Epidemiologist / Health Data Scientist on OpenSAFELY in the Bennett Institute

Location: Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford

We are recruiting a new epidemiologist, statistician or health data scientist. You will primarily be working on OpenSAFELY, the national analytics platform that was created during COVID-19 by our team in wide collaboration. OpenSAFELY is a highly secure, modular, open-source data analysis platform, combining best practice from both academia and the open-source software community. It is deployed across the full electronic health records of 55 million patients in England.

There are several ongoing research projects within the Bennett Institute using OpenSAFELY that you might contribute to, including:

• NIHR-funded research to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines for respiratory viruses
• Wellcome supported NHS Talking Therapies research
• NIHR-funded Winter pressures and service delivery planning
• NHS England’s Primary Care and Medicines Analytics Unit

You will join our research team delivering research outputs across a wide range of academic and operational research questions in medicine. However, this is not just a conventional researcher post. Alongside delivering high impact research outputs, you will also be helping to lead a new way of delivering health data science. You will contribute to our open science community-building work, our codebase, our open teaching resources, or our policy work.

You will be formally based in the Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG as your normal place of work, but you will be able to agree a pattern of regular remote working with your line manager.

This is a full‑time position; however, part‑time working (minimum 0.6 FTE) will also be considered. The post is funded for three years in the first instance.

For further information or discuss the post please contact Brian MacKenna (brian.mackenna@phc.ox.ac.uk).

“Committed to equality and valuing diversity”

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online and you will be required to upload a CV and Supporting Statement as part of your online application. The Supporting Statement should include a cover letter and should also clearly describe how you meet each of the selection criteria listed in the job description. Click here for information and advice on writing an effective Supporting Statement. Please do not attach any manuscripts, papers, transcripts, mark sheets or certificates as these will not be considered as part of your application.

The closing date for applications is 12:00 noon on Monday 2 March 2026.

Interviews are expected to be held during the week commencing 16 March 2026. 

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