The position

Department of Clinical Medicine has a vacant position as a Researcher in advanced statistics or biostatistics. The position is attached to K. G. Jebsen TREC Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center.

The position as a Researcher is a fixed term position for a period of 2 years with the possibility of extension for a third year depending on funding.

About K.G. Jebsen Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center

K. G. Jebsen Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center (TREC) is a research center in translational medicine funded by the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation, UiT – the Arctic university of Norway, and the North Norwegian Health Authorities. Professor John-Bjarne Hansen is the head of K. G. Jebsen TREC. The Center has 4.6 permanent scientific positions (professors), 3 technical positions, one statistician, and 15-20 temporary scientific positions (PhD-students and postdoctors). In addition, K. G. Jebsen TREC has partners in Tromsø, Bodø, Oslo, Stockholm, Leiden (The Netherlands), Chapeland San Diego (USA). The overall aim of K. G. Jebsen TREC is to identify novel inherited and environmental risk factors and extend the understanding of the pathogenesis in venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Contacts

Further information about the position is available by contacting:

• Head of K. G. Jebsen TREC, professor John-Bjarne Hansen, phone +47 41 47 23 74, e-mail: john-bjarne.hansen@uit.no or
• Head of K. G. Jebsen Center for genetic epidemiology, professor Kristian Hveem, phone +47 47 65 25 30, e-mail: kristian.hveem@ntnu.no

About the position

Venous thrombosis, a collective term for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a prevalent disease with unclear pathogenesis and serious complications. In 40-50% of patients with life-threatening VTE, no risk factor can be identified. Thus, it is paramount to discover novel biomarkers and environmental risk factors, and to expand our understanding of the VTE pathogenesis.

The position is funded by the Norwegian Research Council through the project “National training initiative to make better use of biobanks and health registry data -#248817” with the overall aim to build expertise in biostatistics in order to utilize the potential that opens up as extensive omics-derived (genomics and plasma proteomics) information becomes available for research within populationbased cohorts.

An important part of the project is to establish a structured training and interdisciplinary forum for researchers in biostatistics and bioinformatics. In total six Postdoctoral Fellows/Researchers included in this project will be mentored and trained at the multidisciplinary interface of applied and methodologically driven biostatistics and bioinformatics to meet the increasing complexity of the new era of precision medicine. This effort will be led and coordinated by the K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in close collaboration with the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Department of

Biostatistics and Institute Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo (UIO) and UiT- the Arctic University of Norway (UiT).

The proposed project takes advantage of very large datasets and our combined national and international collaborations, to train competent researchers to handle this challenge.

The research group at OUS/UIO has for a long time worked on data from population-based studies, in particular the HUNT and Tromsø studies, with an emphasis on pain and neurological diseases including migraine. In the later years, much of this research has been focused towards genetic studies, and the current project will extend our ongoing collaboration with researchers within UIO, NTNU and UiT, as well as international research groups.

The position will be divided into two focus areas whereas one is directly connected to K. G. Jebsen TREC and the other connected to the national training initiative to make better use of biobanks and health registry data. Place of work is in Tromsø at K. G. Jebsen TREC, UiT- the Arctic University of Norway.

In TREC the Researcher will:

• Develop syntaxes and perform analyses of omics-derived data and systems biology
• Counsel and supervise researchers and PhDs in TREC
  • Assist researchers with statistical expertise
  • Accommodate for the usage of advanced statistical methods in TREC and contribute to the development of new
  • Teaching of TREC staff in relevant statistical methods
• Develop research projects in TREC

In the National training initiative to make better use of biobanks and health registry data the Researcher will:

• Focus on characterizing genotype-phenotype mapping and polygenetic effects in thromboembolic diseases.
• Develop and apply statistical and machine learning methods for the analyses of high dimensional big and complex data.
• Participate in the jointly training of the other Postdoctoral Fellows/Researchers in this project.

Qualification requirements

For appointment as a researcher, the applicant requires a Norwegian doctoral degree in a relevant area, or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognised as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree. A PhD relevant for the project is required. We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with an outstanding potential and experience in advanced statistics. Experience with omics-derived statistics on venous thrombosis is considered an advantage. The ideal candidate is able to work effectively as part of a team, but also to develop and pursue independent ideas. The candidate must be able to work systematically, independently and have the ability to work in an interdisciplinary research team. Emphasis will also be placed on communicative and collaborative skills, as well as personal suitability. Experience with applications for external research funding will also be an advantage. The candidate must speak and write English and a Scandinavian language fluently.

Working conditions

The working hours shall be utilised for research, research-related activities and research administration. The successful applicant must be willing to engage himself/herself in the ongoing development of his/her discipline and the university as a whole. The remuneration for this position is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1109. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.

General information

We make the appointment in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.

UiT The Arctic University of Norway has HR policy objectives that emphasize diversity, and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their age, gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background. The university will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.

We process personal data given in an application or CV in accordance with the Personal Data Act. You may request to not be registered on the public list of applicants, but the University may decide that your name will be made public. You will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.

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