Know Your Colleague
Know Your Colleague: Sören Möller
Meet Sören Möller, Associate Professor of Biostatistics at OPEN, Department of Clinical Research
Can you explain what your work involves?
I specialise in biostatistics for clinical and clinical-epidemiological research projects. My work includes applying statistical methods to health data and researching ways to improve some of these methods. Additionally, I teach statistics on health science programmes and supervise both Master’s and PhD students.
How long have you been employed at SDU?
I graduated from SDU, and my first position was as a student instructor starting in autumn 2006.
I have been with SDU ever since, though my first full-time position was as a PhD fellow at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science from 2009 to 2013. I then joined the Faculty of Health Sciences, and since 2018, I’ve held my current position as an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Research.
What’s the best thing about your job?
The best part is encountering a broad range of research projects and collaborators, from projects directly related to patient care to those where we are proving new mathematical results.
Tell us about a task you have completed at work that you’re especially proud of
I developed a PhD course in Bayesian statistics for health sciences, where I managed to strike a balance between a complex and, for many, relatively unfamiliar statistical topic and practical applications in clinical research.
Bayesian Statistics Explained with a Cat
Bayesian statistics is a way of thinking about probability and statistics, where your understanding is continually updated as you receive new information.
Imagine you are looking for your cat and have a feeling it might be in the kitchen. This "feeling" is your prior — your initial idea of where the cat might be, based on experience (perhaps it’s often found there).
If you find some cat hair in the kitchen, this strengthens your suspicion that the cat is indeed there. This process of updating your belief based on new evidence is what Bayesian statistics is about. Now, you are even more confident that the cat is in the kitchen.
But what if you also find some cat hair in the living room? You can use this new information to adjust your belief again — perhaps now you think the cat could be in both the kitchen and the living room, and you distribute your probability between the two rooms.
In Bayesian statistics, you start with a "prior" idea and continually adjust it as new information becomes available, giving you a progressively clearer understanding of the situation.
Source: ChatGPT and verified by Sören Möller
What is your educational background – how did you end up in this job?
I hold both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in mathematics from SDU and completed a PhD in theoretical mathematics at SDU from 2009 to 2013.
Afterwards, I wanted to move closer to practical applications of mathematical methods and stay in Odense, which became possible when I was offered a postdoctoral position in biostatistics.
Since then, I have worked in various biostatistics roles within the Faculty of Health Sciences at SDU across different research groups.
What other career paths have you considered?
During my studies in mathematics, I considered becoming a teacher at a Gymnasium, but I found that I preferred (and was better suited to) teaching adults at the university level rather than young people in secondary education.
I have applied for academic roles in other areas of applied mathematics but ultimately found my place within the Faculty of Health Sciences at SDU.
What do you do in your free time?
I go to the theatre nearly every week, and I also enjoy playing board games and reading fiction.
Have you watched, read, or listened to anything good recently that you would recommend?
For fiction, West Coast by Erlend O. Nødtvedt — a surreal road trip through Norway’s western fjords involving two men and a skull, ending with a Nynorsk poem that I am still not sure I entirely understand.
Alternatively, Moonbound by Robin Sloan, which I read while on summer holiday north of the Arctic Circle. It is a blend of science fiction and fantasy, set in a world both far in the future and deeply rooted in classic European legends.
For non-fiction, The Price of Unfreedom by Dennis Nørmark offers a critical view on regulation in both society and private life, influencing how I think about both my teaching and my research.
What’s your favourite place for a day out or a holiday?
In summer, Lundeborg on East Funen, which has a lovely beach and an excellent fish café.
In winter, a friend’s farmhouse in a forest in Southern Jutland, with a fireplace, whisky, and inspiring conversations.
Do you have any special talents that others might not know about?
Over the years, I have learnt several Nordic languages, so I now have varying abilities in Icelandic, Swedish, North Sami, and Faroese, as well as a functional, albeit improvised, Norwegian.
Do you have an unusual hobby or interest we should hear about?
I plan to visit all inhabited Danish islands and managed to reach four more during the autumn break (Sejerø, Nekselø, Orø, and Eskilsø), bringing my total to 56 of Denmark’s 72 inhabited islands. (Unfortunately, I’ve only visited four of the 17 inhabited islands in the Faroe Islands and none in Greenland yet.)
Who would you like to get to know?
We are spotlighting various employees at the Faculty of Health Sciences (SUND) with a series of standard questions. The aim is to get to know each other better across titles, departments, and tasks.
If you have a suggestion for a colleague at SUND whom everyone should get to know better, or if there is someone you would like to learn more about, please write to us at SUND Communications.
Contact us at: sund-input@health.sdu.dk