Vacancy Type/Job category
Research Only
Department
Warwick Medical School, Health Sciences
Sub Department
PET, Warwick Screening
Salary
£33,348 - £43,155 per annum.
Location
University of Warwick, Coventry
Vacancy Overview
Full-time, Fixed-term Contract (30 September 2026).
Health screening policy-makers decide which screening programmes to provide for their country (based on both clinical effectiveness and cost- effectiveness), including screening adults for cancer, screening pregnant women for a range of health conditions which may affect the baby, and screening newborn babies for rare diseases. In doing so they have to review and synthesise evidence from a disparate range of sources (including; Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), population registries and electronic health records) as it is very rare that a single data source will provide sufficient evidence to fully evaluate a screening policy, especially when longer term outcomes are required (for example mortality due to a condition).
This Doctoral Research Fellow (DRF) in Biostatistics will review, evaluate, and where appropriate further develop/extend, methods (together with data requirements) for combining evidence to present to health screening policy- makers. The successful candidate will join a team working directly with policy-makers in the UK, Ireland and Canada, and will undertake a PhD which improves population health. They will join a larger project team working on the methods of synthesising research evidence to underpin national policy decisions about which screening programmes to adopt. The DRF will use simulation techniques and case studies to evaluate the impact of synthesising different combinations of research studies on the accuracy and appropriateness of information presented to policy-makers. This will include different types of research evidence with different potential biases and levels of generalisability to clinical practice (for example; RCTs or observational studies) linked together in different ways (for example to extrapolate shorter term outcomes, e.g. disease occurrence, to longer term outcomes, e.g. mortality).
The DRF will also investigate the impact of these decisions on underserved groups such as minority ethnic groups, and the impact across different countries (with different population characteristics and/or health systems). The project team have access to a variety of large data sets upon which to base the simulations. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to present their results to policy-makers and at national/international conferences/workshops.
If you are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD but have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant at the top of level 5 of the University grade structure (£32,411). Upon receipt of evidence of the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure (£33,348).
To find out more or arrange an informal conversation about the role, please contact: Prof Sian Taylor-Phillips, email - [email protected] & Prof Keith Abrams, email – [email protected].
Interview Date: TBC.
Job Description
JOB PURPOSE
The main focus of your work as a Doctoral Research Fellow (DRF) will, as part of undertaking a PhD, be to review, evaluate (using simulation methods and case studies), and where appropriate further develop/extend, methods (together with data requirements) for combining evidence in order to determine the optimal methods for presenting such evidence to health screening policy-makers.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Research
1. To review, evaluate, and where appropriate further develop/extend, methods (together with data requirements) for combining evidence to present to health screening policy-makers as part of undertaking a PhD.
2. To liaise with a wide range of academic staff and both national and international policy-makers.
3. To use simulation techniques to evaluate the impact of synthesising different combinations of research studies on the accuracy and appropriateness of information presented to policy-makers.
4. Where appropriate, to attend and present research findings and papers at academic and professional conferences, and to contribute to the external visibility of the department.
5. To lead, or collaborate in, the production of high-quality outputs in peer reviewed journals arising out of research undertaken.
6. Manage own academic research and administrative activities. This involves small scale project management.
Administration and Other Activities
1. To attend departmental meetings and to participate (where necessary) in other committees and working groups within the department, the faculty and the University.
2. To participate in relevant professional activities.
3. To engage in continuous professional development.
The duties and responsibilities outlined are not intended to be an exhaustive list but to provide guidance on the main aspects of the job. The postholder will be required to be flexible in their duties.
Person Specification
The Person Specification focuses on the knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the role effectively. This is measured by (a) Application Form, (b) Test/Exercise, (c) Interview, (d) Presentation.
Essential Criteria 1
BSc in a quantitative discipline (e.g. Maths, Statistics, Economics). (a)
Essential Criteria 2
MSc in Statistics/Applied Statistics/Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Economics, Operation Research. (a)
Essential Criteria 3
Experience of undertaking statistical analyses and programming in R (ideally), Python or Stata. (a,c)
Essential Criteria 4
Good English language communication skills (both orally and written). (a,c)
Essential Criteria 5
Previous research experience in areas relevant to the research programme. (a,c)
Essential Criteria 6
Ability to manage own academic research and administrative activities . (a,c)
Desirable Criteria 1
Ability to work individually and collaboratively as an integral part of the project team. (a,c)
Desirable Criteria 2
Experience of working with external stakeholders. (a,c)
Desirable Criteria 3
Experience of Bayesian and/or meta-analysis methods. (a,c)
Further Particulars
More information about the team can be found here: here.
For further information about the University of Warwick, please read our University Further Particulars.
For further information about the department, please visit the departmental website.
Warwick is committed to building an organisation of mutual respect and dignity, promoting a welcoming, diverse and inclusive working and learning environment. We recognise that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non-visible ways, and that those differences are to be recognised, respected, and valued. Where possible, we go beyond legislation to provide a place where everyone can thrive, supporting all staff to achieve their full potential. We aspire to remove economic, social and cultural barriers that may otherwise prevent people from succeeding.
We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all communities regardless of culture, background, age, disability, sex/gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual or romantic orientation. To find out more about our social inclusion work at Warwick visit our webpages here.
The University of Warwick holds an Athena SWAN Silver award; a national initiative to promote gender equality for all staff and students. Further information about the work of the University in relation to Athena SWAN can be found at the following link: Athena Swan (warwick.ac.uk)
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Benefits and Rewards
Please refer to this link for a full list of our employee benefits here at Warwick here.
Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy
As an organisation using the (DBS) Disclosure and Barring Service to assess applicants' suitability for positions of trust, the University of Warwick complies with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed. More information is available on the University's Vacancy pages and applicants may request a copy of the DBS Code of Practice.
Closing Date
1 Jun 2023