PhD position in cancer epidemiology Full-time

PhD Position in Cancer Epidemiology

Admission to Doctoral (PhD) Studies in the subject cancer epidemiology, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University.

Join us!

About the Department

The Department of Surgical Sciences (IKV) is part of the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy. IKV has about 160 employees and 230 registered doctoral (third cycle) students, the majority of which are clinically active doctors and nurses. The yearly turnover is SEK 152 million. Research is conducted at the department, as well as teaching in the first, second and third cycles. Teaching is, among other areas, conducted within the education programmes for doctors, nurses and specialty nurses. Research is conducted in research groups organised according to surgical specialties and closely aligned subject areas, such as anaesthesia and intensive care and radiology. A great deal of research is conducted in cooperation between separate research groups within IKV and other departments at Uppsala University, as well as other universities in Sweden and the rest of the world. Many of the department's employees have combined positions at the University Hospital.

Description of Research Group

Our main research concern diseases and conditions in the ageing population, including fragility fractures, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, but we are involved in other areas of epidemiological research as well.

Project Description

The aim of this PhD project is to enhancing understanding of how lifestyle and socioeconomic factors impact cancer incidence, survival and survivorship. Excellent data from Swedish national (quality) registers will be analyzed using modern epidemiological methods. This work will inform the development of future interventions and clinical guidelines aiming to support cancer patients, identify target populations who may particularly benefit from such interventions and guidelines, improve health outcomes, and reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health.

The PhD student will be based at EpiHubben – a collaborative research environment within the Disciplinary domain of Medicine and Pharmacy at Uppsala University – which aims to facilitate the development and exchange of epidemiological knowledge, expertise and ideas.

Duties

• Use population-based register data to evaluate how lifestyle and socioeconomic factors impact cancer incidence, survival and survivorship
• Learn and apply new skills, knowledge and methodologies
• Work with an interdisciplinary approach to a broad project area
• Perform efficient and proficient data-management of large-scale register-based data, with strong attention to detail
• In collaboration with supervisors and other researchers involved with the project, draft and develop statistical analysis plans including cutting-edge methodologies in epidemiology
• Conduct statistical analyses in accordance with a statistical analysis plan, with support from supervisors and other researchers involved with the project
• Place new results in the context of the existing knowledge base; and
• Communicate clearly and professionally in oral and written English in different situations, for example, within interdisciplinary meetings and collaborations, when drafting and revising articles to be published in peer-reviewed journals, and when presenting new insights at (inter)national conferences.

Requirements

To meet the general entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must:

• Hold, or expect to receive before the intended date of employment, a Masters degree or equivalent in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Public health, Medicine, Nursing, or similar/other relevant topics, or
• Have completed at least 240 credits in higher education with at least 60 credits at Master's level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• Have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

Other requirements for this position:

• Excellent scientific writing ability in English
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• A collaborative nature that is essential to work well as part of a team as well as independently
• Strong organisational skills, the ability to prioritise his/her own tasks and good ability to plan ahead in a realistic manner.
• A detail-oriented and professional nature
• Documented skills in data management and/or statistical analysis in Stata, R, or equivalent

Merits

• Prior experience of research in the fields of socioeconomic, lifestyle or clinical risk factors for disease
• Prior experience of research in the area of cancer or cancer survivorship
• Prior experience of working with Swedish register data
• Prior experience of working with longitudinal data and/or survival modelling
• Previous outstanding academic achievements

The Application Should Include:

• A CV or resume in English (max 2 A4 pages)
• A cover letter in English in which you present your research interests and experience, and explain why you are interested in and suitable for this position (max 1 A4 page)
• Copies of verified academic transcripts
• MSc certificate (or equivalent), if available
• Contact details (name, email, phone number and relationship) for two professional references

About the Employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment: 100 %. Starting date: 2026-09-01 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Hannah Brooke, PhD, email: Hannah.Brooke@uu.se

Please submit your application by 2026-05-28, UFV-PA 2026/1405.