Researching the health impacts of urban greenspaces on children in the City of Amsterdam
Cities are not only prone to the urban heat island effect, but also have high burdens of acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Children are particularly vulnerable to short and long term impacts from heat and pollution in urban contexts with higher exposures to pollutants and aeroallergens during heat events, increased rates of asthma and asthma exacerbation, and long term risks for reductions in pulmonary development and lung function. These health risks can have cascading impacts on academic achievement and socioeconomic attainment into adulthood, exacerbating socioeconomic disparities at a societal level.
To generate positive health impacts, many cities have turned to creation of new greenspaces. However, this relationship is far from straightforward. To illustrate, the benefits of urban greenspaces are typically not evenly distributed among urban populations, often amplified by historical disinvestment in marginalised neighbourhoods. Moreover, urban planning for climate change usually means mitigating climate risks, which does not automatically mean planning for improved health.
The PhD project will examine how rising temperatures and environmental degradation intersect with pediatric respiratory health and can be mitigated through urban greenspace interventions. To this end, the PhD candidate will connect biomedical explanations (i.e. focusing on individual interactions with the environment as causes of disease) with urban political ecological explanations (i.e. focusing on socio-political conditions shaping environments, institutions and individuals). The PhD candidate will conduct research among children and their caregivers in the Amsterdam Southeast district (in particular around the newly created Nelson Mandelapark).
The PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr Jannes Willems, Dr Vanessa Harris and Prof Maria Kaika. The candidate will be embedded in the research group Urban Planning (UP) in the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies (GPIO) at the University of Amsterdam. The PhD candidate will also be affiliated with the Department of Global Health of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (location AMC).
What are you going to do
The PhD candidate will conduct interdisciplinary research on the respiratory health impacts of children in Amsterdam Southeast, and how urban greenspace interventions can mitigate these impacts.
You will become integral part of the NWO/FAPESP-funded research project REACH, in which several researchers from different scientific disciplines within the University of Amsterdam and the University of São Paulo participate (urban studies, medical sciences, psychology, law, sustainability sciences).
You will/tasks:
- Write and complete a PhD dissertation within four years, which will include:
- A quantitative vulnerability and risk assessment which maps hydro-meteorologic and pediatric respiratory health risks using intersectionality as a lens. This assessment combines mechanistic pathway mapping based on secondary data (i.e. to determine the effect of an environmental stressors on pediatric respiratory disease outcomes) with in-depth qualitative interviews with caregivers of children (like parents, GPs, local youth and health care officials) to account for intersecting social identities shaping heat risk experiences;
- A qualitative examination of dominant urban greenspace planning and management regimes, and their impacts on communities. You will conduct interviews with caregivers, residents and public officials to understand the relationships between health, greening and climate change;
- An integrated, multi-scalar analysis of pediatric respiratory health risks, heat & pollution, linking bodily experiences of exposure to heat with political-economic systems and urban environments shaping these experiences;
- A ranking of existing greenspace interventions and prioritization of future interventions.
- Participate in the PhD program of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research;
- Assist in the (under)graduate education programmes of our department (10% teaching);
- Join the research groups of UP and AUMC and co-organize seminars and workshops;
- Participate in international conferences, workshops, seminars and other scholarly activities.
What do you have to offer
We are looking for an enthusiastic and curious candidate who has a passion for doing research and is keen on working on issues at the intersection of climate adaptation, public health and environmental justice in urban contexts. You have an interest in conducting fieldwork, as well as bridging different theories and concepts. The successful candidate will be able to adjust to different and unexpected conditions, work across disciplinary boundaries, and find creative solutions to research problems.
Candidates should hold a (Research) Master's degree in human geography, urban and regional planning, urban studies, public health, global health, medicine (MD), biomedical sciences, environmental studies, and/or an interdisciplinary Master’s degree bridging these fields. Preference will be given to participants with experience across more than one of the aforementioned disciplines.
Successful candidates are those who:
- Are passionate about and have demonstrated aptitude for conducting interdisciplinary research;
- Have demonstrated experience doing fieldwork in unfamiliar settings;
- Have demonstrated experience with mixed methods research approaches, combining qualitative and qualitative methods;
- Have very good writing skills and are able to develop critical complex arguments;
- Have very good English skills (written and verbal)
- Preferably speak Dutch (relevant to the fieldwork in Amsterdam Southeast);
- Are a team player and able to work independently.
What else do we offer you
- An enthusiastic and warm interdisciplinary supervision team with whom you will collaborate in research and publications;
- An international research network including conference visits;
- Resources for fieldwork;
- Further professional development and education through courses and other opportunities provided by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research.
You will work here
We offer an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam. You will work with an enthusiastic and warm supervision team with whom you will collaborate in research and publications. Ideas and input are highly valued. You will be embedded in the Urban Planning research group (Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, supervisor Jannes Willems PhD), and the Amsterdam University Medical Centres (Department of Global Health, supervisor Vanessa Harris MD, PhD). Both are internationally leading research groups that are open to new colleagues.
Intensifying extreme weather events disproportionately impact marginalised urban populations, increasing existing health inequalities and vulnerabilities. This PhD project will focus on how meteorologic variables like rising temperatures, causing environmental degradation, impact the respiratory health of children in urban contexts. We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate who can conduct interdisciplinary research, combining theories and methods from urban studies and biomedical sciences.
Researching the health impacts of urban greenspaces on children in the City of Amsterdam
Cities are not only prone to the urban heat island effect, but also have high burdens of acute and chronic respiratory diseases. Children are particularly vulnerable to short and long term impacts from heat and pollution in urban contexts with higher exposures to pollutants and aeroallergens during heat events, increased rates of asthma and asthma exacerbation, and long term risks for reductions in pulmonary development and lung function. These health risks can have cascading impacts on academic achievement and socioeconomic attainment into adulthood, exacerbating socioeconomic disparities at a societal level.
To generate positive health impacts, many cities have turned to creation of new greenspaces. However, this relationship is far from straightforward. To illustrate, the benefits of urban greenspaces are typically not evenly distributed among urban populations, often amplified by historical disinvestment in marginalised neighbourhoods. Moreover, urban planning for climate change usually means mitigating climate risks, which does not automatically mean planning for improved health.
The PhD project will examine how rising temperatures and environmental degradation intersect with pediatric respiratory health and can be mitigated through urban greenspace interventions. To this end, the PhD candidate will connect biomedical explanations (i.e. focusing on individual interactions with the environment as causes of disease) with urban political ecological explanations (i.e. focusing on socio-political conditions shaping environments, institutions and individuals). The PhD candidate will conduct research among children and their caregivers in the Amsterdam Southeast district (in particular around the newly created Nelson Mandelapark).
The PhD candidate will be supervised by Dr Jannes Willems, Dr Vanessa Harris and Prof Maria Kaika. The candidate will be embedded in the research group Urban Planning (UP) in the Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies (GPIO) at the University of Amsterdam. The PhD candidate will also be affiliated with the Department of Global Health of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (location AMC).
What are you going to do
The PhD candidate will conduct interdisciplinary research on the respiratory health impacts of children in Amsterdam Southeast, and how urban greenspace interventions can mitigate these impacts.
You will become integral part of the NWO/FAPESP-funded research project REACH, in which several researchers from different scientific disciplines within the University of Amsterdam and the University of São Paulo participate (urban studies, medical sciences, psychology, law, sustainability sciences).
You will/tasks:
- Write and complete a PhD dissertation within four years, which will include:
- A quantitative vulnerability and risk assessment which maps hydro-meteorologic and pediatric respiratory health risks using intersectionality as a lens. This assessment combines mechanistic pathway mapping based on secondary data (i.e. to determine the effect of an environmental stressors on pediatric respiratory disease outcomes) with in-depth qualitative interviews with caregivers of children (like parents, GPs, local youth and health care officials) to account for intersecting social identities shaping heat risk experiences;
- A qualitative examination of dominant urban greenspace planning and management regimes, and their impacts on communities. You will conduct interviews with caregivers, residents and public officials to understand the relationships between health, greening and climate change;
- An integrated, multi-scalar analysis of pediatric respiratory health risks, heat & pollution, linking bodily experiences of exposure to heat with political-economic systems and urban environments shaping these experiences;
- A ranking of existing greenspace interventions and prioritization of future interventions.
- Participate in the PhD program of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research;
- Assist in the (under)graduate education programmes of our department (10% teaching);
- Join the research groups of UP and AUMC and co-organize seminars and workshops;
- Participate in international conferences, workshops, seminars and other scholarly activities.
What do you have to offer
We are looking for an enthusiastic and curious candidate who has a passion for doing research and is keen on working on issues at the intersection of climate adaptation, public health and environmental justice in urban contexts. You have an interest in conducting fieldwork, as well as bridging different theories and concepts. The successful candidate will be able to adjust to different and unexpected conditions, work across disciplinary boundaries, and find creative solutions to research problems.
Candidates should hold a (Research) Master's degree in human geography, urban and regional planning, urban studies, public health, global health, medicine (MD), biomedical sciences, environmental studies, and/or an interdisciplinary Master’s degree bridging these fields. Preference will be given to participants with experience across more than one of the aforementioned disciplines.
Successful candidates are those who:
- Are passionate about and have demonstrated aptitude for conducting interdisciplinary research;
- Have demonstrated experience doing fieldwork in unfamiliar settings;
- Have demonstrated experience with mixed methods research approaches, combining qualitative and qualitative methods;
- Have very good writing skills and are able to develop critical complex arguments;
- Have very good English skills (written and verbal)
- Preferably speak Dutch (relevant to the fieldwork in Amsterdam Southeast);
- Are a team player and able to work independently.
What else do we offer you
- An enthusiastic and warm interdisciplinary supervision team with whom you will collaborate in research and publications;
- An international research network including conference visits;
- Resources for fieldwork;
- Further professional development and education through courses and other opportunities provided by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research.
You will work here
We offer an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam. You will work with an enthusiastic and warm supervision team with whom you will collaborate in research and publications. Ideas and input are highly valued. You will be embedded in the Urban Planning research group (Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, supervisor Jannes Willems PhD), and the Amsterdam University Medical Centres (Department of Global Health, supervisor Vanessa Harris MD, PhD). Both are internationally leading research groups that are open to new colleagues.
If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your application. Applications in .pdf should include:
- Curriculum vitae including contact details for two references
- Letter of motivation (max 750 words)
- Research statement where you share your first ideas how to approach the project (max 500 words)
- Writing sample in English (e.g., an article, chapter of thesis, or assignment).
You can apply via the red button until 9 August 2026. Interviews will take place in the week of 24 August 2026, preferably in person in Amsterdam. Please note that we will not reimburse travel expenses. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be given preference over external candidates. Preferred starting date is 1 November 2026.
For questions about the vacancy, you can contact: Dr Jannes Willems (j.j.willems@uva.nl) or Dr Vanessa Harris (v.c.harris@amsterdamumc.nl).
