Researcher in PharmacoEpidemiology and Biostatistics

About the position

One 18-month position as Researcher is available at the Department of Pharmacy at Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

The appointment is a fulltime position. Desired starting date is Jan 2025 and ending in April 2026.

Knowledge development in a changing world - Science and technology towards 2030

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Job/ project description:

The position is part of the PharmacoEpidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo. The research group includes 4 full time researchers, 4 adjunct positions and over 10 PhD-students and post doc’s making up a group of more than 20 individuals. The PharmaSafe Research group at UiO is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas including pharmacoepidemiology, medication safety and clinical pharmacy, with special focus on complex patient groups. The research group is multidisciplinary and has expertise within pharmaco-epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, psychiatry, pharmacotherapy and clinical pharmacy.

We are searching for a researcher trained in one or more of the following fields: pharmacoepidemiology, genetic epidemiology/statistical genetics, reproductive/perinatal epidemiology, biostatistics, and/or causal inference. An ideal candidate will have strong statistical/methods training and an interest in working on interdisciplinary research targeting maternal and infant health. The researcher will join the project titled “The SafeTwoTreat Study: Harnessing Pharmacogenetic Data For Safer Use Of Psychotropic Medicines In Pregnancy,” funded by the Research Council of Norway (NFR). The position requires close collaboration with the Principal Investigator and involves planning and conducting perinatal pharmacoepidemiological studies, data management, statistical modeling, and writing high-impact scientific papers.

Project Overview: This project focuses on investigating the role of pharmacogenomics in studies of prenatal exposure to psychotropic medications. Establishing causality is essential for impactful research, yet it remains a challenge in studies of medication use during pregnancy. The causal inference framework typically speaks to average effects in populations, lacking personalized recommendations for individual patients. The SafeTwoTreat study bridges this gap by employing genetic variants related to drug metabolism. This dual approach aims to:

• Explore Clinical Implications: Assess genetic markers’ effects on maternal and fetal outcomes to advance personalized medicine during pregnancy.
• Conduct Mendelian Randomization (MR) Analyses: Leverage genetic variants to mitigate biases in observational studies and provide robust causal effect estimates.
  The study utilizes data from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study, linked to several national population registries. The goal is to inform clinical practices by identifying high-risk women for particular medications during pregnancy and contributing to public health policy decisions with precise causal estimates.

The candidate will also be included in the PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo. 
PharmaTox is a multidisciplinary center comprising strong research environments in pharmaceutical bioscience, biology, bioinformatics and statistics.

Additionally, there will be ample opportunities for connecting with a wider network of scientists and career development. The project manager/primary investigator is based in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the candidate will have the opportunity to gain experience internationally, either at UNC or elsewhere.  Please note: this position requires presence at work at the campus University of Oslo.

Read more here:  

The PharmaSafe research group: www.mn.uio.no/farmasi/english/research/groups/pharma-safe/index.html
The PharmaTox research environment: www.mn.uio.no/farmasi/english/research/groups/pharmatox/
The University of North Carolina:
https://sph.unc.edu/epid/epidemiology-research/pharmacoepidemiology-research/

Qualification requirements:

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe's leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in epidemology or biostatistics, or a related field with relevant training. The doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defence are eligible for appointment. 
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and strong scientific writing skills.
• Experience with analyses of data from observational studies linking exposures to outcomes.
   

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

• Experience in causal modeling, genetic epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and/or analysis of large data sets.
• Good computational and coding skills (SAS, Stata, or R).
• High motivation for a research career, documented primarily via original publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. 

Personal skills:

• Productive, self-driven, and collaborative
• Strong analytic skills with great attention to detail
• Ability to work independently as well as in multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to give and receive constructive scientific criticism

We offer:

• Salary NOK minimum 575 400 – 684 000 per year depending on qualifications in position as Researcher (position code 1109)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement 
• Professionally stimulating working environment
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

The application must include:

• Cover letter (summarizing previous scientific work and research interests for the future)
• CV (summarizing education, positions, teaching experience, administrative experience, and other professional activities) 
• A complete list of publications and up to 3 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• Copies of educational certificates 
• Academic transcripts from post-baccalaureate training 

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.
It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations:

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact persons:

For further information about the position please contact: Mollie Wood, e-mail: mollie.wood@farmasi.uio.no 

For questions regarding JobbNorge please contact: HR-adviser Kaja Mathisen, e-mail: k.m.h.mathisen@mn.uio.no