Research Associate/Assistant in Statistics

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: £33,002 to £34,610 per annum.
Research Associate: £35,608 to £41,064 per annum.

The Role
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and skilled Research Associate/Assistant in statistics to join the EPSRC funded project PINCODE: Pooling INference and COmbining Distributions Exactly: A Bayesian Approach.

The project aims to address the challenges in pooling inference, by developing and implementing either exact or asymptotically exact Monte Carlo algorithms in collaboration with the Department of Statistics at University of Warwick, Department of Mathematical Sciences at Durham University, and School of Mathematics, Statistics & Physics at Newcastle University.

You will contribute to the development of:

• An R package for path-space rejection sampling for diffusion processes.
• An R package for Bayesian Fusion pooling inference, such as privacy Bayesian Fusion and constraint Bayesian Fusion.

The position is available from 01 March 2026, and is full-time (37 hours per week) on a fixed-term basis until the project end date of 30 June 2028.

For informal enquiries about this vacancy, please contact Dr Murray Pollock (murray.pollock@ncl.ac.uk).

For further details about School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, please click here.

Full Information about Newcastle University can be found here.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment.

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement, and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role and evidence this with examples.

Key Accountabilities

• Contribute to the research programme in the field of Bayesian computational statistics as part of the EPSRC funded ‘PINCODE' project (EP/X028712/1), under the clear guidance of Prof. Murray Pollock and Prof Hongsheng Dai.
• Work closely with other members of PINCODE, including Prof. L. Aslett (Durham) and Prof G. O. Roberts (Warwick).
• Participate within the statistical community at Newcastle, including active involvement in seminars and research groups.
• Publish research findings in leading journals.
• Disseminate results widely, including at appropriate national/international conferences, and by making results and software available to applied practitioners.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Evidence of conducting independent, high-quality research.
• High level problem solving and analytical skills.
• Strong programming skills (R or C).

Desirable

• Experience of using HPC clusters.
• Experience of modern computational statistical methodologies, such as Markov chain Monte Carlo, rejection sampling, sequential Monte Carlo, would be highly desirable.

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to work in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Qualifications

• PhD Awarded (for the position as Research Associate) in Mathematics or Statistics or Computer Science
• or close to completion, having submitted the thesis at the point of starting the position (Research Assistant)

Advert information