PhD student in U-CARE, Uppsala Trial Forge Centre

Research group CIRCLE – Complex Intervention Research in Health and Care, hosting the research programme U-CARE at Uppsala University, is seeking a talented and motivated PhD student with a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trial research.

Are you interested in working with a vibrant multidisciplinary research group, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that is committed to sustainable employment and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a doctoral position at Uppsala University.

The position is based within the research group CIRCLE – Complex Intervention Research in Health and Care, which hosts U-CARE, a multidisciplinary research programme (http://www.u-care.uu.se). U- CARE’s overarching goal is to increase mental wellbeing in those affected by ill health by (i) developing and implementing evidence-based, individualised, and cost-effective behavioural interventions for healthcare; and (ii) improving the efficiency, utility, and value of clinical studies. Representatives of the key populations are actively involved in our research. U-CARE maintains several international collaborations, and our competence in research methodology was recognised in the most recent evaluations of research at Uppsala University.

The project aims to examine the relationship between inadequate consideration of equity, diversity, and inclusion in clinical trials and poor health outcomes among underserved populations. Building on these insights, the project seeks to develop strategies to improve the design and conduct of clinical trials to ensure they are more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs of diverse patient groups.

The PhD student will also collaborate with an international and multidisciplinary network of PhD students through the Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Clinical Trials (EDICT) innovative Doctoral Network, which seeks to transform how equity, diversity, and inclusion principles are embedded in clinical trials across Europe. EDICT is funded by the European Commission’s Marie

Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network programme (MSCA DN), as part of Horizon Europe 2020. U-CARE is an associated partner to EDICT.

Job Duties

The candidate will work with clinical trial and population register datasets (mainly Swedish, but potentially others) to perform quantitative analyses related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. An important part of the work will be to develop evaluation approaches to support diverse recruitment and retention in trials that use registries. Tasks include data management and analysis, synthesis of existing evidence, and potentially qualitative data collection and interpretation. Tasks also include dissemination of findings through publications and presentations, and dedicated attendance at research and team meetings.

Other duties at the Department of Women's and Children's Health relating to education and administrative work may occur (max. 20%), which in such case will extend the employment by the corresponding time.

Requirements

The prospective doctoral student must have:

• A master’s degree in a relevant discipline e.g., healthcare, behavioural or public health sciences, health economics, or a closely related discipline
• Completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, as well as oral presentation skills
• Good ability to take initiative, deliver work on time, solve problems, prioritise tasks, meet deadlines, pay attention to details
• Good ability to work independently and professionally in a collaborative environment and to communicate with colleagues from different academic disciplines and professions
• Interest in multidisciplinary research and motivation to be part of a successful research group
• Knowledge and experience of working with quantitative research methods as well as relevant programmes e.g., NVivo, R, SPSS, Stata, and
• Proficient knowledge of MS Office

Meritorious skills

The following are meritorious:

• Experience of research including data collection, data management, and writing applications to research funders and ethical review committees (e.g., the Swedish Ethical Review Authority)
• Experience of writing scientific publications
• Interest in contributing to the continuous development of the research group's activities
• Interest in contributing to the research group's good working environment
• Interest in equity, diversity, and inclusion in research (e.g., intersectionality) from a methodological and theoretical perspective
• Proficiency in Swedish
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience with research methods relevant to the project, including population registries, public contribution in research, qualitative research methods, randomised controlled trials, and systematic literature reviews

Application

The application should be written in English and include the following:

• Curriculum Vitae, including any publications or conference presentations (URL/DOI for each of the publications)
• a letter of motivation (maximum two pages) with a short description of yourself, the skills and experience you bring to the PhD project, your research interests and why you are interested in this PhD topic (maximum two pages)
• an electronic copy of your master’s thesis
• a copy of your master’s degree diploma (examensbevis)
• contact information for at least two references, at least one of which should be a current or former manager

The position requires that the candidate has been admitted or will be admitted to the postgraduate doctoral programme. Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, Sections 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines https://www.uu.se/medarbetare/organisation-styrning/regler/?regulationsLanguage=engelska.

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date April 2026 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: main supervisor Assistant senior lecturer, Docent Sophie Nadia Gaber, sophie.gaber@uu.se, or Programme director for U-CARE, Professor Louise von Essen, louise-von.essen@.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 29 December 2025, UFV-PA 2025/3547.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? Find out more about what it´s like to work and live in Sweden.