Researcher in Biostatistics

About the position

We are seeking applicants with a strong methodological background in biostatistics and causal inference for a 3-year 20% researcher position in Biostatistics, in a project on causal inference for effects of health related interventions on working life outcomes, at the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology (OCBE), Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo (UiO).

OCBE is one of Europe's most active biostatistics groups with currently about 80 researchers. OCBE is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas, including causal inference and time-to-event analysis, clinical trials, epidemiology, high dimensional statistics, infectious disease, machine learning and mathematical modelling. The centre has numerous collaborations with leading biomedical research groups internationally and in Norway.

More about the position

The candidate will be part of the research group on causal inference and survival analysis led by professor Jon Michael Gran, where they will work on causal inference with applications to longitudinal data from large population-wide registries. The position is connected to the project “Improving causal inference for individual working life trajectories from registry data: studying interventions, estimands and heterogeneity”, funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN). The project is a close collaboration with research groups at the National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI) and Oslo University Hospital (OUS).

The candidate will pursue research on causal inference for treatment effect estimation from complex longitudinal data, collected from various population wide registries. An emphasis will be made on exposure measurement error, interference, effect heterogeneity and the analysis of individual outcome trajectories. However, other methods may also be relevant. Methods should be motivated in and applied to answering the subject matter research questions of the overall project, such as of the effects of interventions for a more inclusive working life (including rehabilitation measures and work place facilitation) or the effects of sustained medical treatments (including use of opioids and other type of pain treatment for patients after traumatic injury). Outcomes of interest will be related to long term health, sick leave and work participation.

The candidate’s role in the project will be both to supervise other project members and to conduct own methodological and applied research in biostatistics. We provide an exciting and friendly research environment for the development and application of new methods in a collaborative and interdisciplinary fashion, with various national and international collaborators. The candidate will work closely with other project members at OCBE, STAMI and OUS, other external collaborators, and the causal inference and survival analysis group at OCBE. The candidate will participate in regular project meetings and must have the ability to work well in a multi-disciplinary team.

The candidate’s workplace will be at OCBE’s premises in the UiO building Domus Medica.

Preferred starting date for the position is January 1st, 2027.

Qualifications requirements

Required quialifications:

• Applicants must hold a degree corresponding to a Norwegian doctoral degree in biostatistics or statistics.
• A broad background from methodological research in causal inference is required.
• Strong quantitative and computational skills is required. Applicants should be fluent in R or equivalent software.
• Experience with interdisciplinary collaborations and student supervision at PhD level is required.

Desired qualifications:

• Experience within areas relevant for the project will be an advantage.
• Experience with analysis of large datasets is an advantage. Experience with biomedical applications is also an advantage.
• Personal suitability will be emphasized.

Language requirements:

• Working language in the group and at OCBE is English. Fluent oral and written communication skills in English is required.

Personal skills

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

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.

We need different perspectives in our work

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues—could you be the next one?

We will provide appropriate accommodations should you need them. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps, we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

We hope you will apply for the position with us.

We offer

• Exciting and meaningful tasks in an organization with an important societal mission, contributing to knowledge development, education, and enlightenment that promote sustainable, fair, and knowledge-based societal development.
• A friendly, ambitious and international 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.
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours.
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities.
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as Researcher, position code 1109 in salary range NOK from 670 000 - 775 000, depending on competence and experience. For particularly well-qualified applicants, a higher salary may be considered. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Application

Your application must include:

• Application letter with a short statement of motivation and research interests
• CV (summarizing education and relevant experience).
• A complete list of publications
• Transcripts and certificates
• List of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number).

Your CV must be entered in Jobbnorge’s CV form and cannot be submitted only as an attachment. This requirement is intended to ensure correct documentation and record-keeping in accordance with the Public Administration Act, Section 15.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system Jobbnorge, 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.

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

General information

Please note that we are unable to add documentation after the application deadline. As the deadline applies equally to all applicants, this policy ensures equal treatment throughout the recruitment process. If you experience difficulties uploading documents in Jobbnorge, please contact their customer service: Phone: +47 75 54 22 20 or Email: support@grade.com The primary method of communication throughout the process will be e-mails and messages through the recruitment system Jobbnorge. When you receive a notification of a message in Jobbnorge, please log in to read it, as it may be important. The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we cannot, you will hear from us. Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian) and Rules for the use of research posts SKO 1108, 1109, 1110 and 1183 at UiO.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees to secure the rights to all research results and related intellectual property.