Two positions as Researcher are available at the Department of Pharmacy at Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.

One position is for one year, the other is also for one year subject to a starting date within January 1st 2023.

Project description

The positions are part of the PharmacoEpidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo. The research group includes 4 full time researchers, 4 adjunct positions and over 10 PhD-students and post doc’s making up a group of more than 20 individuals. The PharmaSafe Research group at UiO is internationally recognized, with interests spanning a broad range of areas including pharmacoepidemiology, medication safety and clinical pharmacy, with special focus on complex patient groups. The research group is multidisciplinary and has expertise within pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, psychiatry, pharmacotherapy and clinical pharmacy.

The researchers will be involved in data management, writing scripts, providing advice on statistical modeling and performing analyses of data in several perinatal pharmacoepidemiological studies aiming to improve the knowledge about safety of medication and vaccines in pregnancy. Relevant medications groups include medications against multiple sclerosis, migraine, antidepressants, gabapentinoids and COVID-19 vaccines. The epidemiological data consists of data from various secondary data sources such as prescription data, patient registries and medical birth registries from Norway and several other Nordic and European countries. Several state-of-the art study designs and advanced statistical and causal inference methods will be employed to enhance our ability to assess causation from observational data. Triangulation of methods that address different bias and confounding structures will help inference. Clinical data stem from a human breast milk study, and include modelling of medication transfer into breast milk (PopPK and PBPK modelling).

One project includes working on the Nordic COllaborative HEalth REgister Network for Covid-19 Epidemiology (COHERENCE). The project is funded by Nordforsk, aiming to strengthen Nordic collaboration and research using linked registry data from heath care registries. A specific focus in this project will be on vulnerable populations (e.g. pregnant women and children) and Covid-19 outcomes, and the impact of medications in these groups of individuals.

The researchers will also be involved in running analyses within the IMI ConcePTION project (), a collaborative European research project aimed at generating and disseminating evidence on the effects of medicines used in pregnancy and during lactation.

Read more here: 

Our COVID-19 projects: PharmaSafe COVID-19 projects – Department of Pharmacy (uio.no)

The candidates will also be included in the PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo.
PharmaTox is a multidisciplinary center comprising strong research environments in pharmaceutical bioscience, biology, bioinformatics and statistics.

The PharmaSafe research group: www.mn.uio.no/farmasi/english/research/groups/pharma-safe/index.html

The PharmaTox research environment: www.mn.uio.no/farmasi/english/research/groups/pharmatox/

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for this position will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

  • Applicants must hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree in epidemiology or biostatistics or related field. Doctoral dissertation must be submitted for evaluation by the closing date. Only applicants with an approved doctoral thesis and public defense are eligible for appointment.
  • Strong competence in biostatistics and statistical modelling of observational data
  • Research experience within epidemiology and analysis of large-scale epidemiological data sets, preferentially from the Nordic countries
  • Good computational and coding skills (e.g. STATA, SAS or R).
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.

The following qualifications will count in the assessment of the applicants:

  • Experience with causal inference methods (e.g. propensity score methods)
  • Experience from perinatal pharmacoepidemiology
  • High motivation for a research career, documented primarily via original publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Personal skills

  • Ability to work independently as well as in multidisciplinary teams
  • Ability to give and receive constructive scientific criticism
  • Resourceful, structured, and results-oriented

We offer

  • Salary NOK 544 400 – 661 400 per annum depending on qualifications in position as Researcher (position code 1109)
  • Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
  • Professionally stimulating working environment
  • Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include

  • Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
  • CV (summarizing education, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience and other qualifying activity)
  • Copies of educational certificates, academic transcript of records
  • A complete list of publications and up to 5 academic works that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
  • Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be placed on the documented, academic qualifications, as well as the candidates motivation and personal suitability. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

It is expected that the successful candidate will be able to complete the project in the course of the period of employment.

Formal regulations

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

Contact information

For further information please contact: Professor Hedvig Nordeng, phone: +47 22856604, e-mail: h.m.e.nordeng@farmasi.uio.no

For questions regarding JobbNorge please contact: Torunn Standal Guttormsen, phone: +47 22854272, e-mail: t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no

About the University of Oslo 

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society. 

The Department of Pharmacy has 130 employees. We have an active research and innovation environment based on independent research in pharmaceutical topics. The Department of Pharmacy is responsible for the popular master’s degree program in pharmacy and has 350 competent and committed students. Pharmaceutical related research and education forms the base of all activities at the Department of Pharmacy.
The science of pharmacy lies in the interface between the natural sciences, pharmaceutical technology, health related topics and social sciences. This interdisciplinarity is reflected both in our study programmes and in our research. 
In the planned life science building at the University of Oslo, closer collaboration with health enterprises, local government and the business sector will enhance quality and relevance in research and education of the future labour force. The building will be the heart of the first innovation district in Norway – Oslo Science City. The Department of Pharmacy will move into the new Life Science building in 2026.

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