Professor in Environmental Epidemiology

- with focus on research

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

The Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) is a department at Karolinska Institutet and an interdisciplinary research institution within the broad field of environmental medicine. IMM conducts cutting edge research within the areas of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental and occupational medicine, toxicology, and physiology, with the aim to clarify how environmental and lifestyle factors affect our health. IMM also serves as a scientific advisor to public authorities within the area of environmental medicine and population health.

Description of the subject area

Epidemiology is one of the cornerstones of the work at IMM. Strong competence in epidemiological theory and methods at the highest international level is a prerequisite for the research, doctoral education and teaching at the department, and for IMM’s role as a scientific advisor to public authorities within the area of environmental medicine and population health. Epidemiological theory and methods are constantly evolving, as are advanced methodologies for assessment of various environmental exposures and lifestyle factors, along with methods for systematic reviews and appraisal of the scientific literature. The construction of extensive population-based databases with health data, environmental exposures, demographic information and biological materials enables increasingly advanced epidemiological analyzes to answer questions about the importance of environmental factors for disease risk and prognosis, as well as opportunities for prevention.

The environmental epidemiological research conducted at IMM must be of the highest international standards. The overarching goal is to provide new scientific knowledge about the causes of diseases in the population, identify risk factors that can be preventable, summarize the scientific evidence and conduct systematic reviews for health risk assessment supporting national and international organizations in implementing evidence-based guidelines and/or exposure limits.

Your mission

You are an established independent researcher conducting cutting age epidemiological research within environmental epidemiology, while ensuring development and maintenance of epidemiological research databases, with a strong commitment to developing the research within the subject area nationally and internationally. Participation in IMM’s translational task, which consists of health risk assessment within environmental medicine, will be part of the duties. You are expected to lead a research group, supervise doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers, and participate in basic and advanced education in epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet. The position also includes actively contributing to the department's other activities and to a strong scientific environment.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for an employment as Professor with focus on research the applicant must have demonstrated very good pedagogical skills and excellent scientific skills (See the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet).

It is a requirement that you have completed 10 weeks of courses on teaching in higher education, as indicated in the recommendations of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institution. If you lack such education at the time of employment, you must undergo such education during the first two years of employment.

In addition, the following apply:

• You must have a strong epidemiological research profile with a focus on environmental epidemiology, with independent and ongoing research at an international top level.
• You must have competence and experience in designing and conducting population-based environmental epidemiological studies using different methods for design and analysis.

Assessment criteria

The Professorship has a focus on research. The assessment will weight qualifications as follows: scientific skills (3), pedagogical skills (2), leadership and collaboration skills(2).

For employment as Professor at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements and assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure are applied in relation to established profile of employment.

It is particularly meritorious that you have demonstrated 

• Documented experience of qualified environmental health risk assessment/systematic literature reviews.
• Experience in collecting primary data for population-based epidemiological studies addressing research questions within environmental epidemiology (in a broad sense), as well as data from national authorities' health data and population registers.
• Documented experience of teaching courses in epidemiological theory and methodology at basic and advanced levels, including course responsibility.

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI.

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. Here, 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. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement. 

Location: Solna

Institute of Environmental Medicine | Karolinska Institutet
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Application

Your application must contain the following documents in English: a cover letter as well as a resumé and a qualifications portfolio including a description of your research plan, both presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet’s template (http://ki.se/qualificationsportfolio). You may change or add to your application at any time up to and including the application deadline date. After the deadline, the process closes, and no amendment or addition can be made to your application.

The applications will be reviewed by external reviewers, most often both national and international. For that reason, all the submitted documents should be written in English.

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

We look forward to receiving your application!

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