Description du poste

Fonction : Postdoctoral Fellow
Type de poste :  Postdoctoral Fellow in biostatistics and epidemiology 
Employeur :  Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Department of Biostatistics,
Lieu d’exercice : University of Oslo
Date limite de candidature : 18 mai 2020

Description de la structure

OCBE has six professors, five associate professors, fifteen researchers, and many postdoctoral fellows and PhD students, making up a group of 65 scientists. 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, stochastic simulation algorithms, probability graphical models, machine learning, evolution and population genetics, informative missingness and measurement error models, epidemiological studies of lifestyle and chronic diseases, stochastic models for infectious diseases, high dimentional data and models) and numerous collaborations with leading bio-medical research groups internationally and in Norway.

Missions

The project, “Prognostic factors in cutaneous melanoma – towards a more personalized risk stratification”, is funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The principal investigator is Professor Marit B. Veierød. The Cancer Registry of Norway is a central collaborator in the project. We are a cross-disciplinary team of national and international researchers with expertise in statistics, epidemiology, dermatology, oncology and pathology.

The appointment is a fulltime position for a period of 3 years (10% of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of advising activities). OCBE provides advising services for bio-medical projects at the Medical Faculty and the regional research hospitals, often leading to significant experiences and further co-authorships.

The main purpose of the fellowship is to qualify researchers for work in higher academic positions within their disciplines. The Faculty of Medicine offers a Postdoctoral Programme with structured and tailored support for career development.

No one can be appointed twice as a Postdoc financed with funds from The Research Council of Norway (NFR).

Profil recherché

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a strong background in biostatistics and epidemiology, interested in statistical applications in epidemiologic research. Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer and one of the most rapidly increasing cancers. Tumor thickness is the most important prognostic factor in melanoma, and we are building a large dataset on tumor thickness at melanoma diagnosis. The candidate will study trends in tumor thickness over time and in subgroups, and potential new cut-points for predicting long-term survival. She/he will contribute important knowledge on the prognosis of melanoma. This will help to do better and personalized risk stratification to guide patient prognosis and clinical decision-making.

Qualification requirements

  • Applicants must hold a PhD in biostatistics or within a relevant field (statistics, epidemiology, medicine or natural sciences), with a documented strong knowledge in statistics. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.
  • Documented expertise in statistical methods for survival data
  • Documented programming skills, preferably with experience in software such as Stata or R
  • Documented academic track record, evidenced by successful publishing in scientific journals
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
  • Research experience from large epidemiological studies will be an advantage

Personal skills

  • The candidate must express a genuine interest in applying statistical methods in an epidemiological project
  • The candidate is used to work in a team and has excellent communication skills
  • The candidate shows the ability to work independently, efficiently and organized

Pour postuler

The application must include

  • Personal cover letter, stating the motivation for this position and summarizing scientific work and research interests
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, academic experiences, 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 candidate’s motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged in person or by Skype.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Contact information

Professor Marit B. Veierød, e-mail: m.b.veierod@medisin.uio.no, phone number: +47 41639913