PhD Position in an SNSF Project for the Implementation of Person-Centered Dementia Care in Nursing Homes 100%

PhD Position in an SNSF Project for the Implementation of Person-Centered Dementia Care in Nursing Homes 100%

Take the opportunity to pursue a PhD in an SNSF project! In our co-design project, you will work with experts from research and practice and actively shape the further development of person-centered dementia care in nursing homes.

Department: Health

Start date: Immediately or by arrangement
Duration: limited to 3 years
Application deadline: We look forward to receiving your application by November 30, 2025

You will work as a doctoral candidate in the SNSF project «Organisational capacity building on person-centred dementia care – Development of a toolbox for nursing homes». The project aims to develop a practice-oriented toolbox that supports nursing homes in creating organizational conditions that enable the sustainable implementation of person-centered dementia care in everyday care.

In the four sub-studies of the research project, you will take on varied and responsible tasks that allow you to specifically develop your content-related and methodological research skills:

• Responsible collaboration in the planning and implementation of the sub-studies: scoping review, qualitative interview study, workshops with co-design approach, and nominal group technique
• Analysis of research data and synthesis of results into a toolbox for nursing homes
• Cooperative collaboration within the project team, with co-design partners, and the sounding board
• Dissemination of project results in scientific and professional journals as well as at (inter)national conferences
• Support of project management, e.g., in coordinating collaboration with project partners, project documentation, and reporting
• Independent planning and implementation of your PhD, e.g., within the joint doctoral program "Care and Rehabilitation Sciences" of ZHAW & UZH

The remuneration for the PhD position is according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

• Successfully completed master's degree (MSc) in nursing science, another health profession, or social and humanities sciences
• Strong research interest and initial practical experience in applying qualitative research methods
• Excellent skills in scientific work and writing as well as conceptual thinking
• Very good language skills in German and English, both spoken and written
• Strong ability to work independently and in a team, as well as high initiative and motivation
• Ideally experience in person-centered care of people with dementia and/or in implementation science

The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, with over 14,000 students and more than 11,000 continuing education participants as well as around 3,700 employees, is one of the largest multi-disciplinary universities of applied sciences in Switzerland.

The ZHAW Department of Health is one of the largest and most renowned centers in the German-speaking region for education and training in health professions. Over 2,000 students and 300 employees benefit from unique education and training opportunities, teaching, and research tasks in the heart of Winterthur.

The position is located in the Research & Development area at the Institute of Nursing. You can expect an innovative working environment, a committed & interprofessional team, and good development prospects.

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams to promote equality, diversity, and innovation.

We offer university-appropriate working and employment conditions and actively promote the personnel development of our employees and managers. A detailed description of the benefits can be found on the "Working at ZHAW" website. Here are the main points:

Prof. Dr. Tina Quasdorf

Project Management

Jocelyn Schaad

Recruiting Manager