Research assistant in data science and psychiatric genomics

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

The Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics conducts research in epidemiology and biostatistics across a broad range of areas within biomedical science. The department is among the largest of its type in Europe and has especially strong research profiles in psychiatric, cancer, reproductive, pediatric, pharmaco, genetic, and geriatric epidemiology, eating disorders, precision medicine, and biostatistics.

Part of the success of our department is due to our collaborative spirit where one factor is that researchers at the Department share and co-finance common resources (e.g., IT and an applied biostatistics group). The department is situated at campus Solna. Further information can be found at http://ki.se/en/meb.

The KI-Psychiatric Genomics Institute (KI-PGI) at MEB conducts genetic research in major psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia and major depressive disorders. We are one of the leading psychiatric genetics research groups worldwide, led by Prof Patrick Sullivan who is the founder of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and the Principal Researcher Lu Yi. We are deeply collaborative, and actively work with at least 10 major genetic, psychiatric, neuroscience, and functional genomic groups within the KI, Sweden, Europe, Australia and the US.

The overarching goals of the KI-PGI are: on a population scale, how do genes and environment act and interact to modify risk for severe psychiatric disorders (e.g. schizophrenia and severe major depressive disorder)? By what molecular and cellular mechanisms do these genes act? We have data from large case-control studies of schizophrenia and depression, as well as large population-based studies, where subjects have been comprehensively evaluated with genome-wide SNP arrays, analysis of copy number variants (CNVs), and whole exome and whole genome sequencing as well as questionnaires and comprehensive national health register data. Larger studies are in progress including expansion of the Swedish Schizophrenia Study (S3) and TRYGGVE2 (an effort to harmonize psychiatric genomics and national register data in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden). These studies are funded by major research funding from Swedish Research Council, NIH/NIMH, EU Horizon 2020, and European Research Council.

Your mission

The overall aim of the relevant projects is to investigate the risks and outcomes in major depressive disorder. Your responsibility is to conduct literature review, analyze large-scale datasets, and to interpret research findings. The tasks will involve the application of advanced statistics, and genetics tools and the use of high-performance computing resources (e.g. UPPMAX at Uppsala University).

We seek a motivated and innovative person to join our team. We are data-rich, and need a professional-level data scientist to maximize our understanding of the data we have collected and to identify new data that we need to make. This individual should be passionately committed to furthering knowledge of severe psychiatric disorders in order to improve the lives of people. The successful applicant will join the KI-PGI team and conduct register-based and genomics research on severe psychiatric disorders leveraging data science approaches to high-dimensional and complex data.

This is a temporary position of 12 months. Questions regarding the role, please contact Lu Yi. Contact information can be found below.

Your profile

Applicants should have a MSc in computer science, physics, mathematics, engineering, biostatistics, or genetics. We will consider those with equivalent degree in other areas but who have advanced/relevant data science skills (e.g., machine learning).
Applicants should have substantial prior experience in managing large-scale datasets, and advanced skills in programing (eg, R, python, SAS)
Knowledge of complex trait is a merit. Knowledge of psychiatric genomics is
helpful but can be taught if required.
Applicants should be highly collegial and experienced in working effectively in “team science”contexts as well as independently, and know how to solve complex problems.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required.

We attach great importance to personal qualities in this recruitment.

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. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several good benefits through our collective agreement. And you get to practice freely in our modern wellness facilities, where trained staff are on site.

Location: Solna

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

Application

Welcome to apply at the latest April 20.

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system and should include CV as well as a personal letter.

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