Doctoral student in Cancer Epidemiology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

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

The Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) at Karolinska Institutet consists of researchers, doctoral students, biostatisticians, programmers, data collectors, database administrators and administrative staff, in total some 280 personnel. The department is also responsible for the Karolinska Institutet Biobank and the Swedish Twin Register. The organization has the necessary resources and infrastructure (servers/IT-systems, database administrators and statisticians) to conduct important and innovative large-scale register studies.

The breast cancer research group currently consists of three senior and three junior researchers and six doctoral students. The research is performed in an interdisciplinary setting with close collaboration with clinical departments and national and international research groups. The aim of our research is to acquire a comprehensive picture of breast cancer risk and prognosis and we are conducting a vast number of auxiliary research projects. Within the framework of KARMA, https://karmastudy.org/, one of the world’s best-characterized cohorts for early detection and prevention of breast cancer, our research group has access to comprehensive data, such as biological samples, survey results and complete clinical data and progression of disease.

For further information about Kamila Czene’s research and research group including relevant publications, please go to https://staff.ki.se/people/kamcze He et al., 2020, Journal of Clinical Oncology; Grassman et al., 2019, Nature Communications; Holm et.al., 2015, Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Supervisors for the doctoral student will be Kamila Czene, Wei He and Keith Humhreys.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

The doctoral project is based on the KARMA cohort and large-scale Swedish register data, aiming to investigate attendance and outcomes of mammography screening for breast cancer. Mammography screening lowers the risk of breast cancer mortality by over 20%. However, 30% of women choose not to participate in the screening. Furthermore, among women who attend screening, over half of them experience—at some time during their lifetime—the very frightening but yet unnecessary false-positive results. Finally, 20% of all breast cancers occur symptomatically between screening rounds. In this project we will continue our previous work on breast cancer screening by exploring non-attendance, false positive and false negative outcome.

Applicant is expected to be able to use advanced epidemiological methods to analyze clinical and molecular data. Main tasks also include handling of data, interpretation of research results and writing scientific manuscripts. Attendance in courses, seminars and conferences and presenting scientific results, both orally and in writing, is included in the education. As a doctoral student at MEB you will work in an internationally established, strong research environment. In your role, you will have the benefit of working both in an interdisciplinary and in an international research environment. MEB is an inclusive workplace, incouraging collaboration within the department and across research areas, which is also reflected in our infrastructure.

For more information about the role, please contact Kamila Czene, details below.

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

The applicant should have strong organizational skills and be able to take own initiative and work independently, while also having the ability to work in a group. The applicant should be a highly motivated and enthusiastic person. To succeed in this role, the candidate needs to be structured and flexible to handle and meet deadlines in the project. Special emphasis will be put on previous experience of working with large-scale health data such as national register data and interest and experience of epidemiological, cancer- and/or medical science. Ideally the candidate shall have some prior experience and knowledge of analyses in programs such as R, SAS or STATA.

Excellent communication skills and fluency in both written and spoken English is a requirement.

Terms and conditions

The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-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.

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