Job description

This PhD position is part of the recently funded center for research-based innovation BigInsight, a consortium of academic, industrial and public partners, with a funding of about 4 million Euro annually for eight years starting from 2015. BigInsight will develop original statistical and machine learning methodologies and analytical and computational tools to extract knowledge from complex and big data, with focus on two central themes, namely novel personalized solutions and sharper predictions of transient behaviors. BigInsight will be a leading international center in model-based statistics for complex, high dimensional data. BigInsight is a consortium of 12 partners: The Norwegian Computing Centre, the University of Oslo (Department of Mathematics and Department of Biostatistics), the Oslo University Hospital (Cancer Registry, Department of Tumor Biology, Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology), the University of Bergen (Department of Mathematics), and industrial, public and business partners: ABB, DNB, DNV-GL, Gjensidige, Norsk Hydro, NAV, Skatteetaten and Telenor.

The PhD student will have a 50% affiliation with the Department of Biostatistics at UiO and 50% with CRN and will be part of BigInsight.

The successful PhD candidate will develop new statistical methodology, exploiting the unique possibilities offered by the national health registries and other sources of data, to construct individualized cancer statistics which will be more relevant to both clinicians and patients, compared to current population based survival curves. The project will cast the foundations of the new area of personalized cancer statistics. The PhD studies at the University of Oslo are characterized by a strong research profile: the PhD thesis includes several papers which are published in leading scientific journals, while the candidates are required to take only a small number of advanced courses as part of the training component of their degree.

BigInsight and the University of Oslo offer a lively and socially rewarding environment, with many common activities, like the organization of an annual international Junior Research Lab and a broad visitor program, with guest from the best universities also as adjunct professors.

The fellowship period is 3 years devoted to research training or 4 years with a 25 % teaching commitment. The period devoted to research training may be reduced within the framework of pertaining regulations based on previously held research training positions. The research fellow is expected to complete the project within the set fellowship period.

Qualifications

• Applicants must hold a master degree (or an equivalent to the Norwegian master degree) in biostatistics or mathematics
• The ideal candidate has experience in methodological statistics, and an outstanding potential and genuine interest to develop statistical methodology for applied problems
• We seek a highly motivated and skilled person, able to work effectively as part of a team, who is eager to both gain and share insight while being focused on publishing papers in leading international journals
• Applicants must be granted admission to the Faculty’s PhD program
• High working capacity
• Independent, precise and organized working skills
• Good collaborative skills
• Excellent command of written and oral English