Doctoral (PhD) student position in integrative omics data analysis - Under tillsättning eller tillsatt, ej sökbar

We are recruiting a student for doctoral education.

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

Research group
At Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) of Karolinska Institutet (KI), we carry out epidemiologic research in a wide range of medical areas, including cancer, psychiatry, neurological diseases, etc. Our projects aim to increase knowledge about causes of diseases and to translate the knowledge towards clinical application. Biostatistical analysis is of central importance in the interdisciplinary research conducted at MEB. Much of our methodological tools relies on statistical genetics, molecular epidemiology as well as biostatistics. MEB has the largest critical mass of academic biostatisticians in Sweden and is one of the largest among Nordic countries. Overall, we provide a stimulating and active research environment that facilitates both internal and external collaborations with world-class scientists.

This project is under supervision of an interdisciplinary team, including Dr. Xia Shen experienced in statistical genomics, statistical modeling and software development, Dr. Fang Fang with expertise in epidemiological studies such as the areas of psychological and neurological disease, Dr. Nghia Vu who is an expert in statistical and computational methods for cancer genomics data, and Prof. Yudi Pawitan with strong expertise in biostatistics, bioinformatics and high-throughput molecular data modeling. The supervisory team is highly experienced in the relevant subject areas and active in national and international collaborations.

The doctoral education project and the duties of the student
The overall aim of the project is to identify complex disease signatures such as neurological disorders and cancers on single cells and extracellular vesicles (EVs), by integrative analysis of our measured single-cell omics data, our uniquely available single-EV proteomics data, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary-level data, and other types of omics data. The project trains the doctoral student with sufficient omics data science expertise for modern precision medicine research.

The doctoral student expected to acquire broad knowledge of medical omics by doing the project under supervision and taking relevant courses; acquire in-depth experience in statistical computation and statistical software packages such as R and Python; develop analysis pipelines for single-cell/single-EV medical omics data; process big data for diverse interdisciplinary projects; develop scientific writing and deliver high-quality publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

Entry requirements for doctoral education at KI
To be eligible for doctoral education, the following requirements have 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.

For more information regarding the general entry requirements, please see:
https://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

Specific entry requirements
Proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school. Applicants who meet the general entry requirements (1 or 2 above) from a university in one of the Nordic countries fulfill the English language requirement.

For information on how other applicants can certify their English proficiency (such as through IELTS or TOEFL, previous upper secondary or university level studies), please see:
https://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

The applicant is required to have at least 2 years of research experience in bioinformatics and data analysis. Experience in single-cell type of omics research is required. Programming skills in R/Perl/C++ is required. Experience in mathematical/statistical modeling is required. The applicant should have experience and good skills in graphics and data visualization.

Skills and personal qualities
Skills for interactive website interface design is desirable. We are seeking a highly motivated and creative student. The applicant should have good communication skills and ability to work productively in a team of researchers. Emphasis will be placed on personal ability and previous experience. Excellent ability to express themselves in speech and writing, including scientific writing, in English is a requirement.

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.

Terms and conditions
All doctoral students at KI receive financial support during their doctoral education and employment on a doctoral studentship is the most common sort of support.

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

• A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
• Academic degree diplomas, transcripts of records in original language and, if applicable, authorised translations
• Copies of degree projects and any previous publications
• Proof of English proficiency as stated in the specific requirement above

All documents certifying the entry requirements must be scans of originals (scans of copies or certified copies will not be accepted). The scanned documents must be in color and both the front and the back of the documents must be scanned. Please note that there are specific documentation requirements for a number countries, please read the instructions at:

https://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

The application and supporting documents are to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.