Postdoctoral researcher for FNRS-funded project “A world male fertility database”, Centre for Demographic Research of UCLouvain (Belgium)
- Deadline for applications: 10 September 2025
The Centre for Demographic Research of UCLouvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium – www.uclouvain.be/demo) recruits a Postdoctoral researcher to work on an FNRS-funded project.
“A world male fertility database”.
The project
The project aims to develop a global database on male fertility across time and countries. It draws on existing data from surveys, censuses, and CRVS to compute key indicators of male fertility—such as age-specific fertility rates, age at first birth, and childlessness—for as many countries as possible and over extended periods, including both historical and projected periods. The data will be made accessible through interactive visualisation tools (e.g., a Shiny application) and used for comparative demographic research. Part of the database has already been created. The recruited researcher will contribute to its further development and conduct comparative analyses using the compiled data.
Job description
The postdoctoral researcher will work in collaboration with the principal investigator and other researchers involved in the project. They will participate in the following activities:
- Use of existing and new demographic methods to measure male fertility indicators from various data sources, including DHS, MICS, IPUMS microdata, and published data.
- Development and documentation of the database.
- Contact with researchers and data providers.
- Contribution to methodological papers.
- Development of comparative research on male fertility.
- participation in conferences and publication of papers.
Profile
- PhD in demography or related discipline.
- Interest in male fertility research in a comparative perspective, including in the Global South.
- Strong knowledge of demographic and statistical methods for the analysis of fertility data, including indirect methods.
- Experience with the analysis of demographic surveys and censuses.
- Proficiency in STATA and/or R (experience with Shiny is a plus).
- Very good writing skills and track record of publications.
- Very good knowledge of English.
Conditions
- Start date: between September and December 2025, with some flexibility.
- Duration: 1 year.
- Net monthly stipend of 2,950 €. The grant covers public transportation within Belgium. Health care is mostly covered by Social Security in Belgium.
- Candidates should have obtained their PhD within the last four years or will obtain it within the next few months.
- Applicants should not have lived in Belgium for more than 12 months in the last three years.
- The recruited researcher will be based in Belgium, working in the Centre for Demographic Research in Louvain-la-Neuve.
Application
Applications will include a CV, a cover letter outlining your experience and motivation, and the names and addresses of two referees. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a research presentation and to attend an interview.
Applications should be sent (by e-mail) by September 10, 2025.
Bruno SCHOUMAKER
Centre for Demographic Research
Université catholique de Louvain
bruno.schoumaker@uclouvain.be