Postdoctoral researcher in women’s health epidemiology

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We seek a new postdoctoral researcher who will work in the Unit of Integrative Epidemiology at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet. The main goal of research activities in the Unit is to improve the understanding of the causes and consequences of ill health and disease, with a focus on psychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.

The postdoctoral researcher will be part of the Women’s Mental Health Epidemiology at IMM. The position will be 50 % supervised by Dr Emma Bränn, and 50 % by Dr. Donghao Lu. Dr. Bränn leads a research program focused on understanding the risks and consequences of endometriosis, as well as the impact of diagnostic delays and healthcare practices on affected individuals. This work is conducted in close collaboration with Region Stockholm. Dr. Lu runs a comprehensive research program on understanding the underlying biological mechanisms affecting reproductive mood disorders (such as perinatal depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, perimenopausal depression, etc.) and potential health consequences leveraging large population-based cohorts with rich clinical and molecular data. 

The main aim of the proposed projects is to explore prevalence, and short- and long-term consequences of early gynecological conditions, including adolescent endometriosis and premenstrual disorders using register data and large population-based prospective cohorts. We will take advantage of our register/genotyped data to perform genetically informed designs (for example, sibling comparison and mendelian randomization analysis). The successful applicant will play a key role in these novel projects and will have comprehensive interactions with senior collaborators across Nordic countries/institutions. You will have access to two PI:s that you can meet and interact with to facilitate the research process and increase the synergetic effects.

As a postdoc in this project, you will be part of the WHOLE center funded by FORTE, a joint research consortium between Uppsala University and KI/HER-MIND to build a national community for interdisciplinary research and breakthrough discoveries on women’s health. As part of WHOLE, you will have ample opportunities to meet other WHOLE researchers and trainees conducting state-of-the-art research, present your work at scientific events, and take part in WHOLE activities. Read more about WHOLE and KI HER-MIND here.

Your mission

We seek an outstanding and innovative postdoc to join our team. We are data-rich, and need a professional-level data scientist to maximize our understanding of the data. This individual should be passionately committed to furthering knowledge of psychiatric epidemiology and to improve women’s mental health. The successful applicant will join our team and conduct research on the register data as well as genetic and other omics data. Our team has a strong track record of promoting early career researchers. The position is two years with potential to extend.

Your profile

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctoral researcher is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. 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.

• Applicants should have a PhD in medical science such as epidemiology, biostatistics, computer science, statistics, etc. We will also consider those with PhDs in other areas but who have advanced/relevant data science skills (e.g., machine learning).
• Prior experience in professional analysis of register and omics data will be a plus.
• Previous research experience in women's health combined with strong methodological expertise in epidemiology, is considered highly advantageous.
• Applicants should be highly collegial and experienced in working effectively in “team science” contexts. Successful postdocs possess exceptional organizational skills and know how to multitask.
• Applicants will be asked to describe past examples of having developed structured approaches to solving unanticipated and complex problems.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required, along with experience with scientific writing.

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. 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. 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

Women's Mental Health Epidemiology – Donghao Lu Lab

Unit of Integrative Epidemiology

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

Application

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

• PhD certificate
• 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!