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Doctoral (PhD) student position in epidemiology : Stockholm, Sweden

A doctoral position is an available doctoral education project to which a PhD student is to be recruited. After the selection process the process for admission to doctoral education will commence. An admission decision will not be taken until an individual study plan has been approved by the departmental admission board.

For more information regarding doctoral (PhD) education, see: http://www.ki.se/doctoral.

Department
The Department of Public Health Sciences conducts research, teaching and consultancy in epidemiology and public health. The department has extensive international research collaborations in developed and developing counties. The department has currently approximately 140 employees and 100 doctoral students. The announced position will be placed in the Child and Adolescent Public Health Epidemiology Research Group.

The doctoral education project and the duties of the student
The PhD student shall investigate quality of life, self-esteem, body image, and eating behavior in families of women treated by gastric bypass (GBP) surgery in two substudies and datasets.

The first substudy is a three-year follow-up study of children and partners of women treated by GBP surgery. The aim is to investigate how children and partners of severely obese women/mothers are affected in terms of eating behavior, self-esteem, body image, and physical activity. A one-year follow-up study has already been conducted. As expected the obese women showed large weight loss after GBP surgery and changed their eating habits.

The second substudy is a randomized post-operative, dissonance-based intervention for female GBP patients. The aim of this trial is to investigate how the women are affected by the intervention in terms of eating behavior, body esteem, social adjustment, and quality of life compared to GBP patients who are offered usual care. The intervention and control groups will be follow-up two years after GBP surgery.

The PhD study will be conducted in a multi-disciplinary team. Under supervision the PhD student is expected to take part in the intervention, data collection, conduct statistical analyses and write four papers to be published in international peer-reviewed journals under supervision. Postgraduate courses are another important part of the curriculum för PhD students. The supervisors have expertise in epidemiology, psychology, nutrition and GBP surgery.

Entry requirements for doctoral education at KI
To be eligible for doctoral education following requirements has to be met:

General entry requirements
A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education (according to Higher Education Ordinance Chapt 7, section 39) if he/she:

has been awarded advanced/second-cycle/master qualification (i.e. master degree) or
has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle/master level, or
has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
Specific entry requirements
Proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school:
Proficiency in the English language can be documented by an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL or IELTS, see web-link below for more information.
Applicants who meet the general entry requirements (1 or 2 above) from a university in one of the Nordic countries fulfill the requirements in English.

Good knowledge and skills in the Swedish language is also required. Ability to communicate and work efficiently with colleagues in the research team as well as in clinical settings is required.

For more information regarding general and specific entry requirements: http://ki.se/en/education/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education.

Skills and personal qualities
We are looking for a creative and motivated individual with aptitude for this type of research. The successful candidate will be a new member of a multi-disciplinary research team, and will also have many contacts with patients in clinical settings. Knowledge, skills and scientific experience of psychology, nutrition, epidemiology and nursing research are qualifying for this position. Good knowledge and skills in English and Swedish are required. Ability to communicate and work efficiently with colleagues in the research team as well as in clinical settings is required.

Assessment criteria
A selection will be made among qualified applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:
- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject

The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Terms and conditions
The most common way of financial support for doctoral students at KI is doctoral grant the first year and a doctoral studentship (doctoral employment) for year 2, 3 and 4. During the time between recruitment and admission a short-term employment can be offered for up to 6 months.

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

A personal letter and curriculum vitae
A copy of degree certificates and associated certificates
A copy of degree projects and any previous publications
The application is to be submitted on the MyNetwork recruitment system.

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world´s leading medical universities. Its mission is to contribute to the improvement of human health through research and education. Karolinska Institutet accounts for over 40 per cent of the medical academic research conducted in Sweden and offers the country´s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. Since 1901 the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.

Pursuant to the regulations of the Swedish National Archives, applications are kept on file for two years after the appointment has gained legal force. The regulations do not apply to attachments that have been printed or otherwise published.

Karolinska Institutet strives to provide a workplace that has approximately the same number of women and men, is free of discrimination and offers equal opportunity to everyone.

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Job details

Employer:Karolinska Institutet (KI)

Website:http://ki.se/en/startpage

Location:Stockholm, Sweden

Expires:October 13, 2014

Job type:PhD Studentship

Salary:Unspecified

Qualifications:Postgraduate - Doctorate/PhD

Employment type:Temporary

Job hours:Full-time