Postdoctoral Researcher in Pharmaco-epidemiology of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer

The research group ‘Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery’ is located in the heart of KI’s main campus area in Solna. The group includes senior and junior researchers, biostatisticians, administrators, PhD candidates and students. We conduct research of diseases and surgery of the oesophagus and stomach with a focus on cancer. 

The postdoctoral researcher will primarily examine how exposure to various medications influence the aetiology and survival in cancer of the oesophagus and stomach, i.e. upper gastrointestinal cancer. The project will be based on a large case-control study (Nordic Gastric and Esophageal Tumour Study, NordGETS) which contains data collected from national complete and high-quality registries in all five Nordic countries. Cases are all patients with a diagnosis of oesophageal or gastric cancer and controls are 10 times as many individuals from the background populations of the five countries. The study period is determined by the start of the prescribed drug registries in the participating countries (from 1994 onwards).

The formal supervisor is Jesper Lagergren, the research group leader. He is professor and consultant surgeon at KI and Karolinska University Hospital and member of the Nobel Assembly. He also holds a position as part-time professor at King’s College London. You can read more about him here: Jesper Lagergren

The postdoctoral researcher will be guided by Dr Giola Santoni, who is an experienced biostatistician with much knowledge in data management and analysis of large Nordic databases. You can read more about her here: Giola Santoni

The work tasks mainly consist of research, including detailed planning of studies (study protocols), data management, statistical analyses and writing of scientific papers and grant applications. Teaching is limited, but may be conducted within our PhD courses, research seminars, journal clubs and methods clubs.

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

We are looking for a skilled researcher with documented knowledge in epidemiology, ideally in cancer epidemiology and pharmaco-epidemiology. Experience and ability in data management and analysis of large databases. The formal requirement is a Degree of Doctor or corresponding competence.

Applicants will mainly be evaluated based on their scientific qualifications and appropriate experience and skills in the work tasks and entry requirements described above. Documented skills in epidemiological research methodology, including pharmaco-epidemiology, are particularly qualifying. The applicant should have documented experience of analysing and interpreting research data and in writing excellent scientific articles in English. Documented knowledge and interest in cancer, particularly oesophageal and gastric cancer, are meriting. Important personal characteristics include curiosity, engagement, social competence and collaboration skills. Excellent knowledge in the English language (both orally and in writing) is required, not the least because English is the official language of the group.

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

Location: Solna

Read more about the group hereUpper GI Surgery

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work A complete list of publications A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply at the latest  prolonged to January 8, 2023

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