News
Call for Marie Curie Scholarship, August 2025
Host Institution: Universidade Lusófona, Portugal.
PhD student | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network Fellowship
Policy determinants of Physical Activity Behaviors (PABs) in European youth
(Full time/20-26 months)
Deadline for the submission of applications: 5pm (CET+1) 31st August 2025 Start date: September 15th 2025
Summary
The Universidade Lusófona in Portugal is inviting applications for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network Fellowship on the policy determinants of Physical Activity Behaviors (PABs) in European youth. This prestigious EU-funded program supports research excellence and international collaboration. The selected candidate—who must hold a Master’s degree—will be enrolled as a PhD student at Lusófona and is expected to complete the doctoral program there. Due to an earlier participant’s withdrawal, the fellowship duration is 20–26 months, about 66% of the standard Marie Curie period. The research will involve systematic literature reviews, analysis of policy guidelines and databases, and integration of findings into the INDEEP intervention toolbox. Applicants should have prior experience in systematic reviewing and Standard of Procedures development, and be motivated, ambitious, and collaborative. This is a rare chance to join one of Europe’s most competitive research networks and contribute to impactful public health policy innovation.
The INDEEP Project
INDEEP (INtervention on the DEterminants of, and Expertise in, Physical activity behaviours) is an EUfunded MSCA Doctoral Network that seeks to generate excellence in research and training, providing future graduates that can advance the state-of-the-art in Physical Activity promotion, through a comprehensive understanding of the determinants associated with Physical Activity Behaviours, innovative methodologies, and data analytics. The main aims of the INDEEP doctoral network are ultimately to provide an intervention development toolbox, supporting the integration of determinants of Physical Activity Behaviours (PABs), behaviour change theory and intervention cocreation to aid in the development of evidence-based interventions which integrate top-down and bottom-up interventional approaches. Through utilising determinant knowledge gained through state-of-the-art methodologies, and systematically integrating this knowledge with a co-creative methodology, the INDEEP intervention development toolkit will provide researchers and practitioners across Europe with an evidence-based best practice approach to intervention development, taking into consideration the interactions within a complex behavioural system.
About the position
Physical Activity (PA) positively impacts a broad range of markers for health and significantly reduces the risk of mortality. The WHO have outlined that almost 500 million people will develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other noncommunicable diseases attributable to physical inactivity, between 2020 and 20303. PA participation levels in youth track through the lifespan, suggesting low participation in youth will continue into adulthood. Current trends for PA indicate that, at best, participation in youth is not increasing. Collectively, this highlights a substantial public health issue, as early incidence of risk factors for chronic disease associated with physical activity behaviours (PABs) are on the rise. Challenges addressed in the INDEEP Doctoral Network (DN) reflect the premise that the more we understand the factors that determine a physically active or inactive lifestyle, the better we can design and implement targeted and effective interventions, policies and infrastructures. The INDEEP fellows will work to advance the state-of-the-art, addressing the need for high-quality, Europe-wide standardised methodologies for collection of PABs and their multi-level determinants (Biological, Individual, Interpersonal, Environmental, Policy and sociocultural).
The current project will focus on the policy determinants, aiming at:
Main Objectives
- Reviewing the literature & existing tools to identify adequate assessment approaches to evaluate the role of policy determinants on PABs in youth;
- Developing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the implementation of the developed assessment approaches for the evaluation of policy determinants in the INDEEP data collection study, and pilot test it;
- identifying influential policy determinants on PABs in youth
- Supporting the interpretation and integration of policy determinants within the INDEEP intervention Toolbox.
Duties of the position and expected outcomes
- To comprehensively review the existing tools, evidence and data available on policy determinants and PABs in youth.
First the researcher will review the literature on policy determinants, while also identifying existing tools and data bases on policy determinants. This will also require a thorough analysis of existing guidelines on policies and the existing evidence on their potential impact on physical activity levels among young individuals.
- To identify appropriate procedures for the collection of policy determinants data (at local, regional & national levels) for the INDEEP data collection
Secondly, the researcher will be responsible for developing a suitable assessment methodology to evaluate local, regional and national policies related to PABs (Physical Activity Behaviors) in youth. This will involve designing procedures to measure PABs promotion policies, using effective tools, and pilot test them (via interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders and end users).
- Thirdly, the researcher will perform data collection in a Portuguese sample contributing to the INDEEP overall data collection
The researcher will also receive training to support data collection on all sets of INDEEP determinants via state-of-the-art methodologies, which will be guided by the standard operating procedures that have been developed for data collection in 6 countries across Europe (i.e. each study site will collect data on 50 families: one children, one sibling, and one parent).
- To examine the interrelationships of the collected data on policy determinants, contributing to their integration within the INDEEP intervention Toolbox.
Lastly, the researcher will analyse and provide support in integrating policy determinants within the INDEEP intervention Toolbox, highlighting strategies that effectively address key factors influencing PABs in youth. This accomplishment will involve stakeholders focus groups and Delphi techniques to ensure the appropriate integration of policy determinants in the INDEEP intervention Toolbox.
Planned secondment(s)
- At the UNIVERSITEIT GENT (UGent) with Professor Greet Cardon (3 months: month 13-15) to explore PAB policy determinant mapping with behaviour change theory in intervention development;
- At the UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK (UL) with Dr Ciaran MacDonncha (3 months: month 20-22) to explore policy impacts on intraindividual determinants in a European context.
Required selection criteria
- You must have a professionally relevant background in public health, Human Movement Sciences, Health promotion, data science, or a closely related discipline
- Must not already hold a doctoral degree
- Must comply with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action mobility rule: not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Portugal for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date
- Your education must correspond to a MSc degree program
- You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade of a first- or second-class honours degree (or equivalent compared with the institutional grading scale). If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
- You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty/institutional doctoral program Fluent in English
Preferred selection criteria
- Previous experience of physical activity policy assessment and monitoring
- Previous experience of PABs assessment
- Previous training on systematic reviewing of literature and database searching
- Previous experience analysing international/national/regional data systems,
- Previous experience of development of standard operating procedures
- Previous training & experience with mixed-methods research and Delphi methodologies
- Preference to work in an interdisciplinary environment
- Proficient in Portuguese language
Personal characteristics
In the doctoral candidate selection process, emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities. Important elements to be considered are:
- Be scientifically curious and open to new research challenges, demonstrate persistence in addressing technical problems
- Excellent communication, collaboration and dissemination skills.
- Ability to work independently as well as in cross-disciplinary teams
- Be self-motivated, focused, and goal-oriented, be committed and keep deadlines, be flexible, reliable, and solution-orientated, be innovation-driven, enthusiastic, and ambitious
- Ability to interact and collaborate with actors in academia, public sector, and industry
We offer
- An inclusive work environment
- Access to state-of-the-art training within the INDEEP doctoral network, at an academic, policy and industry level
- Opportunities to collaborate with discipline specific world leading researchers
- A mobility allowance to support relocation
- A family allowance for the relocation of family (terms and conditions apply)
Salary and conditions
As a MSCA DN doctoral candidate, you will receive a gross pre-tax salary of €2,400 for 20-26 months.
This salary will be subject to additional deductions in line with institutional, governmental and European Commission requirements. The period of employment for this PhD is three years (without teaching duties). Appointment to the PhD programme requires that you are admitted to the Physical Education and Sport doctoral program of the Faculdade de Educação Física e Desporto (Universidade Lusófona), and that you participate in a structured PhD programme during the employment period.
It is a prerequisite that you are present at and accessible to the University on a daily basis.
About the application
The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.
Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.
The application must include:
- Research statement (max. 3 pages) including:
- A short explanation of the applicants motivation to undertake a PhD. o How the applicant sees their background as suitable for this position.
- The applicant’s view of research challenges for the selected PhD position, as well as their theoretical and methodological approach to the challenges.
- CV and certificates
- Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees.
- Name and contact information of two referees.
- Include copies and evidence of publications and relevant research work If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here: https://www.ulusofona.pt/en/lisboa/phd/physical-education-and-sport
- In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience, and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.
General information
If you have any questions about the position, please contact professors Marlene Nunes Silva and António Palmeira (
If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via
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