Postdoctoral Researcher in Statistics with Applications in Human Genetics

Updated: 11 months ago
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 21 May 2023

The University of Helsinki , founded in 1640, is one of the world’s leading universities for multidisciplinary research. The university has an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members. The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.

As part of the Faculty of Science, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics  of the University of Helsinki is the biggest university department of mathematical sciences in Finland. The department hosts several current ERC grants of the European Research Council and two Centres of Excellence of the Academy of Finland.

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the Faculty of Science of the University of Helsinki invites applications for

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

in statistics with applications in human genetics for a fixed term of 2 years, starting on August 1, or later as agreed. There will be a trial period of six months in the beginning.
The successful applicant should have a doctoral degree in statistics, mathematics, machine learning, or other relevant field, and experience in developing and applying statistical methods in computationally challenging problems. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required. Prior experience with genetic data is not a prerequisite but it is considered an advantage.

The postdoctoral researcher will work in the research group of Professor Matti Pirinen  that is affiliated also with the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) . The research group develops statistical and computational methods motivated by most recent problems in human genetics and epidemiology research.

The work of the postdoctoral researcher will focus on methodology to utilize a rich set of results from genome-wide association studies to infer simultaneously causal relationships between genetic variants and multiple outcome variables including disease endpoints. Relevant statistical methods include regression modeling, variable selection, multivariate analysis and missing data techniques. The balance between theoretical and applied work will be determined according to the background and skills of the postdoctoral researcher. Five percent of the working time will be allocated to teaching or supervision duties.

WHAT DO WE OFFER

We offer you a highly international and interdisciplinary research environment with excellent opportunities to build up your professional expertise and scientific network. The research group is affiliated both at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM). FIMM includes a globally leading research community in human genomics hosting the FinnGen project, and provides excellent opportunity to develop computational methods in collaboration with scientists who apply them in their daily work.

The salary of the successful candidate will be based on level 5 of the demands level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary will be ca. 3650–4000 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The University provides support for internationally recruited employees with their transition to work and live in Finland. For more on the University of Helsinki as an employer, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers .

The University of Helsinki seeks to promote an equitable and inclusive working environment and welcomes applicants of any gender, linguistic and cultural background, or minority group.

HOW TO APPLY

The application should include the following documents as PDF files:

  • motivational letter outlining why you are the right person for this position (1 page)
  • CV
  • list of publications
  • Include also contact information of two persons, who are willing to provide a reference letter by a separate request.

Please submit your application through the University of Helsinki´s recruitment system. Applicants, who are employees of the University of Helsinki, are requested to leave their application by using the employee login.

The deadline for submitting the application is 21 May 2023.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information on the position and operational environment, contact Matti Pirinen (matti.pirinen(at)helsinki.fi ).

If you need support with the recruitment system, please contact HR Services (hr-kumpula(at)helsinki.fi ).



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