Assistant Professor in Psychiatric epidemiology with focus on genetics

Centre for Psychiatry Research (CPF) is responsible for all research and education (FoUU) within Psychiatry at Region Stockholm and at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, KI. At the Obsessive-Compulsive and related Disorders Across the Lifespan research group, we aim to understand the causes and consequences of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders, applying a variety of methodologies such as epidemiology, genetics, and clinical trials. The successful candidate will work in a unique environment which integrates an international, interdisciplinary and clinical research environment, providing an opportunity to contribute to quality research at international top-level, with practical and clinical implications related to the field.

The employment as Assistant Professor involves working independently, and in collaboration with others in the research group, on advancing the understanding of the genetic architecture underlying OCD and related disorders. Additionally, the position will further elucidate the role of gene-environment correlations and gene-environment interactions through the integration of genetic and epidemiological data. Your research will complement and build upon existing expertise in the epidemiology and clinical experience in OCD and related disorders.

Work tasks will involve:

• Planning and leading research projects
• Seek external research funding
• Acquiring, processing, and analysing genetic data
• Integrating genetic results with epidemiological data
• Producing scientific publications and research communications
• Interpreting and presenting results, in text, visually, and verbally with a deep understanding of the implications for the phenotype
• Supervising master and PhD students and research assistants
• Initiating and participating in collaborations with research groups and authorities
• Contributing with competence to the work environment within the research group, unit and department

The employment as Assistant Professor is time limited for 4 years with the right to apply for promotion to Senior Lecturer.

The successful candidate needs to have the following qualities:

• PhD in genetics, epidemiology or bioinformatics
• Experience in handling and analysing genetic data
• Documented experience in epidemiological research, biostatistics, and working with the Swedish nationwide registers
• Experience in psychiatric research
• Experience in visualizing and presenting results, both within the research community and to the general population
• Excellent language skills in both Swedish and English
• Clinical experience with OCD and related disorders
• Experience with statistical software packages, such as STATA or R
• Experience working in the Unix command line and running software packages for handling and analysing genetic data, such as Plink, BCFtools, or GATK

Those eligible for employment as an Assistant Professor are individuals who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than five years prior to the expiry of the application period for the position as assistant professor.

Those who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence earlier may however be considered if special grounds exist. 

Special grounds refer to:

• parental leave,
• positions of trust in trade union organizations
• mandatory service in the total defense forces
• long-term illness

Ground, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified with relevant documentation.

The candidate will be evaluated based on previous research experience of relevance to the tasks for the position, motivation and ability to collaborate. Scientific expertise and experience with multiple different types of research domains in relevance to psychiatric research (genetics, epidemiology, biostatistics) will be most important when assessing applicants.

The successful candidate should have the following qualities:

• Highly organized and self-motivated with ability to determine and meet the objectives
• Be able to develop and manage collaborative work effectively, and be comfortable having multiple parallel activities
• Background in international collaborations and working internationally

Personal suitability is of great importance.

A creative, international and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, 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 good benefits through our collective agreement. 

Location:Norrtull, Stockholm

Read more about the Department of Clinical Neuroscience
Read more about the research group you will be part of

We prefer that Your application is written in English, but You can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: Resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet’s qualifications portfolio .

Welcome to apply at the latest March 27th, 2024. 

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

An Assistant Professor employed in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 4 Section 12a shall be promoted to Senior Lecturer if he or she is eligible for an employment as Senior Lecturer in accordance with the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet and is assessed to be suitable for such employment in accordance with the assessment criteria that KI has decided should be applied when being promoted to Senior Lecturer. The assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet that was valid at the time of appointment as Assistant Professor will be applied when applying for promotion to Senior Lecturer. Current assessment criteria is found here. Such promotion results in a permanent position as Senior Lecturer.