Job description

Applications are invited for a 3-year PhD position in Biostatistics to be based at the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo.

This is an opportunity to join one of Europe’s most active biostatistics groups in an exciting time. Currently, OCBE includes 10 tenured professors and associate professors, 15 researchers, and several postdoctoral fellows and PhD students, making up a group of about 70 individuals in total. OCBE is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas (including time-to-event models, causal inference, data integration, statistical genomics, high dimensional data and models, Bayesian inference, stochastic simulation algorithms, probabilistic graphical models, machine learning, evolution and population genetics, informative missingness and measurement error models, epidemiological studies of lifestyle and chronic diseases, and stochastic models for infectious diseases). OCBE has numerous collaborations with leading biomedical research groups internationally and in Norway.

More about the position

The PhD position is full-time, for a period of three years. There is a possibility of extending the fellowship period for a fourth year, with 25% work-load consisting of teaching or advising activities.

The position is linked to the project “New causal and statistical models for patient outcomes after traumatic injury” and will use detailed, large-scale data on patients with traumatic injury, collected from national clinical registries and various other population-wide registries. The main purpose of the project is to develop and apply methods for causal inference to better understand the effects of post trauma treatment, rehabilitation, drug use, and trauma itself, on long-term patient outcomes such as drug use, mental health, sick leave and survival. In particular, the project focus on causal inference in settings with complex longitudinal and time-to-event data, including multi-state models. The project aim to give new knowledge on post-trauma management and guide future clinical practice, as well as lead to methodological developments with generic value also for other applications.

The project is a collaboration with researchers at Oslo University Hospital and National Institute of Occupational Health, in addition to several international collaborators working in the field of causal inference and survival analysis. The PhD candidate will be part of the causal inference group at OCBE, with about ten other researchers, including PhD students and postdocs, working on causal inference and time-to-event analysis with applications in medicine and epidemiology.

The research fellow must take part in the Faculty’s approved PhD program and is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period. The main purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The PhD program is characterized by a strong research profile, and the PhD thesis will include scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals of high quality.

Starting date for the position should be no later than September 1, 2021.

Qualification requirements

• Master’s degree or equivalent in statistics, mathematics, data science or similar (with documented knowledge in statistics).
• Background in methodological statistics and interest in developing methods for applied problems. Knowledge in survival analysis or causal inference is an advantage, but not necessary.
• Good programming skills (in R, Matlab, Python, C++ or similar). Experience with analyzing large datasets or registry data is an advantage, but not necessary.
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.

Personal skills

• Ability to work independently and efficiently.
• Good collaborative skills.

We offer

• A friendly, ambitious and international working environment.
• Opportunities for national and international collaborations.
• salary NOK 482 200 - 526 000 per annum depending on qualifications in a position as PhD Research fellow, (position code 1017).
• attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities.

How to apply

The application must include

• Cover letter statement of motivation and research interests.
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work).
• Copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only).
• List of publications, academic works, published abstracts or presentations.
• List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

When evaluating the application, emphasis will be given to the applicant’s academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The appointment may be shortened/given a more limited scope within the framework of the applicable guidelines on account of any previous employment in academic positions.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. We also want to have employees with diverse expertise, combinations of subjects, life experience and perspectives. We will make adjustments for employees who require this.

If there are qualified applicants with special needs, gaps in their CVs or immigrant backgrounds, we will invite at least one applicant in each of these groups to an interview.

Contact information

• Associate Professor Jon Michael Gran, mob: (+47) 992 29 156, e-mail: j.m.gran@medisin.uio.no

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