Job Description

Job Title:

Research Assistant in Medical Statistics

Posting Start Date:

18/12/2025

Job Id:

2052

School/Department:

School of Medicine & Population Health

Work Arrangement:

Full Time (Hybrid)

Contract Type:

Fixed-term

Salary per annum ():

38,784

Closing Date:

05/01/2026
The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.



We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

Overview

The Design, Trials and Statistics section in the Division of Population Health based in the School of Medicine and Population Health is seeking to recruit a Research Assistant in Medical Statistics who has a passion for statistics and applied research. The post will be based within the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU).



The post would suit someone with at least two years' work experience in clinical trials, particularly adaptive designs, ideally in an academic setting.



You will have good knowledge of applied statistics and statistical theory, including response adaptive randomisation and crossover trials. You will have good programming skills and experience of working with complex datasets. You will exhibit a "can do" attitude to new activities knowing your strengths and skills whilst being flexible and able to adapt to change.



You will be able to communicate effectively with non-statisticians, and be able to clearly explain complex statistical concepts in lay terms. You will provide timely and high-quality statistical input and leadership to research projects, including input to the design, analysis, and reporting of studies.



With exceptional interpersonal skills you will relate well to others in the team establishing good working relationships, and provide training to statistical colleagues.

Main duties and responsibilities

Undertake the statistical analysis of research projects (primarily randomised controlled trials) in line with pre-defined statistical analysis plans and contribute to their reporting and dissemination, under the supervision of a senior statistician. Draft statistical analysis plans for new trials, in line with the analysis outlined in the protocol and grant application, under the supervision of a senior statistician. Contribute to applied methodological research for the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of studies that evaluate new health technologies, specifically the 'Enhancing the design, conduct and analysis of Adaptive and Platform Trials through consensus-driven Statistical Analysis Plan guidance (APT-SAP)' project (https://sheffield.ac.uk/ctru/current-trials/apt-sap). Provide high-quality statistical advice and support to multidisciplinary research projects within the Division of Population Health, under the supervision of a senior statistician. Contribute to outputs which will inform academic publications in high quality journals. Attend and participate in relevant department meetings. Continually update knowledge and understanding of medical statistics in line with advances in the relevant subject area. Share knowledge and skills with colleagues.

Teaching

Contribute to teaching statistics in tutorials to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the school with training provided as appropriate.

Planning and Organising

Assist with the high-quality delivery of research studies within agreed timescales. Prioritise tasks and allocate time to different studies as appropriate. Undertake advance planning to meet deadlines for study milestones and dissemination of results. Develop materials for research study meetings as requested. Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria

Essential criteria

Method of assessment

1


MSc containing substantial statistical content, as well as medical applications.


Application


2


Minimum of 3 years work experience, and awareness of the principles of good clinical practice and of regulatory and ethics requirements of clinical trials.


Application & interview


3


Experience of undertaking, interpreting and presenting complex statistical analyses, including for crossover trials, and studies in rare diseases.


Application & interview


4


Statistical programming experience in either Stata or R, including complex statistical models (i.e. crossover designs and involving both Bayesian and frequentist methods), and creating automated statistical reports and other relevant output from within statistical software.


Application & interview


5


Track record of publications in clinical and methodological journals.


Application & interview


6


Experience in collaborating on the methodological development of value-based randomisation, including publishing in this area.


Application & interview


7


Experience in contributing to trial protocols and the writing of statistical analysis plans, including for cluster randomised trials.


Application & interview


8


Experience with setting up randomisation systems for new trials, including for cluster trials.


Application & interview


9


Experience of organising and leading meetings, organising workshops, liaising with external visitors, and excellent communication skills.


Application & interview


10


Track record of working efficiently within a multidisciplinary team, including trial managers, clinicians, health economists, statisticians and methodologists.


Application & interview


11


Ability to acquire new skills and knowledge where necessary (including technical expertise and experience) to facilitate the success of the current study and the development of CTRU generally.


Application & interview


12


Ability to independently assess and organise resources, plan and progress work activities and work to deadlines.


Application & interview

Desirable

13


Experience of applying for research funding, including methodological projects and fellowships.


Application & interview

Further Information

Grade: 7

Salary:

38,784- 47.389

Work arrangement:

Full-time

Duration:

6 months fixed term from the start date

Line manager:

Professor of Medical Statistics

Direct reports:

N/A

Our website:

Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research | SCHARR | The University of Sheffield

For informal enquiries about this job contact Professor Steven Julious on s.a.julious@sheffield.ac.uk

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in January 2026. This will consist of an interview and an exercise to complete. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 5th January 2026. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Rebecca Swift on r.d.swift@sheffield.ac.uk
Closing Date : 05/01/2026





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