Postdoctoral position focusing on algorithmic management, work and health

Do you want to contribute to better health for all?

Join us to study one of the major transformations taking place in working life: the increasing use of digital technologies and algorithmic management, and what these changes mean for workers' health. Working in the research projects ALGOSH and DIGILONG, you will be analysing newly collected longitudinal data linked to Swedish population registers, using advanced epidemiological approaches to address questions that remain largely unexplored. You will have considerable scientific freedom to lead papers, develop new research questions and build expertise at the intersection of occupational health, epidemiology and the changing world of work.

Your mission

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher in epidemiology who is interested in understanding how the changing world of work affects workers' health and in using advanced quantitative methods to answer complex epidemiological questions.

The postdoctoral researcher will work primarily within the DIGILONG and ALGOSH projects, investigating how algorithmic management and digital platform work influence working conditions and health. The projects combine survey data with large population-based register data, providing opportunities to study workers' health over time and across different employment and occupational contexts.

A central part of the position will be to develop epidemiological research questions and identify the analytical approaches best suited to answer them. We are particularly interested in moving beyond conventional epidemiological models when the research question requires it. Depending on the question, this may include causal inference methods for longitudinal data and time-varying confounding, target trial emulation, mediation analysis, machine learning and neural networks, as well as complexity-informed approaches to understanding dynamic relationships between work and health.

The emphasis is on using these methods to address substantive questions in occupational health rather than on methodological development in isolation.

The postdoctoral researcher will be expected to take a leading role throughout the research process, including formulating research questions, developing study designs and analytical strategies, conducting analyses, interpreting findings and leading scientific publications. The researcher will also work closely with PhD students and other members of the research group, contributing epidemiological and analytical expertise to ongoing studies.

The position provides considerable scientific independence and opportunities to develop new research questions and methodological approaches within the broader aims of ALGOSH and DIGILONG and to collaborate with national and international research partners. The position is temporary for two years. 

Your profile

We are looking for an epidemiologist with a strong interest in occupational health and advanced quantitative methods. The successful candidate should be able to develop substantive epidemiological research questions and critically identify the study designs and analytical approaches best suited to answer them. We value methodological innovation, but methods should be driven by the research question and contribute to a better understanding of workers' health.

Previous expertise in digitalisation, artificial intelligence, algorithmic management or platform work is not required. However, candidates should have a genuine interest in these developments as emerging occupational exposures and be motivated to build substantive expertise in how transformations in the world of work may affect working conditions and health.

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.

The successful candidate should have:

• A PhD in epidemiology, public health, occupational health, or a closely related field with a strong epidemiological component.
• A strong foundation in epidemiological study design, causal reasoning and quantitative methods.
• Experience in independent analysis of large and complex datasets.
• Experience with longitudinal epidemiological research.
• Strong statistical programming skills in R, Stata, SAS and/or Python.
• Ability to translate substantive research questions into appropriate study designs and analytical strategies, including critically evaluating methodological alternatives, assumptions and limitations.
• A track record of scientific publications and experience taking a leading role in developing research questions, conducting analyses, interpreting findings and writing manuscripts.
• Excellent written and spoken English and the ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary and international research environment.

Experience in one or more of the following is considered particularly meritorious:

• Advanced methods for longitudinal and causal epidemiology, including approaches to time-varying exposures and confounding.
• Target trial emulation and other causal inference approaches.
• Mediation analysis and other approaches to investigating mechanisms and pathways.
• Machine learning, neural networks or related computational approaches applied to epidemiological research.
• Complexity science or related approaches for studying dynamic and interconnected relationships between exposures and health.
• Analysis of large population-based register or administrative data, particularly linked longitudinal data.
• Occupational epidemiology or research on working conditions, employment and workers' health.

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: Unit of Occupational Medicine, Solna

Carin Håkansta's research group – Digital work environment and health | Karolinska Institutet

The New World of Work – Theo Bodin's research group | Karolinska Institutet

ALGOSH: About the program | Karolinska Institutet

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

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. We will interview interesting candidates on an ongoing basis during the application period.

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