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 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.

Connected health research within MIPT is conducted in interdisciplinary manner as a close collaboration between Oulu Business School (Martti Ahtisaari Instituutti) and VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland.

Subject field and the description of the position

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Finland and Europe. There are 20 000 stroke cases in Finland alone each year. Thus, on average, on any day, 55 people in Finland get a stroke, and one-third of these people are still at working age. 25% of these people recover normally, but 15% of them will stay permanently in the nursing home. Taking care of these stroke patients is very costly to our society. The direct yearly cost of stroke care is 500 million euros. The work is conducted in Stroke-Data project which aims to build solutions for stroke prevention and diagnostics. The role of the selected postdoctoral researcher will be:

1)      Responsibility of the research permissions and ethical proposals for Stroke-Data study

2)      Identify needs for Stroke risk patient risk prevention and diagnostics (write journal papers based on the qualitative study)

3)      Support co-creation and validation of a decision support system to improve differential diagnosis, triaging, and management of cerebrovascular conditions for medical doctors

4)      Support co-creation a mobile solution that improves stroke care and cerebrovascular disorders risk diagnostics for risk patients

5)      Support validation of the feasibility of combining heterogeneous data with AI and machine learning approaches in DSS for diagnosis, triaging, and management of stroke disorders.

Stroke-Data research is conducted as a close collaboration with several companies (Bittium, Everon, Uros, Vetrea, Innokas Medical, Tieto, Bitfactor, Invenco, Predicell) healthcare providers (KYS, OYS) and research institutes (Martti Ahtisaari Instituutti, Oulu University, VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland and University of Eastern Finland)

The duration of the position is for 2 years. The starting date is May 1st, 2020, 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, medical informatics, engineering science and business science. Professional background as a licenced physician or registered nurse or other prior knowledge of neurology is considered an advantage.Experience of ethical research permissions is considered an advantage. Experience in decision support systems, patient guiding systems, artificial intelligence, and data analytics is considered beneficial. 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 e.g PhD students. Participation 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 May 28th, 2020. 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. Minna Pikkarainen, MIPT, e-mail: minna.pikkarainen(at)oulu.fi

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

About the City of Oulu

The City of Oulu is Northern Finland’s largest and oldest city, with a population of over 200,000. Located in the Gulf of Bothnia in the Oulu River delta, the city has good access from anywhere. Oulu is a very safe and family-friendly community with a high quality of life. This modern city with a beautiful harbour and market area offers plenty of cultural activities as well as opportunities for exploring northern nature. Open space and parks can be found along the Oulu River and throughout the area and they are easily accessed by bike – the favourite mode of transport in Oulu. There is an entire range of outdoor and sports facilities to choose from, not forgetting Finland’s biggest spectator sport, ice hockey. Winter is a season that is highly celebrated and lit bike trails and bridges bring the city alive. As the world’s northernmost tech hub, Oulu has a highly educated and innovative workforce and the University has a strong role in the community. Oulu is a marvellous place to live, work and enjoys a vibrant academic community. Welcome to the home of science with Arctic Attitude!