Vacancy for a postdoctoral researcher in the field of survival analysis

KU LEUVEN; Leuven; On-site; EUR 40,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

KU Leuven's ORSTAT group invites applications for a full-time postdoctoral researcher position in survival analysis, focusing on Statistical Cure Modeling and economic oncology applications. The project collaborates with MSD and centers on modeling long-term survival and cure fractions using relative survival approaches.

The candidate will work at ORSTAT in Leuven, contribute to methodological development in cure models, and participate in seminars and dissemination activities, with a starting

Qualifications

• PhD in Statistics or related discipline (near starting date).
• Good publication track record in statistics, preferably in survival analysis.
• Proficient in R programming, or willingness to develop expertise in R.
• Interest in pharmaceutical sector with strong work ethics.
• Some pharma sector experience or collaborations with industry is a plus.
• Fluent in English with strong communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on statistical cure modeling and applications in oncology.
• Collaborate with MSD and KU Leuven group ORSTAT on project milestones.
• Develop and implement survival analysis models in R.
• Present findings in seminars and conferences; contribute to publications.
• Possibly supervise master's theses or support educational tasks.

Skills

Survival analysis

Publication track record

English communication

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Statistics or related discipline

Tools

R

Job description

Vacancy for a postdoctoral researcher in the field of survival analysis

The research group ORSTAT (Operations Research and Statistics) of KU Leuven (Belgium) is hiring a postdoctoral researcher in the domain of survival analysis, in particular on the topic of ‘Statistical Cure Modeling and Applications for Economic Models in Oncology’.

This applied research project is financially supported and in close collaboration with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA). Advances in oncology therapies are increasingly resulting in a proportion of patients achieving durable remission, especially in early-stage cancers. Statistical modeling for “cure” (or “long term survival”) plays a crucial role in oncology research by providing deeper insights into patient outcomes and treatment effectiveness. To manage the research project, the effort will focus on oncology indications representing an area predominantly affected by the problem. Our proposed research plan to fill the knowledge gap consists of three pillars: (1) Test for sufficient trial follow-up, (2) Test for the existence of a cure fraction based on relative survival, and (3) The use of external data (summary level competitor trials, etc.) for cure models.

Profile

• You have or will have obtained (close to the starting date) a PhD in Statistics or a related discipline.
• You have a good publication track record in statistics, preferably in survival analysis.
• You are proficient in R programming language, or otherwise willing and able to develop expertise in R programming.
• You have a strong interest in the pharmaceutical sector, and are a highly talented and motivated candidate with excellent work ethics.
• Some experience in the pharmaceutical sector and/or with applied research projects in collaboration with industrial partners is a plus.
• You are fluent in English (written/spoken) and have strong communication and presentation skills.

Offer

We offer a full-time position as a postdoctoral researcher for one year, with a possibility to extend. The tentative starting date is March 1, 2027, but a somewhat later start date is possible depending on the availability of the candidate and the time line of the hiring process. You will work under the supervision of prof. Ingrid Van Keilegom (ORSTAT, KU Leuven) and employees of MSD. You will be located at ORSTAT at KU Leuven (Naamsestraat 69, Leuven, Belgium), where you will find a dynamic and pleasant working environment that is actively involved in scientific research at the highest international level in different domains such as survival analysis, post-model selection inference, time series, discrete choice experiments, … Research projects in these domains are focusing both on fundamental and applied research.

This position offers candidates an opportunity to further develop their research skills within the context of the project. As a postdoctoral researcher, like all other academic staff, you are expected to participate in seminars and conferences. There may also be some possibilities and opportunities to perform a limited number of educational/service tasks (e.g., supervising master's theses), next to your main research tasks directly linked to the project described above.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. Ingrid Van Keilegom, mail: [e-mail].

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location_city Locatie: Leuven