Postdoctoral Researcher in in environmental epidemiology Full-time

Postdoctoral Researcher in Environmental Epidemiology

The Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) is a department at Karolinska Institutet and also a national expert body in the field of environmental medicine that provides scientific support to authorities in matters related to environmental health risk assessment. At IMM, cutting-edge research is conducted with a focus on physical and chemical factors and their impact on human health by applying both epidemiological and experimental methodology. The department also hosts several courses and educational programs at undergraduate and advanced levels as well as at postgraduate level. IMM intends to strengthen research in the field of environmental medicine and to promote interdisciplinary research within IMM and also with other actors including the health and medical services in the region.

The epidemiological research at IMM is focused on advancing knowledge about disease etiology and prognosis with an emphasis on environmental and lifestyle factors, and on methodological development and stringency. The unit of Environmental Epidemiology has a strong track record of successful national and international large-scale studies in environmental epidemiology investigating health effects of ambient air pollution, community noise and green structure as well as other environmental exposures. In a multidisciplinary environment we collaborate with leading research groups worldwide using advanced study designs to provide robust research data and inform public health policy. In working with us you will benefit from a rich research network, high-quality cohorts with extensive environmental and health data, including high-throughput molecular biomarker assessments, and the pleasure of working in a group with strong epidemiological and biostatistical skills. Further, we frequently participate in environmental health risk assessments for national as well as international organizations and authorities. These assessments are often based on research conducted within the unit.

Your Mission

This position is part of a research program on the health effects of urban environmental exposures, with a focus on ambient air pollution and cardiopulmonary health. A central question is whether further reductions in exposure at already-low concentrations bring additional health benefits — a question of direct relevance for air quality policy in the Nordic countries and beyond. The work draws on nationwide Swedish register data linked to individual-level, time-varying exposure assessment, allowing the health consequences of realistic exposure-reduction scenarios to be evaluated across the life course. Comparable register data held by collaborators in Denmark provide opportunities of cross-national analyses. Careful attention to causal inference is central to the project, and there is scope for the postdoctoral researcher to shape its methodological direction.

The successful applicant will also contribute to ongoing research in the BAMSE birth cohort, where 4089 participants have been followed from birth up to 26 years of age, including work on the molecular mechanisms linking environmental exposures to respiratory health.

The work involves data management, statistical analysis and manuscript preparation in close collaboration with epidemiologists, biostatisticians and clinicians. You will work in an interdisciplinary and international environment, including leading researchers in Europe and the US. The postdoctoral researcher is also expected to undertake a limited amount of teaching, supervise students and participate in health risk assessments.

This is a two-year fixed-term position.

Your Profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral researcher, a PhD or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. Eligibility for this position includes a PhD degree within medicine, epidemiology, biostatistics or related field.

The successful applicant has:

• Solid knowledge of epidemiological methods, particularly in environmental health
• Experience with statistical analysis of longitudinal data, including time-varying exposures and confounding
• Experience working with epidemiological datasets — register-based, administrative or cohort data
• Excellent data management skills and strong proficiency in statistical software, preferably R
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Experience in organizing and carrying out research projects
• Ability to collaborate within and beyond the group
• Organized, responsible, efficient, and flexible

The following qualifications are considered meritorious:

• Documented experience with causal inference methods for longitudinal data (g-formula, marginal structural models, TMLE, target trial emulation) or quasi-experimental designs
• Experience with Nordic population registers
• Experience with high-dimensional molecular data (omics, methylation, transcriptomics) or genetic data including polygenic scores
• Experience with international consortium work

Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

What Do We Offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna

Application

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

• PhD certificate
• A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T

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

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