Doctoral Researcher in Occupational Cancer Epidemiology (NordExCan) / Väitöskirjatutkija NordExCan-tutkimushankkeeseen

Tampere University is a unique, boldly futureoriented and evolving community, and one of Finlands most multidisciplinary universities. At Tampere University, technology, health and society come together in a distinctive way. Our research groups and projects carry out interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research that transcends organisational boundaries. Our community is international, with members from more than 80 countries. Read more at https://www.tuni.fi/en/tau

[The Faculty of Social Sciences](https://www.tuni.fi/en/about-us/faculty-social-sciences) and [Health Sciences Unit](https://www.tuni.fi/en/tau/health-sciences#switcher-trigger-overview) (HES) at Tampere University invite applications for the position of

Doctoral Researcher in Occupational Cancer Epidemiology for a fixed-term period of 3 years starting in January 2027 (or as agreed).

The Health Sciences unit provides a collaborative setting with multidisciplinary and multimethodological strengths in population health, supporting rigorous and impactful doctoral research.

Our doctoral programs in [Health Sciences](https://opiskelijanopas.tuni.fi/en/tampere-university/curriculum/degree-programmes/uta-tohjelma-1762?year=2025), [Epidemiology and Public Health (IPPE)](https://opiskelijanopas.tuni.fi/en/tampere-university/curriculum/degree-programmes/uta-tohjelma-1765?year=2025), and [Medicine](https://opiskelijanopas.tuni.fi/en/tampere-university/curriculum/degree-programmes/uta-tohjelma-1763?year=2025) offer a strong methodological and research environment for completing an ongoing doctoral project within established research groups at the Health Sciences Unit. The programs provide advanced training in key areas of population health, supporting high-quality publication-oriented research and researcher training.

Job description

The doctoral researcher will join the research project The Nordic Occupational Exposome and Cancer: Decades of Change, Mixtures, and Inequalities (NordExCan), led by Principal Investigator Dr. Subas Neupane. The project examines how occupational exposures change over working life and how these exposures, individually and in combination, are associated with cancer incidence, mortality, and inequalities in the Nordic countries. The research builds on the Nordic Occupational Cancer (NOCCA) cohort and Nordic job-exposure matrices, using occupational histories and population and cancer registry data from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.

The doctoral researcher will mainly work on Work Package 1, focusing on occupational exposure histories and their associations with cancer incidence. The work includes harmonising occupational and registry data, estimating cumulative and time-varying exposures, and examining the effects of exposure mixtures and changes in exposure over working life. The doctoral researcher will use epidemiological and statistical methods to investigate cancer risks, including differences by sex and socioeconomic position. Depending on the research needs, the doctoral researcher may also contribute to other work packages covering rare cancers, cancer survival, and causal pathways.

The doctoral researcher will conduct research leading to a doctoral dissertation and contribute to scientific publications and conference presentations. The position also involves participating in project meetings and working closely with the Nordic research team. The research will be based on registry data analysed in secure environments using reproducible statistical methods.

Qualifications

A Master's degree in epidemiology, public health, biostatistics, health sciences, data science, or a related field is required. The selected candidate must also meet the requirements for admission to a relevant doctoral programme at Tampere University. Applicants may be required to provide proof of English proficiency, such as IELTS or TOEFL scores, in accordance with the university's admission requirements.

We are looking for a candidate with an interest in occupational and cancer epidemiology and good skills in quantitative research and statistical analysis. The candidate should be able to work independently and as part of a research team. Good written and spoken English skills are required.

The selected candidate must also meet the requirements for admission to a relevant doctoral programme ([Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences](https://www.tuni.fi/en/tau/doctoral-programmes/doctoral-programme-health-sciences) or [International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health](https://www.tuni.fi/en/tau/doctoral-programmes/international-doctoral-programme-epidemiology-and-public-health-ippe)) at Tampere University.

Previous experience in statistical programming, particularly R, and working with large-scale registry or longitudinal data will be considered an advantage. Experience in exposure assessment, survival analysis, or other epidemiological methods is also valuable. Familiarity with job-exposure matrices, time-varying exposures, multilevel models, or causal inference would be beneficial, but is not required. Previous experience with Nordic registry data is not required.

We offer

The position is fixed-term for 3 years starting in January 2027. A trial period of six months applies to all new employees at Tampere University.

The salary will be based on [the University Salary System](https://www.sivista.fi/esittely/in-english/general-collective-agreement-for-universities/). The salary of a doctoral researcher is at levels 2-4. In addition to the basic salary, a supplementary portion of the salary will be paid based on the appointees qualifications and experience. A typical starting salary is approximately 2 800 € / month.

Most of the research will take place physically in Tampere, Finland. The appointee is expected to reside in Finland while employed by Tampere University. International staff are supported in relocating to Finland.

Tampere University is an internationally renowned research university. We offer a wide range of staff benefits, such as occupational health care, flexible working hours, and excellent sports facilities on campus. Please read more about [working at Tampere University](https://www.tuni.fi/en/about-us/working-at-tampere-universities). For more information about Tampere, please see [Work In Tampere](https://workintampere.fi/). For further infor