Biostatistician or Lecturer in biostatistics (1.0 FTE)

Solid and reliable science is required to produce evidence for better animal health, animal welfare, and a more sustainable production of animal derived proteins (milk, eggs, meat). This also contributes to a further understanding of the many challenges that animals face in their environment and in their interaction with humans and human society. The support of statistical experts is essential to appreciate, produce and valuate new evidence, insight and methodology for veterinary medicine.

The Department of Population Health Sciences of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is looking for an enthusiastic biostatistician, who shares these views and can help us to collectively (as scientists, veterinarians, students and support staff) contribute to these ambitions at a high international level.

Your primary task will be consultancy on research methodology, data analysis and advanced statistics for staff, PhD candidates, and students from a diverse range of research areas in the life and clinical sciences at the faculty of Veterinary Medicine. This consultancy will often take the form of collaboration in research projects and publications. In addition, an important task is to contribute to teaching and examining existing courses at Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD level. For this, you are expected to bring in new ideas for, and contribute to, improvement and/or renewal of courses, in collaboration with colleagues within the epidemiology team of Farm Animal Health (consisting of epidemiologists, veterinarians, economists, mathematical modellers and biostatisticians), and the wider Department of Population Health Sciences. Consultancy and collaboration (as well as teaching) require a continuous evolution of new ideas, methods, tools and approaches in statistics and related areas. An important task for you will be to familiarise yourself with potentially relevant novel developments from the technical mathematical literature and to make these insights and techniques accessible for staff and students. Next to the above, candidates with a PhD have research opportunities linked to the research themes of the department.

We are looking for a candidate with an MSc degree in (bio)statistics or mathematics - specialised in statistics, or equivalent.

The ideal candidate (which we fully realise does not exist) will combine this with:

• a PhD in a relevant quantitative area;
• a broad knowledge of statistics, both quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques and the expertise to appreciate the theoretical and applied literature;
• the proven ability to collaborate with researchers in the biomedical sciences on projects where (bio)statistics plays an important role;
• great lecturing skills, with experience in teaching statistics to (international and Dutch) students in the life sciences and vision to improve the teaching of statistical skills for this target audience;
• good programming skills, preferably (also) in R;
• good teamwork skills and good communication skills, both in the context of interaction with students and with colleagues;
• fluency in English and preferably Dutch, or the willingness and capability to acquire Dutch proficiency within two years.

Only candidates with a PhD can be appointed as university lecturer (UD). Utrecht University offers many development and career opportunities to realise ambitions, including obtaining a PhD. A university teaching qualification (‘BKO’) is required and candidates who do not yet have this certificate are expected to enrol in the BKO-course of the university to obtain this within a reasonable time.

We offer:

• a position (1.0 FTE) for 18 months, with possibility for indefinite employment;
• a full-time gross salary between €3,226 and €6,737 in scale 10-12 of the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities (CAO);
• 8% holiday bonus and 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• A pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions based on the CAO.

In addition to the employment conditions from the CAO for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. These include agreements on professional development, leave arrangements, sports and cultural schemes and you get discounts on software and other IT products. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment through the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we encourage you to grow. For more information, please visit working at Utrecht University

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has a unique position in the Netherlands. Not only is this the only institution where veterinarians are trained, researchers are also working together on innovative scientific research. Furthermore the faculty delivers expert clinical care at the University Animal Hospital. Thanks to this position, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is a point of contact for all veterinary matters, both nationally and increasingly internationally. The faculty employs approximately 900 veterinarians, scientists and support staff and counts 1,500 students. It is is located at the Utrecht Science Park, near the historical city centre of Utrecht.

The staff of the Department of Population Health Sciences studies health and welfare in the interaction between animals, humans and their environment, at the individual, population and societal level.