MEB Biostatistics Group

Members of the biostatistics group conduct methodological research in areas including causal inference, surrogates, clinical trials, design and analysis of epidemiological studies, register-based research, twin and family studies, predictive modeling, image analysis, survival analysis, statistical genetics, and analyses of high-throughput data. The group collaborates within the department, nationally, and internationally on research in biostatistics and applications in areas including cancer, psychiatric disorders, aging, transfusion medicine, and HIV treatment. The group teaches a range of biostatistics courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The MEB applied biostatistics group, led by Cecilia Lundholm, comprises approximately 10 biostatistical scientists employed to collaborate with domain experts (e.g., epidemiologists) with the department. All biostatisticians collaborate with domain experts and the applied biostatistics group is closely integrated in the biostatistics group, which is closely integrated within MEB.

What is biostatistics?

Research in Biostatistics involves the development and proper application of statistical methods with the ultimate goals of discovering biological truths and better health for all. Biostatistical scientists are specialists in the evaluation of data as scientific evidence. Research in biostatistics involves the development of new statistical methods and the innovative application of existing methods in areas including study design, causal inference, assay validation, machine learning, software development, and reproducible research monitoring. Biostatistical scientists play a central role in the advancement of research in public health, biology, and medicine.

Biostatistical collaboration and support

Biostatistical scientists at MEB are employed to conduct independent research and/or collaborative research within MEB. We do not offer consulting services outside our own department. The following groups offer biostatistical support to medical and public health researchers both inside and outside Karolinska Institutet.

The Karolinska Institutet Biostatistics Core Facility

Medical Statistics Unit at LIME

Mailing list for seminars/courses in biostatistics

The KI-BIOSTAT mailing list distributes information of interest to biostatisticians in the Stockholm area, with specific focus on events at KI. The list is managed at Karolinska Institutet but is open to all individuals with an interest in biostatistics (irrespective of formal qualifications or geographic location). The list is for distributing information on events (e.g., seminars, courses, workshops) targeting biostatisticians. All members are welcome to post to the list, but posts should be about events where biostatistical scientists are the primary target audience. The list can be used to advertise job vacancies in biostatistics, but it should not be used for general discussion of biostatistics. To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail to marie.jansson@ki.se.

Are you interested in doctoral studies in biostatistics?

We welcome doctoral students in biostatistics. Karolinska Institutet does not currently offer undergraduate training in biostatistics. MEB is an ideal environment for doctoral education in biostatistics; the vibrant biostatistics group hosts seminars and courses in biostatistics but is closely integrated with researchers in other disciplines. We sit in the same building as the epidemiologists and interact closely both academically and socially. MEB contains a large number of international researchers and English is the working language.

Karolinska Institutet does not have a centralised admission program to doctoral education; all new doctoral positions are advertised individually on the KI web page.

In addition to checking for advertised positions, scholars interested in doctoral education are encouraged to approach individual researchers and enquire about possibilities. Be aware that researchers receive a large number of mails from prospective students and those that are non-personal (i.e., sent to large numbers of recipients) do not usually receive a reply.

Are you interested in a degree project (examensarbete) in biostatistics?

Undergraduate students interested in conducting a degree project (examensarbete) with a biostatistician at MEB are encouraged to approach individual researchers. We welcome approaches from students in all programs. You may write in Swedish or English, but many biostatisticians at MEB prefer English. Please include a copy of your CV and academic transcript (resultatintyg). Be aware that degree program courses differ in their structure, so please let us know what to hope to obtain from us. For example, will you have a supervisor in your home department and just need a project with some data or do you need a supervisor who will take a leading role.