Postdoctoral Scholar

Department Overview

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is an internationally recognized leader in cancer research and care, powered by a historic $2 billion gift from Phil and Penny Knight. With a bold mission to revolutionize cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, we offer an environment where innovation thrives, collaboration is central, and your work can have a lasting impact. The institute cultivates a welcoming and supportive environment for caregivers, researchers, and support personnel. Knight affiliates subscribe to three guiding principles: we are bold, we are supportive, and we work as a connected team in our fight to end cancer as we know it. We'd love for you to join us! DOS is a collaborative and multidisciplinary hub with strong research programs spanning cancer systems biology, precision medicine, cancer data science, and cancer population science. The division fosters close interaction among experimental and computational biologists, physician-scientists, biostatisticians, and collaborators in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Knight Cancer employees are expected to embody our guiding principles:

• We act BOLDLY—Breakthroughs require pushing the boundaries of science, exploring new frontiers, and thinking differently
• We SUPPORT each other—Respect leads to trust, which leads to excellence
• We work as a CONNECTED team — We must leverage our collective brain power to conquer cancer because no one individual can do it alone

Function/Duties of Position

The Tworoger Laboratory in the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is seeking a curious, highly motivated, and independent postdoctoral researcher to join our interdisciplinary team within the Division of Oncological Sciences (DOS) at the Knight Cancer Institute. Dr. Shelley Tworoger, Professor in DOS, will mentor the position.

DOS is a collaborative and multidisciplinary hub with strong research programs spanning cancer systems biology, precision medicine, cancer data science, and cancer population science. The division fosters close interaction among experimental and computational biologists, physician-scientists, biostatisticians, and collaborators in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

This position offers a unique opportunity for a postdoctoral scholar to work at the intersection of mathematical modeling and epidemiology, using large-cohort approaches to conduct research, with strong support for career development and interdisciplinary biomedical research and collaboration. The successful candidate will lead work on modeling racial disparities in screening and developing novel biostatistical modeling tools for ovarian cancer research. In close collaboration with the lab’s principal investigator and other research staff, the candidate is expected to:

• Define and refine project goals and scientific strategy, including creating detailed analysis plans and timelines.
• Conduct analyses in collaboration with the PI and associated collaborators.
• Routinely meet with the PI and other lab members to discuss results, interpret data, and brainstorm next steps.

Contribute to writing grant proposals and manuscripts, and present scientific results at regional and national conferences.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or MD/PhD in a relevant field
• Minimum of 3 years of graduate training
• Experience with statistical programming languages including r and SAS. Within R, experience building and documenting R packages.
• Experience with literature review and manuscript preparation
• Strong background and training in biostatistics and epidemiology
• Goal-oriented and self-motivated
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Ability to work independently, plan long- and short-term research strategies and experiments, and think critically
• Ability to multitask, be task-oriented, and flexible with working schedule
• Demonstrated ability to learn new and innovative methods quickly
• Demonstrated ability to search and parse scientific literature
• Ability to uphold scientific responsibility, transparency, and rigor in all aspects of research and reporting

Preferred Qualifications

• First-authored publications in relevant research areas
• Experience with mathematical modeling in the context of epidemiologic research
• Experience working with longitudinal data

Additional Details

Apply online. Please be sure to upload a Cover Letter and Resume/CV.

We offer a variety of benefits on top of joining a thriving organization:

• Medical, dental and vision coverage at no or low cost to employees
  • Covered 100% for full-time employees and 88% for dependents
• Several retirement plans to choose from with contributions from OHSU
• 120 hours of vacation time per year
• 96 hours of sick leave a year (prorated for part-time employees)
• 9 paid holidays per year
• Commuter subsidies
• Tuition reimbursement
• Access to group life insurance, disability insurance and other supplemental benefits
• Annual Raises
• Growth/Development Opportunities
• Employee discounts to local and major businesses

Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact [email protected]