PhD student vaccinology

Your function

VacxSYS (FWO): For many human infectious diseases, especially those caused by pathogens for which no effective treatment exists, the development, production, supply and optimal allocation of effective vaccines is of paramount importance. However, achieving an effective balance between supply and demand in vaccine supply chains is challenging. Optimal decision-making in vaccine supply chains is highly complex due to the many uncertainties involved, the relative lack of responsiveness of the chain and the many different public and private objectives at stake. Current literature on vaccine supply chain management falls short of recognising this system-wide complexity. Moreover, it is important to take into account the various sources of uncertainty in the evolution of disease dynamics. To achieve the ultimate goal of access to vaccines and obtain the desired health and economic outcomes, it is crucial to link the supply subsystem and the disease subsystem. This allows to model the dynamics of both supply and demand, combined with a multi-criteria decision analysis. Various best-in-class scenarios to support key decision makers will be the final outcome of the project.

You will prepare a PhD dissertation and you will also present your research results in scientific publications and at (inter)national conferences. You will also participate in the 'Doctoral School of Sciences & Technology' and be part of the teaching team in the Department of Mathematics-Statistics. You will contribute limited to a teaching assignment. 

Your team

The Data Science Institute (est. 2019) brings together over 150 researchers working in the broad field of data science across faculties and research groups at Hasselt University. DSI's main objective is to facilitate the data-driven future. We are committed to data-related challenges, fundamental innovations and applicable solutions.

More information: www.uhasselt.be/dsi