Postdoc in epidemiology using ensemble methods and big data

Do you want to improve the work environment of health care personnel?

Our research group is a great place to work and were awarded the “KI Work Environment and Health Award 2021”. We offer a dynamic, supportive and open research climate, where you are encouraged to think freely and explore your own ideas. This is the right place for you who want to grow from postdoc to PI.

Your mission

Common mental disorders (CMD) are the leading causes of long-term sickness absence. You will explore the relation between shift work (especially night work), long working hours and CMDs, as well as the interaction with psychosocial work environment. The goal is to show that routinely collected data can be used to a) identify risk factors for CMD, b) identify workplaces with high risk of sickness absence and c) give the employer recommendations on how to design healthy schedules.

We have established a cohort of over 60,000 individuals employed by Stockholm Region between 2008 and 2021. Detailed information on working hours is retrieved from registry-based payroll data for each working day during the study. You will use longitudinal multivariate analysis to investigate working hours in relation to CMD and sickness absence, also including interaction between working hours and psychosocial work environment. In a non-randomized pseudo trial design, we will study the effect of changing work schedules on CMD. Finally, we will use ensemble methods to identify models that can predict workplace risk of long-term sickness absence among employees. The employment is temporary for two years.

Your profile

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) date of employment. This must be substantiated by the applicant's main supervisor, director or equivalent.

You have a PhD in Epidemiology, Biostatistics or Data Science. You are interested in making real world impact and improve health. You have an open and collaborative approach to work and agree that collaboration – not competition – is what leads to success.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna

Theo Bodin’s research group, https://ki.se/en/imm/the-new-world-of-work

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
A complete list of publications
A summary of current work (no more than one page)

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all