Research Assistant/Associate

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 to £36,024 per annum

Job description:

The Role

We are seeking to recruit five Researchers with well-developed quantitative data analysis skills to support a series of epidemiological projects focussed on better understanding inequalities in cancer outcomes in the UK. Activities will include: data preparation, statistical/epidemiological analysis, interpretation and dissemination.

You should have post-graduate training and/or significant work experience in epidemiology, statistics, data science, public health or another discipline with a strong quantitative component. Experience of using R or Stata is essential, as are excellent written and verbal communication skills. Experience of analysing "big data" would be advantageous.

You may work on one project or across projects. You will work alongside academics and researchers to generate research findings which will be reported at academic conferences and in high-quality peer-reviewed journals, as well as via other forms of dissemination (for example, in presentations to policy makers, patient interest groups and on social media using a variety of formats). All of the projects involve the analysis of large, complex, UK-based datasets, although the complexity/statistical sophistication of the analytic approaches that will be used will vary. The specific project tasks will also vary but will include: cleaning and preparing of data for analysis; statistical/epidemiological analysis of the data; interpretation of the results; and taking an active role in writing up and disseminating findings. You will also have an opportunity to get involved in supporting public & patient involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities, and student supervision.

The projects include:

• Project 1: Using national NHS-linked datasets to investigate inequalities in incidence, treatment and survival in head and neck cancer and, specifically, the associations between deprivation and survival
• Project 2: Using national cancer screening programme datasets to develop a novel screening engagement index to identify areas of low engagement with cancer screening
• Project 3: Working with linked primary and secondary care data to investigate socio-economic and ethnic inequalities in adherence to endocrine therapy in women with breast cancer and whether these inequalities impact survival
• Project 4: Using primary and secondary care data to investigate patterns of care and outcomes in breast cancer, alongside the SWEET programme (https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR200098)
• Project 5: Using dietary, lifestyle and biomarker data from the COLO-COHORT study (https://colospeed.uk/studies/colo-cohort) to investigate a range of research questions relating to colorectal neoplasia risk and outcomes

The posts are available on a full-time or part-time basis, starting between now and autumn 2024, and for periods of between 12 and 36 months. In your application, please indicate if you would be interested in working full or part-time and/or on specific projects.

Please note that Newcastle University is a placed-based university; whilst blended working arrangements may be possible, we are unable to consider applicants who wish to work entirely remotely.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Linda Sharp (linda.sharp@ncl.ac.uk) or Dr Laura Woods (laura.woods@ncl.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.