Scientist

PURPOSE OF POSITION 

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. The objective of the IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.

The Cancer Surveillance (CSU) branch at IARC is responsible for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information concerning the global cancer burden. In order to achieve this objective, CSU works closely with and provides support to cancer registries around the world. Alongside the use of cancer registry data in the production of online global cancer statistics tools, incorporated into the Global Cancer Observatory (http://gco.iarc.fr/), CSU serves as the definitive reference source for the provision of information concerning worldwide cancer statistics including cancer survival as well as cancer incidence and mortality. Using a comprehensive view of the burden combining the three indicators above, CSU aims to provide benchmarking to explore reasons for international differences in cancer survival and long-term outcome such as recurrence to ultimately influence national cancer policies and clinical guidelines to improve cancer outcomes.

The incumbent will coordinate with internal and external collaborators to obtain or generate relevant data, coordinate the development of routine updates and dissemination of information using various indicators of childhood cancer burden in multiple sections of global childhood population. The principal task is to develop a flexible one-stop online resource for data dissemination of childhood cancer burden within the Global Cancer Observatory. The complementary tasks include acquisition of primary data, development of statistical methodology, statistical analysis, and scientific communication.

The incumbent is expected to contribute primarily to the ChildCan study, which aims at producing and disseminating information on childhood cancer burden through online platforms and scientific publications

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the supervision of the childhood cancer team leader, the incumbent will be entrusted with the following tasks:

1)      Draft the terms of reference and the technical specifications for the online data dissemination tool considering existing standards, systems, and defined output.

2)      Collect data from primary custodians of routine datasets as well as from published sources.

3)      Ensure accurate and timely data management in alignment with established standards and intended use objectives.

4)      Conduct statistical modelling to estimate global childhood cancer burden as measured by incidence, mortality, prevalence, and survival aspects.

5)      Produce documentation to describe structured data flow facilitating efficient data acquisition, processing, and output generation.

6)      Coordinate the process and the progress of structured, multi-agency collaboration to ensure timely, accurate, and comprehensive data management.

7)      Report on the process and the progress for internal follow-up and for the funder.

8)      Conduct related epidemiological studies and write scientific publications.

9)      Contribute to the development of grant proposals for competitive funding opportunities supporting childhood cancer research.

WHO COMPETENCIES

·      Producing results.

·      Fostering integration and teamwork.

·      Communication.

·      Building and promoting partnerships across the organisation and beyond.

·      Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences.

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential:

·      Demonstrated expertise in processing and modelling complex large datasets.

·      Expert statistical skills in R or other statistical programming software.

·      Advanced use of Microsoft Office.

·      Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

·      Ability to communicate complex statistical concepts to lay stakeholders.

Desirable:

·      Advanced programming skills in Python or C language.

·      Working knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Essential: PhD in Statistics, Informatics, Epidemiology, Mathematics or other related disciplines.

Desirable: Excellent computational/programming skills and knowledge of data science as it applies to cancer surveillance.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Essential: At least two years of relevant professional experience in statistics, data science or closely related discipline.

Desirable:

·      One year of post-doctoral experience.

·      Track record of statistical modeling and processing of large databases.

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