Job description

A postdoctoral position is available at the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo. This research fellowship provides full funding without any teaching requirements at a competitive salary for a period of 28 months beginning as soon as possible.

The Department of Biostatistics is part of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, one of the three institutes of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oslo. The Institute of Basic Medical Sciences consists of departments that conduct research and education in basic medical sciences. The institute has approximately 320 employees.

This is an opportunity to join one of Europe's most active biostatistics groups at an exciting time. Currently, OCBE includes nine tenured professors and associate professors, twelve researchers, and several postdoctoral fellows and PhD students, making up a group of about 50. OCBE is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas (including time-to-event models, data integration, causal inference, statistical genomics, Bayesian inference, informative missingness and measurement error models, epidemiological studies of lifestyle and chronic diseases, stochastic models for infectious diseases, high dimensional data and models) and numerous collaborations with leading bio-medical research groups nationally and internationally. The Department of Biostatistics is an active partner of Big Insight: Statistics for the Knowledge Economy, which is one of the Norwegian centers of excellence for research-based innovation.

More about the position

The postdoctoral position is funded by the Norwegian Research Council through the project “National training initiative to make better use of biobanks and health registry data – Statistical methods for biobanks and registries” (Principal investigator: Professor Magne Thoresen), and the general purpose of the project is to develop new statistical methodology for the analysis of biobanks and health registries. In a joint project with The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University of Tromsø we are building a strong group of postdoctoral candidates who will work together, building competence in analyzing biobanks and health registry data, building professional network, developing professional skills and creating their path to a scientific career.

The position is in a project on high-dimensional data integration, developing methods for integration of different sources or layers of high-dimensional genomic information, in addition to other sources of structured data. The focus will be on dimension reduction techniques. We are looking for candidates with a strong mathematical / statistical background. We particularly welcome candidates who have some experience with high-dimensional data analysis and / or genomics.

The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines.

Qualification requirements and personal skills

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a strong mathematical / statistical background and you will have conducted methodological research in statistics.

Candidates must have:

• a PhD in statistics/mathematics or related field equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree.
• proven experience in programming.
• a good command of English is mandatory. Knowledge of the Norwegian language is not required.

The ideal candidates are able to develop and pursue independent ideas, but also to work effectively as part of a team.

Candidates from foreign educational institutions must have completed the requirements for the doctoral degree within three months after the closing date. Candidates from Norwegian educational institutions must have submitted their doctoral dissertations for evaluation before the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.

We offer

• salary NOK 515 200 – 576 100 per year depending on qualifications in position as Postdoctoral Research Fellow (position code 1352)
• a professionally stimulating working environment
• 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
• a personalized career development program

How to apply

The application must include

• cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
• copies of educational certificates (academic transcripts only)
• a complete list of publications
• list of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. 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 candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oslo.

Please note that no one can be appointed as a postdoctoral fellow for more than one specified period at the same institution in Norway. If you already have been employed as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo, you are not eligible for the above position. No one can be appointed twice as a Postdoctor financed/with funds from The Research Council of Norway (NFR).

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

• Professor Magne Thoresen, magne.thoresen@medisin.uio.no

Apply for position