Postdoc in biostatistics (SPHERE)

Descrizione

Postdoc in biostatistics (SPHERE) Sintesi in italiano (traduzione automatica): L'Inserm unit 1246 – SPHERE dell'Università di Nantes cerca un ricercatore post-dottorato in biostatistica. Il candidato avrà il compito di sviluppare un pacchetto R per la stima dei QALY attraverso modelli con effetti casuali condivisi, espandere l'uso del metodo a dati reali e promuovere la metodologia tramite pubblicazioni e conferenze. È richiesta una laurea in statistica, biostatistica o un campo correlato. Il contratto avrà una durata di 14 mesi con uno stipendio di 2.650 euro lordi al mese. L'ambiente di lavoro è multidisciplinare e offre opportunità di viaggio e insegnamento in statistica. Context. Quality-Adjusted Life-Years (QALYs) are a composite outcome obtained by weighting survival time by utility scores representing individual preferences towards health-states. Widely used in medico-economic evaluations, QALYs could also constitute a relevant primary outcome in clinical studies to evaluate a global treatment effect in terms of survival and quality of life. However, traditional non-parametric methods for estimating QALYs in clinical studies involve questionable assumptions susceptible to impair inference. Recently, a parametric estimation method was proposed, using a shared random-effects joint model of longitudinal utilities and survival times. In a randomized clinical trial context, this method was reported to provide substantial gains in QALY estimation compared to the nonparametric approaches, especially in the presence of censored data. However, these performances rely on the good specification of the joint model. Objective. In this context, the postdoctoral researcher, positioned at the Inserm unit 1246 – SPHERE of Nantes University , will have three main tasks: Developing an R package dedicated to QALY estimation through shared random effect joint models. The package should be user-friendly and include a wide range of model specification choices, as well as diagnostic tools. Expanding the use cases of the method, notably to real-life data, by incorporating methods addressing the presence of confusing factors and informative missing data. Promoting the method through scientific communications in peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Work environment. The methodS in Patient-centered outcomes & HEalth ResEarch (SPHERE – UMR 1246) research unit aims to strengthen the development of methods for patient-centered health research in a multidisciplinary perspective. The unit is structured into four thematic axes. The project will be embedded within Axis 4, dedicated to methods for the prediction and causality. We offer - A stimulating multidisciplinary environment - Access to a high-performance scientific computing environment - Travel opportunities for attending scientific conferences - Opportunities to gain experience in statistics teaching (if desired). Duration of contract : 14 months Salary : € 2.650 gross per month Annuncio in inglese. Fonte: Euraxess (Commissione europea).