11.04.14
Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
PHD FELLOWSHIP IN GLOBAL TOBACCO CONTROL
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Position Identification
Title:
PhD Fellowship
Status and Funding: Full-time funded from National Cancer Institute, US National Institutes of
Health Grant No. R01-CA091021
Term of contract:
Three years (starting in September 2014)
Salary Package:
$21,000 stipend plus $1500 research allowance per year
Closing date:
May 31, 2014
Project Summary
Professor Kelley Lee, Principal Investigator of a study entitled “Tobacco industry, public policy
and global health,” funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), US National Institutes of
Health (NIH), is seeking to recruit a PhD student to join an interdisciplinary project team. The
purpose of the project is to support the strengthening of tobacco control policies by generating
new knowledge of how the tobacco industry has adapted to and, in turn, shaped the global
economy. The specific aims of the project are:
1. to understand how the tobacco industry has sought to influence trade and investment
policy at the national, regional and global levels, and how this has benefitted industry
strategies to restructure and expand worldwide;
2. to understand the illicit tobacco trade as a key component of broader corporate strategies
to adapt to, shape and operate within an increasingly global economy;
3. to understand how tobacco companies have restructured to further their interests within a
global economy; and
4. to put forth conclusions and recommendations on how corporations should be governed
within a global economy to ensure the protection and promotion of population health.
A full-time funded PhD student position is available to contribute to research related to one of
the above project themes, with a particular focus on topics related to the tobacco industry,
corporate strategy and globalization such as adaptation and integration within and across trade
blocs, strategic management related to global restructuring, new business development,
mergers and acquisitions, marketing and product development in relation to transnational
corporations.
The PhD student will be supervised by Professor Lee and work closely with project team
members at SFU and collaborating institutions, as well as other research partners.
1
FHS PhD Programme
Residence Requirement and Degree Completion
A PhD candidate must be registered and in residence at SFU for the minimum number of
semesters described in the SFU Graduate General Regulation 1.7. The PhD program requires a
minimum of three years of full-time study, and the Faculty will generally provide funding only
for three years. Depending on the student’s prior training in the Health Sciences, and whether
s/he completed core courses while in the MPH/MSc program at SFU, the length of study will
generally vary from 3-5 years.
Comprehensive Exam
The PhD program requires completion of a comprehensive exam and a doctoral thesis. In some
cases, and depending on the judgment of the supervisory committee, the comprehensive
examination and the thesis proposal presentation and defense may be combined into a single
presentation and defense.
Doctoral Thesis
The candidate will prepare a written research proposal that integrates theory, current research,
and methods in fields related to the selected research problem. The proposal will be organized
and evaluated in accordance to policies and procedures established by the FHS Graduate
Studies Committee. Briefly, these policies specify that the proposal:
1. reviews the relevant research literature;
2. reflects original work; and
3. describes methodology appropriate to the principal research question(s).
PhD candidates will normally submit the thesis proposal in their second year. The proposal and
oral defense will be graded on the same basis, with the same possible outcomes, as the
comprehensive exam.
A written thesis is based on the candidate's original contribution to research in the field of
his/her expertise, and is the final requirement for the PhD Program. The topic must be
approved by the student’s supervisory committee. The thesis may take two forms: the
“traditional” document which outlines the research undertaken, methods, results, and
discussion; and the “three paper” option, in which the candidate submits three published or
publishable papers “bookended” by introductory and concluding chapters. Candidates must
obtain human subjects ethics approvals, relevant animal handling approvals, and/or bio-safety
hazards approvals prior to conducting their research, and must list approval numbers in the
thesis.
Thesis Defense
All PhD candidates must pass a formal thesis defense that is conducted in accordance with
University Graduate General Regulations (1.9.4). The candidate will be awarded the PhD degree
upon the submission and successful defense of a doctoral thesis describing the results of
independent research.
2
Supervision and Training
All doctoral students must have a Senior Supervisor. The Senior Supervisor, along with a
minimum of two other faculty members with expertise relevant to the student’s program, will
form the student’s Supervisory Committee. The committee’s role is to oversee student
curricular planning and progress in the PhD program, and to assess student performance on the
Comprehensive Examination, the Thesis Proposal and Defence, the Thesis Research, and the
Thesis Defence.
At least once each year, the Supervisory Committee shall report on the student’s progress and
plans for the upcoming year, including course work. The annual report will be submitted for
approval by the Graduate Studies Committee with a copy to the student. Students are required
to demonstrate adequate progress toward the degree as judged by their committee, and meet
the minimum standards described in Graduate General Regulation 1.5.4.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications are encouraged from individuals who meet the following criteria:
Essential
 A completed masters level degree relevant to business studies, international political
economy, international finance, trade and investment, industry and global corporate
strategy
 Knowledge and experience of quantitative and qualitative research methods
 Proven ability to work with initiative and discretion
 Proven ability to work in team environment
 Excellent written and oral communication skills
 Willingness to travel within Canada and overseas to conduct fieldwork and disseminate
findings
Desirable
 Demonstrable specialist knowledge of economic globalization, international trade and
finance, investment, corporate restructuring
 Ability to analyse financial data related to international trade and finance
 Knowledge of tobacco control or other relevant public health issues areas
 Additional language skills
 Experience of web-based database searching
To apply for this PhD Fellowship, please submit your curriculum vitae, statement of research
interests, one sample of your written work, photocopies of official transcripts, and two
reference letters electronically to: Jennifer Fang, Project Coordinator (jennifer_fang@sfu.ca).
The closing date for applications is May 31, 2014. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in
person or by telephone in early July 2014. The successful applicant will be notified by the end
of July 2014 and commence studies in September 2014.
3