Postdoc in Statistical Methods for Privacy-Preserving Analysis of Spatial Health Data

Jobbeskrivelse
Are you interested in working with sensitive health data and making a real impact on how it can be used safely and responsibly? At the Center for Clinical Data Science (CLINDA), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, we are offering a position as postdoc starting November 1, 2026, or soon hereafter. This is a two-year full-time position with the possibility of a one-year extension.

Your work tasks
This Postdoc sits at the intersection of mathematics, statistics, data science, and public health. The goal is to develop new methods that allow researchers to learn from sensitive health data without compromising individual privacy.

Using unique, nationwide Danish health registry data, you will work with spatial data, such as disease maps and medical imaging. Such data are highly informative but also pose significant privacy risks.

Your work will focus on developing and studying privacy-preserving methods, such as differential privacy, Bayesian privacy, federated learning and synthetic data. The aim is to enable meaningful analyses, such as identifying disease hotspots or detecting cancer-affected areas and support decision-making, while ensuring that no individual can be identified. Possible research directions include the generation of synthetic spatial point patterns representing health incidents and the development of privacy-preserving methods for visualizing health data.

What you will gain:

• Strong expertise in statistical and computational methods for privacy
• Experience working with unique, real-world health data
• Collaboration with an interdisciplinary research team across data science, mathematics, and health
• Skills highly relevant for careers in academia, industry, and the public sector

The project combines methodological research with applications to real-world health data, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to the future of privacy-preserving health data science in an interdisciplinary setting.

The research will be performed in close collaboration with The Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Science, Aalborg University.

The project is a part of the ambitious Novo Nordisk Foundation Data Science Collaborative Programme, “Synthetic health data: ethical development and deployment via deep learning approaches (SE3D)” which is a collaboration between Head of Center and Professor Martin Bøgsted, Center for Clinical Data Science, Aalborg University, Professor Anders Krogh, Center for Health Data Science, University of Copenhagen, and Professor Jan Trzaskowski, Department of Law, Aalborg University who are responsible for, respectively, developing privacy metrics, developing generative AI workflows, and ensuring GDPR compliance of the developed methods. There will also be interaction with the Novo Nordisk Foundation Data Science Infrastructure Programme, “the National Health Data Science Sandbox”, a network of data scientists and researchers across five Danish universities building training and research infrastructure.

Your competencies
You must have documented strong qualifications in mathematics, statistics, or mathematically founded data science, as well as excellent oral and written English language skills. Experience with spatial statistics is an advantage.

Qualification requirements
Appointment as postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level. Applicants who have submitted or are close to submitting their PhD thesis before the appointment date may also apply. In that case, documentation from the principal supervisor regarding the expected date of thesis submission and defence must be provided. A possible appointment is then conditional on the successful award of the PhD degree.

Who we are
CLINDA is a multidisciplinary center dedicated to bridging clinical practice and data science. It comprises three research groups: (1) Clinical AI, (2) Bioinformatics and Statistics, and (3) Data Science Methods. The postdoc will be part of the Data Science Methods group, which has a strong research focus on privacy-preserving techniques. CLINDA includes 17 core staff members and collaborates with more than 20 affiliated postdocs and PhD students from other university faculties and Aalborg University Hospital. Learn more about CLINDA here.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences conducts research in a wide range of mathematical disciplines. This includes both fundamental and applied research in statistics (e.g., statistical methods for forensics, life sciences, topological data analysis, spatial statistics, and computational statistics). Learn more about the Department of Mathematical Sciences here.

The Department of Clinical Medicine provides research-based teaching across all disciplines of the medical degree programme and conducts research within the clinical specialties.

The department collaborates closely with hospitals in the North Denmark Region and general practice in both teaching and research. Medical students receive instruction at several hospital sites and in general practice throughout the region.
The department is affiliated with approximately 40 research units, each representing a specific medical specialty. In addition, the department is also associated with several other research units and centres. The majority of the department’s staff hold concurrent clinical positions alongside their academic appointments.

Learn more about the Department of Clinical Medicine here.

We offer an international and informal working environment. We are proud of our long tradition of good social relations and collaboration among colleagues.

The Aalborg area has a high quality of life and work/life balance. There is a lively cultural scene, modern infrastructure (busses, train station, and airport), and affordable living costs. The region offers easy access to nature ideal for relaxing, hiking, biking, or sailing (beaches, forests, and fjords). Read more about Aalborg and the region at, e.g., enjoy nordjylland and invest in Aalborg

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying, qualifications in relation to the position, and intentions and visions for the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (master's degree diploma, including grades, and PhD diploma)
• List of publications, with an indication of the attached publications that you wish to be taken into account in the assessment. You may attach a maximum of five publications.
• Documentation of teaching qualifications. Please see guidelines for teaching portfolio at The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, The Faculty of Engineering and Science and The Faculty of Medicine. If this is not enclosed, the applicant must enclose the reasons for this.
• Dissemination qualifications, including participation on committees or boards, participation in organisations etc.
• Additional qualifications in relation to the position
• References/recommendations

You can read more about the requirements for your application here.

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website.

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Aalborg University has a policy of parallel language use. International staff are encouraged, with support from the university, to learn Danish during their employment in order to support their integration into the workplace and Danish society.

Danish language courses will be offered as part of the employment.

Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information
Read more about our recruitment process here

The appointment process at Aalborg University involves a shortlisting process. You can read more about the shortlisting and appointment process here.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (only in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (only in Danish).

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

Contacts

• Martin Bøgsted: +4550925639, [email protected]
• Heidi Søgaard Christensen: +4521710151, [email protected]
• Anne Marie Svane: +4525365204, [email protected]

Ansøgningsfrist
23-08-2026

Ref. nummer
2026/949

Afdeling
Department of Clinical Medicine