Research Assistant in Data Science/Statistics

Salary: £32,546.00 - £34,132.00  per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellentbenefits. 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: 20 April 2025

The Role

We are seeking a talented data scientist/statistician to assist with the analysis of clinical trial cohorts of with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia to evaluate biomarkers and build risk models. 

You will work as a member of the Leukaemia Research Cytogenomics Group (LRCG) in the Newcastle Translational & Clinical Research Institute at Newcastle University under the guidance of Professor Anthony Moorman and Dr Amir Enshaei. The project focuses on the evaluation of biomarkers and development of risk models using large richly annotated patient cohorts comprising demographic, clinical, genetic, treatment and outcome data from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treated on national and international clinical trials. You will employ a range of statistical methodologies and machine learning algorithms to interrogate patient cohorts to identify risk factors/models that can be used to treat future patients more effectively. 

The project is part of the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Experimental Medicine Award entitled “BIOINFORM: Biologically informed treatment decisions in acute leukaemia” award to Professor Moorman. The overall aim of the programme is to explore the genomic landscape of acute leukaemia and its association with clinical outcome. All the genomic datasets held by the LRCG are richly annotated with patient demographic, clinical, treatment and outcome; and correlating genetics with clinical features is a major part of our programme of research. You will work closely with internal and external collaborators who are experts in the biology and treatment of childhood and adult leukaemia to leverage our unique datasets to identify biomarkers and help improve the outcome of patients with acute leukaemia. 

This is an excellent opportunity join a dynamic translational research group with a track record of improving patient diagnosis and management. You will have the opportunity to develop their research skills, learn new methods/techniques and progress to the next stage of their career. You will have a BSc/MSc in a relevant discipline and experience of biostatistics. 

This appointment is full time, fixed term post from 1st May 2025 until 30th April 2028.

To apply for the position, we’ll need your CV and a cover letter outlining how you are suitable for the role using evidence to highlight how you meet the essential criteria in the knowledge, skills and experience as listed in the job description.

Informal enquiries are encouraged and can be made to Professor Anthony Moorman,

Further Information about the Faculty can be found at:https://www.ncl.ac.uk/fms/.

Key Accountabilities

• You will analyse clinical trial datasets to determine associations between demographic, clinical, genetic, treatment and outcome variables, using a variety of statistical tests including the log rank test and Cox regression analysis as well as machine learning algorithms
• Working with other members of the group (statistician, data manager, epidemiologist and bioinformatician) the post-holder with help to design and undertake research projects to investigate the relationship between the genetic biomarkers, clinical features and response to therapy
• Providing statistical support to all members of the LRCG
• Build internal and external contacts and participate in networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time, the desire to develop own research objectives and proposals for own funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Prepare research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Help with the supervision of final year undergraduate research projects and postgraduate research students and where appropriate PhD students and Research Assistants 
• Work with support staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute
• Contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment.
• Contribute to broader organisational and management processes and to co-ordinate the work of other colleagues where necessary
• Where necessary, participate in the maintenance of bioinformatic hardware, software and resources (e.g. servers, Cloud computing, archiving)
• Planning and communication of analytical strategies and presentation of results to team members, expert academic user groups and collaborations within and outside of Newcastle University

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

Essential

• Demonstrable knowledge of statistical theory, particularly in survival analysis
• Experience of programming for statistics/ data science, ideally in the area of prediction
• Effective time management skills including the ability to adhere to agreed timelines
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others 

Desirable

• Experience in applying statistical/machine learning methods within a health context
• Experience of developing and validating clinical prediction models for real-world clinical settings
• Knowledge of cancer, genomics or clinical trials
• Experience with the publication of work in peer reviewed journals and presentation of findings at conferences
• Experience in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students 
• Experience of working in a research environment 

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to work well as part of a team or collaborators
• Ability to rapidly acquire new skills
• Enthusiastic, well-motivated and hard working
• Good attention to detail
• Commitment to continued professional development

Qualifications

• BSc or MSc in a relevant disciplaine, e.g. maths, statistics, data science, etc. 

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 Swanaward in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold aRace Equality CharterBronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are aDisability Confidentemployer 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: 28060