Job description

Two positions as Associate Professor are available at the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Institute of Basic Medical Sciences (IMB), the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo (UiO), Norway.

Outstanding and enthusiastic academics are sought to be part of one of Europe's most active biostatistics departments at an exciting time. Both posts are permanent.

You will have expertise in statistics, to be interpreted in the widest sense and to include biostatistics, mathematical statistics, data science, machine learning or epidemiology, together with a strong interest in biology, translational medicine, clinical medicine, and/or public health. Applicants must show promise to become leading academics, already now with a solid publication record, and some experience in research leadership.

The Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE) is a joint department of the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Oslo University Hospital (OUS). OCBE has expanded considerably during the last decade, becoming one of Europe's most active biostatistics and epidemiology group. Currently, OCBE includes ten tenured professors and associate professors, fifteen tenured researchers, and many postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and visiting scientists, making up a group of over 80 researchers. OCBE’s research is internationally recognized, in particular in the areas of time-to-event models and causal inference; epidemiology of lifestyle, chronic diseases and infectious-disease; methods for high dimensional models and data integration, especially in molecular medicine; mathematical modelling of cancer; probabilistic modelling and Bayesian inference, stochastic algorithms and simulation-based inference; and statistical machine learning. OCBE has numerous collaborations with leading bio-medical research groups in Norway and internationally. In the last national research evaluation, OCBE was judged as excellent. OCBE has acquired major research funding from the Norwegian Research Council, the European Union, the Nordic Research Council, the Norwegian Cancer Society and several other public and private agencies. OCBE has a leading role in two centres of excellence, INTEGREAT and BigInsight, and hosts one ERC Advanced Grant. During Covid, OCBE had a major role in the national management of the pandemics.

OCBE is responsible for the biostatistics teaching for the professional study programme in Medicine, for the Faculty's bachelor and master programmes and for the PhD training. OCBE also provides an extensive statistical advisory service for bio-medical and clinical researchers at UiO and OUS - often an exciting source of data and challenges for our research.

The two positions are part of a substantial investment in the statistical and computational sciences at the University of Oslo, with the new UiO Centre for Computational and Data Science, the Oslo Science City, and the UiO:LifeScience programme with its modern and elegant new building on campus, where OCBE is expected to move from 2026.

The successful candidates will initiate, perform and lead research, supervise PhD candidates, postdocs and researchers, participate in and develop further our teaching and advising, and carry out administrative duties in accordance with the needs of OCBE.

The two appointments will strengthen OCBE’s national and international reputation for excellence in research. The appointed candidates will have full operational responsibility for their research projects and related funding. They will initiate, identify sources of funding, develop and manage an independent scientific programme, usually and desirably in collaboration with other colleagues of OCBE, at UiO, in Norway and internationally. They will contribute to the strategic research leadership of OCBE. The Associate Professors will have the opportunity to apply for personal promotion to a position as Professor at a later date.

Teaching, advising and student supervision will amount to approximately half of the workload. The role holders will be excellent teachers who motivate students and lead them pedagogically. The UiO has programmes that recognise excellence in teaching. Pedagogical qualifications are not required when applying but are an advantage. Applicants who do not have documented basic university pedagogical competence will acquire this within two years from appointment. As statistical advisers, the successful applicants will be able to recommend state-of-the-art approaches and tools to scientists in the bio-medical field who require support. Some of the advising work will regularly lead to co-authorship.

Collaboration within and outside OCBE and UiO are expected, to complete and advance research projects, including developing new contacts and collaborations with leading research groups and participating and developing international networks. The role holder will be proactive to make her/his research known to the public. When actual, she/he will consider commercial exploitation of discoveries and other forms of societal impact. The role holder is expected to contribute to the management and organisation of OCBE, IMB and UiO, by taking some direct responsibilities in the administrative and leading tasks. This includes tasks related to organisation, teaching and research. The location of OCBE is on the campus of UiO in Oslo.

More about the position here.

Qualification requirements

• Doctoral degree or equivalent qualifications in biostatistics, statistics, mathematics, epidemiology, data science, computer science or another relevant field.
• Expertise in statistics, to be interpreted in the widest sense and to include biostatistics, mathematical statistics, data science and machine learning or epidemiology, together with a strong interest in biology, translational medicine, clinical medicine, and/or public health.
• Applicants must show promise to become leading academics, must have a strong research record, as judged by the strength of her/his scientific, peer-reviewed publications, and must be an independent researcher in her/his field.
• Applicants must have some experience in the supervision of students.
• Applicants must have experience in leading research and managing a research group is an advantage but not necessary.
• Applicants must have some experience in applying for scientific funding.
• Applicants will have a plan for development of her/his research, and for acquiring externally funded research projects.
• Applicants with advising and educational competence will count positively. Applicants who do not have documented basic university pedagogical competence must acquire this within two years from appointment.
• Documentation of qualifications in public communication activities, management and administration will count positively.
• Good communication skills in written and oral English is a prerequisite for performing all tasks associated with the position.

Personal skills

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to create an attractive research environment will be emphasised.
• Ability to engage in active collaboration with student and colleagues, interdisciplinary and internationally.
• Strong administrative skills to manage projects and contribute to the common workload of OCBE.

We offer

• Salary from kr. 714 000 to kr. 839 900 depending on competencies, in the position of Associate Professor (position code 1011).
• Annual paid leave for 5 weeks, pluc public holidays.
• A unique department with multiple oppertunities to develop research themes at the forefront of modern science.
• A friendly professional and stimulating international working environment.
• Access to a network of top-level national and international collaborators.
• A reliable and generous pension agreement.
• Good welfare schemes.
• Full access to public health services through membership of the National Insurance Scheme.
• Oslo`s family friendly environment with its rich oppertunities for culture and outdoor activities.

Start date: to be agreed upon.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Application letter (a short and personal statement of motivation and research interests)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, academic work and scientific publications)
• A complete list of publications
• List of references (at least three, with name, title, email and phone number)
• Documentation of pedagogical competence and lecturing experience (if available)
• Documentation of scientific advising competence (if available)
• Description of 5 publications which the applicant considers particularly noteworthy, with their internet link (do not upload papers)
• Description of qualifications in dissemination, scientific leadership, management and administration
• Other qualifications and documentation

Application with attachments must be submitted via our online recruitment system. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Application process

The basis for the assessment of the applicant will include the education and training, scientific production and quality, professional and academic experience, teaching experience and qualifications as well as the documented experience in administration and management. As part of the ranking of qualified applicants, the full scope of these qualifications will be explicitly assessed. Particular weight will be attached to qualifications that are central to the job description. Educational and scientific qualifications will carry more weight than other qualifications. Originality and innovation will be given priority before volume, and recent publications will be weighted higher than older. In the final review and recommendation, emphasis will be laid on skills related to the job description, the evaluation done by the assessment committee, evaluation of personal suitability for the position based on interviews and references obtained, pedagogical qualifications and ability to disseminate scientific knowledge, plans for further research and ambitions for his/her teaching and advising.

Applicants who at the time of appointment cannot provide documentary evidence of basic teaching competence, must acquire such competence in the course of a period of two years. Applicants who are not competent in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish must acquire such competence within two years subsequent to their appointment, and must be competent in English in the interim period. As a main rule, interviews will be held and references collected, and the applicants will normally be required to give a trial lecture.

Formal regulations

Please refer to the Rules for Appointments to Professorships and Associate Professorships at the University of Oslo, the Guide for Applicants and Members of the Assessment Committee and Rules for practicing the requirement for basic pedagogical competence at the University of Oslo.

Pursuant to section 25(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, information concerning the applicant may be made public, even if the applicant has requested not to appear on the list of applicants.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.

The University of Oslo wishes to appoint more women to permanent academic positions. Women are encouraged to apply. The University of Oslo also wishes to appoint more people from ethnic minorities to permanent academic positions. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

• Professor Arnoldo Frigessi, email: frigessi@medisin.uio.no
• Professor Manuela Zucknick, email: manuela.zucknick@medisin.uio.no

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