Zwei SNF-PhD-Kandidaten- & wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterstellen in Angewandter Ökonometrie / Data Science am Lehrstuhl für Gesundheitsökonomie, Politik und Management (m/w/d)

About

The Medical Faculty and the Chair of Health Economics, Policy and Management were founded in 2020 and represent the most recent stage of development at the University of St.Gallen. We offer the opportunity to conduct innovative research in an international, multidisciplinary team with high management involvement and in a dynamic environment. With research in this project, we are laying the foundation for practical applications of causal machine learning models in clinical software, which can potentially improve the lives of thousands of patients and reduce financial burdens for hospitals and healthcare systems.

Your Responsibilities

These two positions are part of the research project "Where Precision Medicine and Operations Management Meet – Learning Optimal Decision Policies in Hospitals" (POM-D-H), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). The project is led by Dr. Justus Vogel from the Medical Faculty (MED-HSG) and Prof. Dr. med. Urs Pietsch from the Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen (HOCH). The project unites a strong research and clinical network, including the University Hospital Zurich, the University Hospital Bern, the University Hospitals Geneva, and the Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen (HOCH). The project lies at the intersection of precision medicine and hospital operations, aiming to develop and evaluate data-driven decision policies in hospitals using causal machine learning methods (CML). By leveraging large-scale clinical data (tens of thousands of patients, described by thousands of features), the project aims to develop CML models that improve patient outcomes while increasing efficiency and resource allocation in hospitals.

As PhD candidates and research assistants, you will:

• Refine, answer, and test the project's research questions using quantitative, empirical methods on large real-world datasets
• Prepare high-quality manuscripts for publication in top-tier, peer-reviewed journals in medicine, operations research, and analytics
• Present your research findings at international conferences
• Support the supervision of Bachelor's and Master's theses as well as student assistants
• Work and communicate effectively in diverse teams in a structured manner, collaborating directly with management and physicians
• Enroll in a PhD program at the University of St. Gallen; we particularly recommend the GPEF program (Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Econometrics)

Your Profile

We are looking for two highly qualified and motivated candidates:

• Excellent Master's degree in (Health) Economics or Econometrics, Statistics, Machine Learning, Data Science, or Operations Research with a clear quantitative and mathematical focus and a GPA of at least 5.0 or the equivalent for non-Swiss degrees (e.g., corresponding to a 2.0 in Germany and Austria)
• Experience with large datasets is required
• Strong analytical skills are required (e.g., microeconomics, applied econometrics, causal inference, data science, machine learning, mixed-integer programming, etc.)
• You demonstrate initiative and drive your research topics independently and with high motivation
• Advanced knowledge in at least one programming language (R or Python)
• High motivation to improve econometric and data science skills
• Excellent teamwork skills
• Results-oriented approach with a high degree of initiative, creativity, and team spirit
• High motivation and ability to work on multiple research questions simultaneously
• Confident, open, constructive, and committed communication style internally and externally
• Knowledge of European or other healthcare systems is an advantage, but not required
• Experience in hospital management is an advantage, but not required
• Very good English skills, both written and spoken; fluency in German and/or French is a plus

"A place where knowledge is created" – As one of Europe's leading universities for business sciences and business administration, the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is committed to educating over 10,000 students. HSG is one of the largest employers in the region, offering an attractive and innovative environment for more than 3,500 researchers, teachers, and professionals.