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PhD Research Fellowship in clinical pharmacoepidemiology

Deadline: 15.06.2022

Job description

Universitetet i Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7500 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.

The Department of Pharmacy has 130 employees. We have an active research and innovation environment based on independent research in pharmaceutical topics.

The Department of Pharmacy is responsible for the popular master's degree program in pharmacy and has 350 competent and committed students.

Pharmaceutical related research and education forms the base of all activities at the Department of Pharmacy. The science of pharmacy lies in the interface between the natural sciences, pharmaceutical technology, health related topics and social sciences. This interdisciplinarity is reflected both in our study programmes and in our research.


In the planned life science building at the University of Oslo, closer collaboration with health enterprises, local government and the business sector will enhance quality and relevance in research and education of the future labour force. The building will be the heart of the first innovation district in Norway – Oslo Science City. The Department of Pharmacy will move into the new Life Science building in 2026.

Position as PhD Research fellow is available at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

The fellowship will be for a period of 4-years with a 25% compulsory work at the Department of Pharmacy.

Starting date as soon as possible and no later than 01.10.2022.

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

Project description

We are searching for one PhD candidate with a background in pharmacy, preferably with a master’s degree in pharmacoepidemiology, with strong statistical/methods interest.

The PhD candidate will be working within perinatal pharmacoepidemiology. The aim of the PhD project will be to study the use and safety of medication use during pregnancy. The data consists of data from national health registries and the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa) at the National Institute of Public Health, including genetic data from the MoBa-biobank.

Several state-of-the art epidemiological methods will be employed to enhance our ability to assess causation from observational data. In particular, the project will account for genetic confounding by using Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for phenotypes in mother-child-father triads. With PRSs made available, we will utilise them to assess to which extent the strength of the medication exposure- outcome associations can be explained by genetic factors. Triangulation of methods that address different bias and confounding structures, will help inference.

The candidate will become affiliated to the PharmacoEpidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, which is led by professor Hedvig Nordeng, who will be main supervisor. The doctorial project will be performed in close collaboration with co-supervisor Associate professor Angela Lupattelli, UiO, the UiORealArt members and international partners.

The research group includes 4 full time researchers, 4 adjunct positions and over 10 PhD-students and post docs making up a group of more than 20 individuals. The PharmaSafe Research group at UiO is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas including pharmacoepidemiology, medication safety and clinical pharmacy, with special focus on complex patient groups. The research group is multidisciplinary and has expertise in pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, psychiatry, pharmacotherapy and clinical pharmacy.

The candidate will also become member of UiORealArt convergence environment the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo. Compulsory work: The compulsory work will include teaching, supervision of master students and/or administrative tasks at the Department of pharmacy, UiO.

About the UIORealArt:

The aim of this Convergence environment is to improve causal inference in perinatal pharmaco-epidemiology using machine learning approaches on real-world and artificial data” (UiORealArt, 2022-2026). The project unites expertise within natural sciences and medicine (pharmacology, machine learning, statistics, genetics, and epigenetics) with social/educational sciences (psychology, language development and educational attainment).

The motivation for the UiO:RealArt convergence environment is that methodological progress in perinatal epidemiology is currently stagnating due to a lack of understanding of underlying mechanisms and the ability of alternative methodological approaches to confidently detect teratogenic medications. To overcome fundamental challenges of understanding medication safety in pregnancy, we will systematically explore a selected collection of artificial worlds (i.e. simulated datasets reflecting real-world perinatal epidemiology datasets, but with known “truths”), according to alternative reasonable assumptions. We also propose to use a novel approach by embedding machine learning techniques within the causal inference framework (propensity scores, inverse probability of treatment weights [IPTWs], and Mendelian randomization, including use of instrumental variables [IV]).

More about the position

About the UIOLife Science initiative:

UiO:Life Science is the largest priority area at UiO. UiO:Life Science is an interdisciplinary strategic area that will strengthen quality and interaction in research; recruit, educate and develop talents; and promote innovation in the life sciences related to environment and health. Read more about it here.

About iAPOGEE:

The purpose of the “International Alliance for PharmacoGenetic Epidemiology Excellence” (iAPOGEE) consortium is to enhance collaboration within education and research in pharmaco- and genetic epidemiology between the partner universities and institutions. Read more about it here.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition is to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

  • Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in in pharmacy, preferably within pharmacoepidemiology. Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 1 September, 2022 to complete the final exam.
  • Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
  • Experience within analysis of health care data
  • Good computational and coding skills (STATA, SAS or R)
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English evt. and a Scandinavian language

The following will also be beneficial when evaluating the candidates:

  • Experience with causal inference methods
  • Experience within biostatistics
  • High motivation for a research career, documented primarily via original publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

  • the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • the Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
  • fluent oral and written communication skills in English evt. and a Scandinavian language

English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements.

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:

http://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

Personal skills

  • Productive, self-driven, and collaborative
  • Ability to work independently as well as in multidisciplinary teams
  • Ability to give and receive constructive scientific criticism

We offer

  • Salary NOK 491 200 – 534 400 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Vibrant international academic environment
  • Career development programmes
  • Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

  • Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work)
  • Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma, transcripts of records and letters of recommendation
  • Documentation of English proficiency
  • List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
  • Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone 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).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidate’s motivation and personal suitability.

Applicants will 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 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

  • Professor Hedvig Nordeng, phone: +47 22856604, e-mail: h.m.e.nordeng@farmasi.uio.no
  • Associate Professor Angela Lupattelli, phone: +47 22845549, e-mail: angela.lupatelli@farmasi.uio.no

For technical questions regarding the application process, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, phone: +47 22854272, email: t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no

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