PhD fellowship in Dynamical Indicators in Epidemiology at the Department of Public Health

Updated: over 2 years ago
Deadline: 24 Sep 2021

We are offering a PhD fellowship in Epidemiology commencing 1 December 2021  or as soon as possible hereafter.

Our group and research
Section of Epidemiology contributes to the development of the field of theoretical epidemiology, with a specific focus on causal inference, complexity and life course epidemiology. The dynamic interplay between genes, environment and health across the life course and across generations are objects of research in the section. The Westendorp Group is part of the Novo Nordisk Challenge project “Harnessing the Power of Big Data to Address the Societal Challenge of Ageing” together with the Center for Healthy Aging and Statistics Denmark and the primary field of research of the group is identification and evaluation of biomarkers and novel metabolic markers of aging (fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia) and disease progression. https://www.dataforgood.science

Project Description
The project will study the relationship of various ‘complex-system’ based dynamical indicators from time-series longitudinal health data with clinical endpoints, such as chronic diseases and mortality. It has been shown in physical sciences that dynamical indicators based on existing resilience paradigms, such as critical slowing down, have been shown to forecast the resilience status of systems. The need for tools which measure and provide insights regarding resilience in older adults is one of the top priorities in the field of aging. The project aims to implement various dynamical indicators in an epidemiological framework, testing their ability to predict failure and loss of resilience in humans. It extends beyond purely assessing the ability of existing indicators in predicting loss of resilience and frailty, by also conceptualizing and  developing novel resilience paradigms based on clinical knowledge. Register based studies on the association between dynamical indicators and different clinical outcomes are expected to be performed in the project, with the option of quantifying resilience directly via data from wearable technology. We are therefore seeking a candidate with an interdisciplinary profile with knowledge in systems failure, statistics and epidemiology.

Principal supervisor is Professor Rudi GJ Westendorp, Department of Public Health, [email protected]
Start: 1
December2021
Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:

  • Carry through an independent research project under supervision
  • Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS points
  • Participate in active research environments including a stay at another research team
  • Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
  • Teach and disseminate your knowledge
  • Write a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project


Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project e.g. a Master of Science in Computational Biomedicine, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Public Health or another degree with a strong focus on statistics, data analysis and complex systems biology. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database . Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Other important criteria are:

  • The grade point average achieved
  • Relevant master thesis topic or publications
  • Prior experience in statistical data processing and analysis of Register data.
  • Thorough understanding of statistics
  • Strong programming skills in the statistical language of R
  • Curious mindset able to discuss and interpret results to interdisciplinary scientific groups.

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of employment
The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for 3 years.

It is conditioned upon the applicant’s successful enrolment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2013) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree. Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary begins around 28.597 DKK /approx. 3.845 EUR (October 2021-level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

3. Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.

4. Publication list (if possible)


Application deadline: 24 September 2021, 23.59pm CET
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor.

The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences comprises approximately 7500 students, 1500 PhD students and 3200 employees. The Faculty advances the field of health sciences through its core activities: research, teaching, knowledge sharing and communication. With basic research fields ranging from molecular studies to studies of society, the Faculty contributes to a healthy future through its graduates, research findings and inventions benefitting patients and the community. The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position. 


Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.



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