Researcher position in Biostatistics or Epidemiology at the OCBE (full-time permanent position)

Regional Research Support (FST)is part of the Oslo Hospital Services division at Oslo University Hospital. The unit delivers services and advice to research groups and employees at Oslo University Hospital and other hospitals that are part of the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority. FST consist of the following 5 departments; Administrative Research Support, Oslo Center for Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Clinical Trial Unit, Biobank and Health Registry Support and Comparative Medicine. FST has approximately 120 employees and collaborates closely with a broad range of academic areas and disciplines within the University of Oslo.

The Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE) is a joint department of the Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and the University of Oslo (UiO). OCBE has expanded considerably in recent years, becoming one of Europe's most active groups in the field of biostatistics and epidemiology. Currently, OCBE includes thirteen tenured professors and associate professors, eighteen tenured researchers, and many postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and visiting scientists, making up a group of over 80 researchers. OCBE is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas and collaborates with numerous leading bio-medical research groups in Norway and internationally. 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 agencies. OCBE has a leading role in the Centre of Excellence Integreat - The Norwegian centre for knowledge-driven machine learning. In addition to research, OCBE provides an extensive advisory service to biomedical researchers at UiO, OUS and other hospitals in the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (HSØ). OCBE is also responsible for the teaching of biostatistical subjects in the professional studies in medicine, the PhD training program at the Medical Faculty at UiO and further education of research staff at OUS and HSØ.

Commencement upon agreement.

Oslo universitetssykehus er en arbeidsplass med stort mangfold. Det mener vi er helt avgjørende for å løse de oppgavene som kreves av oss. Vi ønsker derfor at dette mangfoldet skal gjenspeiles blant søkerne til våre stillinger og oppfordrer alle til å søke uavhengig av hvem du er og hvilken bakgrunn du har.

Duties and responsibilities

For the present position, we are seeking an excellent biostatistician, epidemiologist or data scientist, for a full time permanent position as Researcher at OCBE. The employed researcher will dedicate roughly half of their time to research and half to epidemiological and statistical advising of other scientists in a broad spectrum of biomedical research areas and in a wide range of biostatistical topics. They will work towards becoming a leading, independent biostatistician and/or epidemiologist, in an international perspective, developing new methods in biostatistics and/or epidemiology, and aiming to build their own research group. The employed researcher will also be an excellent advisor to and collaborator with bio-medical researchers. Some traveling within the HSØ region and some contributions to administrative work should be expected. The interest, potential and capacity to obtain research funding is important for this position.

Qualifications and requirements

• PhD in biostatistics, statistics, epidemiology, mathematics, computer science or equivalent with a documented knowledge in statistics beyond basic level
• We primarily target candidates that are at an early to mid-level career stage; however, candidates of all levels of experience are invited to apply
  
• Interest in and preferably experience with applying statistical, mathematical and epidemiological methods in biomedicine, translational medicine, clinical research and/or public health
  
• Commitment and motivation to, and preferably experience with, working collaboratively and effectively with researchers of other disciplines. Work experiences in the non-academic sector are also relevant
  
• Experience in student supervision, epidemiological/statistical advising, consulting and teaching is an advantage, but not a requirement
  
• Excellent skills in statistical programming in R, Stata, Python, or other comparable programming languages
  
• Good communication skills, fluency in English (written and oral). English is the working language at OCBE. Applicants, who are not competent in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, must acquire such competence within three years subsequent to their appointment

Personal qualities

For us it is important that you:

• have the ability to collaborate across different professional environments
• thrive in working in a large and complex organization
• have the ability to work independently and efficiently
• are excellent in team work and demonstrates strong interpersonal skills
• have engagement, responsibility and positive attitude towards the scientific community

We can offer

• A workplace characterized by trust, openness and respect
• A safe workplace with good colleague support
  
• A journey towards a new and modern hospital
  
• As a new employee of OUS, you will be part of a welcome program
  
• You become part of an important social mission
• A unique department with multiple opportunities to develop research themes at the forefront of modern biostatistics and epidemiology
• A friendly, professional and stimulating international working environment
• Access to a network of top-level national and international collaborators
• Carrier development based on research competence and experience
• A reliable pension agreement, full health insurance and very attractive welfare benefits of the Norwegian state
• Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• Access to unique Norwegian health data for research purposes
• Salary is determined individually, depending on qualifications and experience

Evaluation of the application
In assessing applications, particular emphasis will be placed upon the academic and personal ability of the candidate. Interviews with selected candidates will be arranged via video conference or in person (preferably).

The application must include:

CV (summarizing education, positions, academic and professional work, teaching/advising and other relevant activity)
A list of all scientific publications, describing the four-five most important ones
Application letter including the personal motivation for this position, including a statement about past and present research interests, specific motivation for epidemiological/statistical advising and collaboration with bio-medical researchers, and other relevant interests and experiences
Names and contact details for at least three references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
Copies of educational certificates are not necessary at this stage, but will be required for employment
Be written in English or in Norwegian

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. OUS has a personnel policy goal of achieving a balanced gender composition and recruiting people with a migration background. Furthermore, we want employees with different competencies, professional combinations, life experience and perspectives.