciences.

Application process  
To be considered, all applications must include the following (which should be sent to j.goncalves@imperial.ac.uk by 16 March 2025):

  • A completed ESRC LISS-DTP Collaborative (CASE) application form
  • A completed Diversity Monitoring Form
  • A copy of your CV (maximum 2 A4 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 2 A4 pages) indicating your interest in, and suitability for, this research project as well as a basic explanation of how you think you might shape the research project
  • Academic transcripts
  • 2 reference letters: these should be sent directly by your referees (this can include 2 academic referees or 1 academic and 1 professional referee) and address your suitability for the post

Interviews

We expect to conduct online interviews in the last week of March, so please include in your cover email any constraints in your time availability or any disabilities that might impact your ability to attend an online interview.

Location

The studentship will be based at Imperial College London's White City Campus.

Enquiries

For an informal discussion, please contact:
Dr Judite Gonçalves: j.goncalves@imperial.ac.uk