The University of Oulu is one of the largest universities in Finland. With about 14 000 students and approximately 3 000 employees it is a vibrant international scientific community. By combining multidisciplinary research and education, high-level infrastructure and wide cooperation with international research and educational institutes, companies and the public sector it has created a significant research and innovation hub of “Science with Arctic Attitude”. More information http://www.oulu.fi/university/.

The position is located in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oulu (https://www.oulu.fi/medicine/) and will be hosted by Research Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology (MIPT). MIPT offers high-quality research and  training in medical imaging, physics and technology at the University of Oulu. The Master’s program in Biomedical Engineering is coordinated by the MIPT. MIPT’s goal is to be the leading research unit in multimodal medical imaging but the research topics cover a wide range from neuroimaging to artificial intelligence and from physical activity and wellbeing to applied medical informatics (including eHealth, mHealth, connected health) and co-creation in digital health solutions. MIPT also collaborates with industry within those areas. The research lines are carried out in various research groups.

Medical informatics research within MIPT is conducted by the FinnTelemedicum group, which has since 2003 performed research in order to measure availability, intensity of use and usability of health information systems. Closest research partners are the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL), Aalto University, University of Eastern Finland and professional organizations. The group is part of the Nordic eHealth Research Network (NeRN) that has performed benchmarking studies in the Nordic level and shares experiences with OECD and WHO. FinnTelemedicum group is targeting towards new research topics like artificial intelligence in medicine, technology assessment of eHealth and mHealth applications in a clinical environment and co-creation of software solutions for healthcare professionals.

Medical informatics research in Oulu is based on a solid understanding of the professional healthcare environment. It is performed in a local partnership network that consists of Oulu University Hospital (OYS), OYS testlab, Finnish Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (FinCCHTA), Digihealth Hub in the Medical Faculty, Infotech in the University of Oulu, other faculties in the University of Oulu and VTT (National Technology Research Centre in Finland)

Subject field and the description of the position

Finland is one of the most advanced countries in terms of digitalization of health care. All the new patient information is produced in digital format only and every health care service provider is connected to the national health information exchange (HIE), the Kanta system. Lately, patient originated data can be stored in the same repository and new patient-centric model for care enables citizens to use their own data. The connectivity with the health services is established through mobile channels. The research in analysing the impact of those information systems is becoming an essential resource of knowledge. There is an opportunity to strengthen the eHealth assessment expertise in University of Oulu and conduct medical informatics research in this Finnish nationwide living lab.

Moreover, the secondary usage of health data will enable new discoveries in professional tools and innovative products for both professionals and citizens. The post-doc researcher will have an opportunity to collaborate within the MIPT team in order to investigate the possibilities of artificial intelligence and data processing in medicine. There are ongoing activities to improve the quality of this research field, depending on forthcoming legislation, if the access to real patient data can be realized.

The details of the research project will be mutually agreed upon, based on the qualifications, interests, and expertise of the candidate. Depending on the resulting research topic, the candidates can originate from different backgrounds like: 1) medical doctors or doctors of nursing sciences with research experience in medical informatics or health data management or 2) computer scientists or biomedical engineers with experience in a health care domain or 3) medical physicists or mathematicians with experience of implementing data processing algorithms in health care topics or 4) industrial engineers or health technology specialists with an interest in the impact of health information systems.

The duration of the position is for 2 years. The starting date is September 9th, 2019, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Required Qualifications and assessment

The successful applicant must hold a PhD (or equivalent degree) in relevant field, preferably related to digital health or medical informatics. Professional background as a licenced physician or registered nurse or other prior knowledge of health care service system is considered an advantage. Experience in one or more of the following technological expertise areas may be considered beneficial: information processing sciences, health economics, health technology assessment, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. Demonstrated experience in writing scientific publications, potential in acquiring supplementary funding and teaching experience will be taken as merits. Fluency in English is essential, fluency in Finnish is an advantage.

When assessing the applicant’s qualifications, issues to be considered will include scientific publications, supervision experience, activity in the scientific community and familiarity with the research field.  As part of the MIPT team, the duties may also include supervising scientific research of BSc, MSc, and PhD students. Participation in teaching within the faculty curriculum and in acquiring research funding is expected.

A six-month trial period will be effective in the beginning of a contract.

Salary

The salary is in accordance with the University salary system (for teaching and research personnel) level 5 (postdoctoral researcher). In addition, there is a share increase at most, 50% of the basic salary, which is based on personal achievements and performance.

Application Procedure

The following documents must be attached to the application (in English)

1) Motivation letter (1 – 2 pages) with description of expertise

2) CV with the names and contact details of 2 – 3 referees

3) Full publication list

4) Copies of relevant official degree

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures, must be submitted using the electronic application form by August 31st, 2019, 23:59. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Interview

The top candidates for the post may be interviewed and asked to present their scientific work and experience.

Additional information regarding the filling of this post:

Prof. Jarmo Reponen, Group leader, FinnTelemedicum Group, MIPT, e-mail: jarmo.reponen(at)oulu.fi

Tiina Hurskainen, HR Manager, email: tiina.hurskainen(at)oulu.fi


Updated 14.6.2019