Postdoctoral Researcher in Dementia and Chronic Disease Research

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

Our research group at the Unit of Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) offers a creative and stimulating research environment where professionals from different disciplines work together with a focus on diet, lifestyle, and health. You will become an important member of a dedicated team, with responsibility for a research project involving both national and international collaboration.

Your mission

We are seeking a highly motivated and ambitious postdoctoral researcher to join the Unit of cardiovascular and nutritional epidemiology led by Professor Susanna Larsson at the Institute of Environmental Medicine. The work focuses on identifying modifiable and biological determinants of dementia and other chronic diseases using large-scale longitudinal cohorts integrating questionnaire, genetic, omics, and register-based data.

In this position, you will take on a broad and responsible role covering the full research process, including developing research questions, study design, data management, statistical analyses, interpretation, publication, and dissemination of findings. A major focus of the position will be to lead analyses of existing epidemiological, genetic, and omics datasets and drive ongoing research projects through publication in peer-reviewed journals. The outcome will primarily be dementia.

Your responsibilities will include

• Develop and refine research questions and conduct literature reviews
• Manage and process large-scale epidemiological datasets, including questionnaire, omics, and genetic data
• Perform statistical analyses using longitudinal methods (e.g., survival analysis and Cox regression) as well as analyses of biomarker, omics, and genetic data
• Perform statistical analyses of biomarker, omics, and genetic data
• Investigate associations between modifiable risk factors, genetic determinants, biomarkers, and incidence of dementia and other chronic diseases
• Interpret results and lead the preparation of manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Contribute to the visualization and communication of scientific findings
• Participate in regular meetings and engage in national and international collaborations

You will work closely with Professor Susanna Larsson and contribute to ongoing research projects focused on identifying modifiable and biological determinants of dementia and other chronic diseases using large-scale cohort studies, biomarker data, and Mendelian randomization approaches. The successful candidate is expected to take a leading role in analyzing existing data resources, developing research questions, and advancing projects from analysis to publication.

This is a two-year fixed-term position.

Your profile

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

Required Qualifications

• A PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, or a related field, with a focus on chronic diseases
• Strong expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, and/or qualitative research methods
• Experience in research on modifiable risk factors in relation to dementia or other chronic diseases
• Proficiency in Stata or R programming
• Practical experience working with large-scale and complex cohort datasets
• Strong experience in statistical analyses, particularly longitudinal methods (e.g., survival analysis, Cox regression)
• Experience with data visualization and presentation of research findings
• Experience in scientific writing and publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Excellent written and spoken English communication skills

Desirable Qualifications

• Experience handling and analyzing omics or biomarker data
• Experience handling and analyzing genetic data, including genome-wide association studies and polygenic risk score analyses
• Experience in causal inference approaches such as Mendelian randomization and/or target trial emulation

Great importance will be attached to personal qualities.  We are looking for someone with strong analytical skills who takes initiative and can work independently. You are well organised, pay attention to detail, and can take research projects from an idea to publication. You also work well with others and have a genuine interest in scientific research.

What do we offer?

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

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

Unit of cardiovascular and nutritional epidemiology | Karolinska Institutet

Application

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

• PhD certificate
• 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)

KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T

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

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!