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

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

To be a doctoral student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

The research group

The prostate cancer group at MEB is a highly interdisciplinary and vibrant research group at the international forefront of developing and implementing precision medicine strategies for improving diagnostics and treatment of prostate cancer. The research spans world-quality data sources, innovative clinical trials, cutting edge genomics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

The work aims at improving prostate cancer care by developing artificial intelligence techniques for digital pathology data. Automated deep learning systems have shown promise in accurately grading prostate cancer. We recently published results in the leading medical journal the Lancet Oncology showing that systems based on convolutional neural networks can achieve expert pathologist-level performance. We are now looking for a doctoral student with an interest in image analysis, digital pathology and deep learning to continue this work with respect to both technical methods development and towards prospective validations in clinical trials.

The candidate is expected to absorb necessary knowledge on cancer aetiology and to maintain a high level of statistical and machine learning competence with focus on image analysis.

What do we offer?
A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. 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. As a doctoral student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a doctoral studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education
In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement
You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

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

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

- Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents
Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

Skills and personal qualities

The applicant should possess a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as computer science, signal processing, machine learning, statistics or bioinformatics.

The ideal candidate is experienced in image analysis, the development of deep learning models. Experience from applications of statistics or machine learning methods in medicine and/or epidemiology are also considered strong merits, together with experience from cross-disciplinary research in a cancer research environment.

Strong programming skills (e.g. in Python, R or MATLAB) are a must, and software development experience is an advantage. Familiarity with machine learning and image analysis frameworks (e.g. TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, Scikit-learn, OpenCV), whole slide image file formats, databases and high-performance cluster/cloud computing are considered merits.

Fluency in English is required, and experience of writing and publishing research articles in English is an advantage.

Personal characteristics

The applicant should be highly collegial, and be able to work well in a cross-disciplinary team as well as having the ability to work independently. Further, the applicant should know how to successfully multitask. The applicant should have excellent analytical skills, possess curiosity and creativity, and have capacity to take responsibility for research projects together with the supervisor.

Terms and conditions The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.

Application process
Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions.

Your application should contain the following documents:

- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae (Swedish or English)
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any (Swedish or English)
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above (Swedish or English)
- Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
- Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection
A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

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.

 All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

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

Type of employment PhD placement
Contract type Full time
First day of employment According to agreement
Salary Monthly salary
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Solna
County Stockholms län
Country Sweden
Reference number 2-1077/2020
Contact
  • Martin Eklund, martin.eklund@ki.se
  • Sara Tiste, sara.tiste@ki.se
Union representative
  • Henry Wölling, SEKO, 08-524 840 80
  • Niklas Andersson, OFR, niklas.andersson@ki.se
  • Ann Almqvist, SACO, 08-52486199, Ann.almqvist@ki.se
Published 23.Mar.2020
Last application date 20.Apr.2020 11:59 PM CEST

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