Doctoral (PhD) student position in Precision Psychiatry

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

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

In the research group of Christian Rück we work to improve the lives of individuals with psychiatric conditions through understanding their genesis, estimating their risk, and developing treatments. A core theme of our research is to develop more accurate prediction models for both the risk, and also consequences, of psychiatric conditions.

You will be integrated in the interdisciplinary computational team led by John Wallert. The team includes seven members (PhD students, postdocs, and a research assistant) with differing expertise (clinical, computer science, statistical modelling, epidemiology) from both Sweden and abroad that work together on both risk prediction and causal modelling of adverse outcomes for psychiatric patients. We collaborate in a clinically integrated research environment where you will have the possibility to contribute to clinically relevant research at high international level. The larger Rück research group hosts more than 30 of your future colleagues. During your PhD training, you will receive ample support from the motivated supervisory team, the computational team, and the Rück research group.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

The main purpose of your PhD project is to improve outcome prediction for involuntary psychiatric care (IPC) patients while preparing for their hospital discharge. In Sweden, around 8,000 individuals are treated annually in IPC by legal mandate (Lag (1991:1128) om Psykiatrisk Tvångsvård, LPT). Patients in IPC are treated against their will because they oppose voluntary care yet their need for care is deemed indispensable. Patients in IPC constitute a high-risk clinical subgroup that require a lot of clinical and legal resources yet we know surprisingly little about their risk for self-harm, acute readmission, and suicide after hospital discharge. This means that clinicians currently rely heavily on subjective judgment and limited data to assess patient risk and decide on discharge from IPC. This decision-making process presents a high-risk situation, but empirical evidence to support the decision-making clinician is scarce. In this project, you will apply both qualitative research and modern statistical modelling with state-of-the-art population data to build an accurate risk prediction instrument to help clinicians to arrive at better discharge decisions for future IPC patients.

Your project has three aims. First, you will conduct a qualitative feasibility study together with clinicians working in IPC to explore their opinions on the needs for when and how the risk calculator will be used, what it should predict, and how the user interface should be designed. Second, we will apply both traditional statistical modelling and supervised machine learning to quantitatively develop and internally validate the risk calculator. Linked nationwide registry data from more than 70,000 individuals discharged from IPC – the largest and most representative dataset of its kind in the world – will be used to develop a population-based clinical event risk calculator. Third, we will initiate an internal pilot as part of a larger clinical trial to test the risk calculator. The full-scale trial will estimate the causal effect of the risk calculator on (a) the decision-making process of discharge and (b) subsequent clinical outcomes.

Your PhD project provides a unique opportunity to derive and evaluate the first ever population-based risk calculator for IPC patients. As decision support, the calculator and the proper trialling of it will add a novel quantitative support to the present decision-making process at the clinic. In the long run, your findings hold considerable potential for strengthened patient monitoring, care and more efficient allocation of limited resources. The breadth of research methodology involved in the project will provide an excellent foundation for you to build on as a future independent researcher. We recognize that the position can be combined with clinical work. 

Your core PhD student work tasks:

• Lead and coordinate involved collaborators at different levels of the project both in Sweden and abroad.
• Complete doctoral training, including courses and other research-related activities.
• Lead focus-groups and apply qualitative methodology.
• Partake in the design and development of the risk calculator.
• Perform statistical analysis with a gradual complexity progression.
• Draft the ethical application and partake in the final design and implementation of a registry-based randomized controlled trial at the clinic.
• Write scientific reports, present at international conferences, and give talks about our work to stakeholders and other parts of the clinical scientific community.

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.

(A) and (B) can only be certified by the documentation requirement for doctoral education.

Skills and personal qualities

You are a highly structured and very motivated team-player possessing an excellent analytical ability and a particular interest in risk prediction. A particular clinical background is not required but meriting. It is important that you enjoy coordinating and leading complex projects with multiple stakeholders. You are comfortable interacting with other individuals and can adapt to different collaborative situations and project demands as these will in part vary over time. Since the research group is international and project communication mainly occurs in English, the candidate should be highly proficient in writing and speaking English. Furthermore, since a substantial part of the PhD project includes applied work on-site, fluent Swedish is a requirement. It is required that you have a MSc degree in either a health-related field or in biostatistics, data science or similar. Coding experience in R, Python or similar programming languages is meriting. Previous experience with project management, predictive modelling, qualitative methodology, large-scale observational research, registry-based research, epidemiology, biostatistics, and data collection is advantageous. You are expected to display a high degree of contentiousness, initiative-taking, stamina, and autonomy.

Terms and conditions

The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time. If mutually agreed, the employment may also be for 8 years half-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. We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish.

Your application must contain the following documents:

- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above
- 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.

Read more about the research group you will be part of
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