ABOUT THE PROJECT

Type 2 diabetes causes a significant disease burden worldwide. Previous research shows that factors in our environment, such as neighborhood walkability, green space, air pollution, and noise pollution, are associated with type 2 diabetes. Some associations are explained by lifestyle behaviors, such as physical activity, eating habits, and sleep, which are risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes. However, most of the current evidence comes from cross-sectional studies, where causality cannot be established. For policy recommendations regarding environmental changes, insight into causality is very important. Since randomized studies are often not possible, research into the living environment requires innovative epidemiological studies. We use large longitudinal datasets, innovative analytical methods (e.g., causal inference), and unravel biological principles to gain more insight into the causality of the associations between the living environment and the incidence and progression of type 2 diabetes.
Would you like to know more about the different phases within the PhD trajectory? You can read more about this on this page.

• Within this four-year PhD trajectory, you will conduct research using CBS data, healthcare registrations, and geographical data. For example, we can use the DIAMANT registration with more than 20 years of follow-up of over 300,000 participants with type 2 diabetes.
• We also use data from various cohorts enriched with biomarkers. All data sources are enriched with geographical data to define exposures to the living environment, and you will analyse this using, for example, time-dependent analyses, causal inference methods, mediation analyses, and interrupted time series analyses.
• During the PhD trajectory, there is an opportunity to take courses, for example at EpidM, and the trajectory results in a dissertation.
• Writing and publishing research results in international scientific journals that lead to your PhD.
• Presenting research results at (inter)national conferences or congresses and maintaining contact with different stakeholders.
• Teaching.