Doctoral (PhD) position in public health sciences (social epidemiology) - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

A doctoral position is an available doctoral education project to which a PhD student is to be recruited. After the selection process the process for admission to doctoral education will commence. An admission decision will not be taken until an individual study plan has been approved by the departmental admission board.

For more information regarding doctoral (PhD) education, see: http://www.ki.se/doctoral. 

Department 
At the Department of Public Health Sciences we conduct research, teaching and applied work based on public health science and epidemiology. The research is aimed at analysing health determinants on the population level, and developing and evaluating preventative structural and individualised measures, including legislation and guidelines. The field also includes health economics, health systems research and implementation research. Our activities have a strongly international flavour, and the Department's researchers are scientific advisers to authorities and other decision-makers on the regional, national and international level. The Department is divided into research groups operating within the fields of global health, public health epidemiology and social medicine with a total of 150 employees. In addition, we have around 60 research students.

Research group
The student will be part of the Social Epidemiology group led by Professor Peter Allebeck at the Department of Public Health Sciences of the Karolinska Institutet (http://ki.se/en/phs/social-epidemiology). The Social Epidemiology group members conduct research on how diseases and health related conditions vary across different groups in society and how policies and interventions affect health in different social groups. A substantial part of the research is based on longitudinal and register-based studies. The group members are extensively involved in teaching within the Public Health and Epidemiology programmes and have established collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health and the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden, other public health agencies and organizations and several universities in Sweden and abroad.

The doctoral education project and the duties of the student 
The doctoral education project is led by Professor Ilona Koupil (http://ki.se/en/people/ilokou) and the successful candidate will be co-supervised by Assistant Professor Daniel Falkstedt (http://ki.se/en/people/danfal). The research project will focus on early life determinants of major health, reproductive and social outcomes in adulthood and their interactions over the life course. This will include e.g. in depth investigations of socioeconomic and health conditions in childhood and adolescence and their effects on health and social trajectories over the life-course.

The doctoral education project is led by Professor Ilona Koupil (http://ki.se/en/people/ilokou) and the successful candidate will be co-supervised by Assistant Professor Daniel Falkstedt (http://ki.se/en/people/danfal). The research project will focus on early life determinants of major health, reproductive and social outcomes in adulthood and their interactions over the life course. This will include e.g. in depth investigations of socioeconomic and health conditions in childhood and adolescence and their effects on health and social trajectories over the life-course.

In the proposed project, we plan to use data from large cohorts and register-based studies. The studies cover the period from early 20th century till today. Information on health and social characteristics of study subjects and their families is available and comparisons across generations born during different historical periods are possible. This will allow us to investigate the determinants and the consequences of social mobility within and across generations of Swedish men and women, using both traditional and advanced statistical methods and epidemiological designs. We believe our research will generate new evidence for more effective policy interventions and contribute to the promotion of equity and population health.

The research student will work in a multidisciplinary, international research environment with access to expertise in epidemiology, public health, social science and other relevant disciplines. The student will be expected to contribute to data management, data harmonisation, study design, analysis and publication of results from epidemiological analyses in the area of social determinants of health and life course epidemiology. The student will be also expected to contribute to teaching activities and dissemination of the results to a wider scientific community and other stakeholders.

A wide range of compulsory and elective courses are organized by Karolinska Institutet (http://ki.se/en/phs/doctoral-education-at-phs) and also available through participation in activities of existing research networks (e.g. SIMSAM; http://simsam.nu/). Data will be available for analysis from the start of the project. Opportunities to develop generic research skills, data management skills and get experience from data collection will be also provided during the project.

Entry requirements for doctoral education at KI
To be eligible for doctoral education following requirements has to be met:

General entry requirements
A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education (according to Higher Education Ordinance Chapt 7, section 39) if he/she:

1. has been awarded advanced/second-cycle/master qualification (i.e. master degree) or
2. has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle/master level, or
3. has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Specific entry requirements
Proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school:
Proficiency in the English language can be documented by an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL or IELTS, see web-link below for more information.
Applicants who meet the general entry requirements (1 or 2 above) from a university in one of the Nordic countries fulfill the requirements in English.

Applicants should possess a Bachelor or Master degree in public health, health sciences or social sciences.

For more information regarding general and specific entry requirements: http://ki.se/en/education/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

Skills and personal qualities 
Good communication skills and an ability to work as a member of a multidisciplinary, international research team are required. Documented good analytical skills with a focus on quantitative analyses and familiarity with some common statistical software are also required.

Assessment criteria
A selection will be made among qualified applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:
- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject

The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

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

• A personal letter and curriculum vitae
• A copy of degree certificates and associated certificates
• A copy of degree projects and any previous publications

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