Research Assistant/Associate in Biostatistics

Salary:

Research Assistant: £32,546 to £34,132 per annum

Research Associate: £35,116 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 12 May 2025

The Role

The Statistics and Data Science group in the School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics carries out world-class research in modern statistics and data science, with strengths in applied statistics and machine learning, applied probability, computational statistics and sports statistics. 

We are seeking to appoint a research associate/assistant in statistics to the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded project SaFEGen: A Statistical Framework for efficient Evidence Generation in diagnostics. The aim of SaFEGen is to reduce the time to market of diagnostics by developing integrated statistical methods for the design and analysis of diagnostic studies at all development stages. The project is a collaboration between the School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics, the Biostatistics Research group in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation.

The successful candidate will work with academics and researchers across the three groups to develop and apply cutting edge Bayesian methods to design and analyse studies in diagnostics, with a focus on adaptive and seamless designs in diagnostic test development.

The position has a fixed duration of 18 months. For informal enquiries please contact Professor Kevin Wilson (kevin.wilson@ncl.ac.uk).

The successful candidate must be able to start no later than 1st July 2025.

To apply, please complete the online application and attach your CV, and a covering letter. In your covering letter, please outline how you are either working towards, meet or exceed all of the essential requirements for the role holder as outlined below. 

Key Accountabilities

The role is at the Research Associate/Assistant level, based in the School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics (MSP) in the Faculty of Science Agriculture and Engineering. The successful candidate will undertake work as required as part of the SaFEGen project, working with Kevin Wilson and other researchers as appropriate, including those on the SaFEGen team. 

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Expertise in Bayesian inference
• Advanced programming skills in R
• Appropriate experience of writing research papers for high-quality peer reviewed journals

Desirable

• Expertise in statistical methods in diagnostics
• Expertise in statistical methods in clinical trials

Attributes and Behaviour

• Demonstrable commitment to the values of equality and diversity in your work
• Keen to help others and play a role in promoting a positive research culture
• High level of problem-solving ability and attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communicator; able to explain complex concepts with clarity and ease of understanding to experts and lay collaborators alike
• Proficient in time management skills; follows-through on commitments and drives projects forward
• An ability to work independently under supervision and as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Enthusiastic to grow and develop as a researcher

Qualifications
Research Associate

• Awarded PhD in Statistics or a closely related discipline

Research Assistant

• Working towards or submitted PhD in Statistics or a closely related discipline

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver  Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 28092