Postdoctoral position in Cardiovascular Epidemiology

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.

An exciting opportunity to apply for a two-year postdoctoral position (100%) in cardiovascular epidemiology at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University. We are looking for someone with an interest in statistical methods who wants to be involved in developing our research environment at the intersection between clinical medicine and  epidemiology. The work will largely consist of collaborative projects between Umeå University and other higher education institutions, both nationally and internationally, where the  applicant will have a leading role in the practical work. 

Project description

High blood pressure is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and death in Sweden and

world today. Recommendations on the treatment and follow-up of hypertension are based almost exclusively on data from middle-aged people. There is no information on optimal blood pressure levels in adolescence, blood pressure patterns during life, and the effects of initiation and discontinuation of treatment of the very elderly. The overall goal of the project is to answer important clinical questions about hypertension with the help of our Swedish health registries and the unique population studies in northern Sweden. Our results will be able to guide the clinical management of these patients and hopefully stimulate future intervention studies.

Work responsibilities 

As a postdoc, you will work with all parts of the research project, including applications for data, processing of data, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, authoring of scientific articles and presentation at national and international congresses. The position will also include supervision of doctoral students in epidemiological/statistical methods. There will also be room to conduct projects of your own within the framework of existing research infrastructure. 

Eligibility   

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral fellow,[MB2]  a person must have completed a doctoral degree, or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree, in medicine, epidemiology, statistics or a related subject. This qualification requirement must be met no later than the time the employment decision is made. 

Applicants should have experience of working with large databases. Good knowledge of one of the common statistical programs, such as STATA or R, is a prerequisite. Applicants should also have a good ability to communicate research in speech and writing and be able to independently write scientific articles in English. 

Since employment as a postdoc constitutes a career development position for junior researchers, we are primarily aimed at those who have a doctoral degree that is not older than three years from the application deadline. If there are special reasons, a person who has previously completed a doctoral degree may be considered. Special reasons refer to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical duties, positions of trust in trade unions or other similar circumstances, as well as relevant duties/assignments for the subject area. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience of research in the cardiovascular field
• Experience of research based on Nordic registers
• Experience with statistical methods relevant to the project, such as survival analysis, spline models, longitudinal data analysis, or methods for causal inference
• Ability to design scientific studies/sub-studies
• Further research activity after completed PhD

More about the position

The position is a fixed-term, full-time position for two years under the terms of the agreement on fixed-term employment as a postdoc. 

More information about the group's research can be found on our Website .

Application

The application must include:

• A brief description of your research interests and motivation for why you are interested in the position.
• CV
• Publications
• Degree certificates from doctoral studies and other relevant degrees
• Contact information for two reference persons

The application must be written in Swedish or English. The application must be made via our e-recruitment system Varbi and be received no later than 10 march 2025. 

We look forward to receiving your application!