Industrial PhD Studentship: Improved Bayesian Methods for Sample-Size Re-Estimation

Award Summary

100% of home tuition fees paid and a tax-free annual living expenses at £17,668 (2022-23 UKRI rates) plus an annual living expenses enhancement from industrial partner of at least £4,000. Research support costs (for training and travel) of at least £5,000 per year.

Overview

This project will appeal to individuals with expertise and interest in statistics who are enthusiastic to apply their skills to improving health of patients. The student will develop and evaluate new Bayesian approaches for re-estimating the sample size needed for a clinical trial as it progresses.

Often parameters that affect the sample size needed for a trial are not known precisely. Sample size reestimation (SSR) approaches introduce an interim analysis to assess assumptions. We are keen to investigate methods for Bayesian SSR that can allow incorporating other sources of data, in conjunction with the trial data, to improve the re-estimation. We are interested in whether such approaches can be useful for improving the chances of a successful drug development programme.

The student would be based within the Biostatistics Research Group, and would have the opportunity to work at GSK for three months within the Innovation Hub. 

Number of awards: 1

Start date: September 2023

Award duration: 4 years

Sponsor: EPSRC ICASE and GSK

Supervisors

Professor James Wason (Newcastle), Dr. Adrian Mander (GSK)

Eligibility criteria

You should have at least a 2:1 honours degree or international equivalent strong mathematical or statistical background. Enthusiasm for research, the ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are also essential requirements.

Home and international applicants (inc. EU) are welcome to apply and if successful will receive a full studentship. Applicants whose first language is not English require an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills.

How to apply

To apply for a studentship, you must register and apply through the University’s Apply to Newcastle Portal

Once registered select ‘Create a Postgraduate Application’.

Use ‘Course Search’ to identify your programme of study:

• You can search for the ‘Course Title’ using the programme code: 8370F
• Select ‘PhD Population Health Sciences (FT) - Population and Health Sciences' as the programme of study 

You will then need to provide the following information in the ‘Further Questions’ section:  

• A ‘Personal Statement’ - upload a document or write a statement directly in to the application form  
• The studentship code PH034 in the ‘Studentship/Partnership Reference’ field  
• When prompted for how you are providing your research proposal - select ‘Write Proposal’. You should then type in the title of the research project from this advert - you do not need to upload a research proposal. 

 In addition, before you submit your application you will need to upload the following supporting documentation:  

• Covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code PH034 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project   
• Degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualification if already completed.  

Contact details

For further information, please contact james.wason@newcastle.ac.uk

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