Position Details
Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Health
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822
Grade: 7
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to January 2028
Closing date: 22nd September 2025
UK and International travel may be required for this role
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university.We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential.With almost 5,000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai, there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are,and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site.On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops,places to eat and drink,our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham
Background
This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the largest UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) registered clinical trials units in the country. The Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU) is a Department within the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. The CRCTU employs a multidisciplinary team of around 200 staff including statisticians, trial management staff, research nurses, monitors, programmers, administrators and IT staff. It specialises in running early and late phase clinical trials in adults and children. Alongside trials portfolios in a broad range of adult solid cancers and haemato-oncology, CRCTU is the national lead for prestigious programmes of children’s cancer and leukaemia trials. The unit also includes two trials teams dedicated to non-cancer trials: the Diagnostics, Drugs, Devices and Biomarkers team (D3B), running mainly early-phase trials, and the Inflammation, Advanced and Cellular Therapy (I-ACT)team, specialising in trials in rheumatology and advanced therapies.
The post holder will work within the CRCTU Biostatistics Group, which currently include 28 biostatisticians, who are working on trials and methodological projects, mainly in adult and paediatric oncology. This post provides an excellent opportunity for a biostatistician to apply their experience and expertise within a leading academic trials unit undertaking methodologically challenging research.
Role Summary
This post is for a Biostatistician to be the main statistical scientist for a methodological project on improving statistical methods for the design and analysis of clinical trials in paediatric cancer, funded by the UKRI Better Methods, Better Research Programme. This project will focus on the use of ordinal longitudinal outcomes and appropriate statistical modelling, investigating whether use of these methods will improve statistical efficiency, and exploring specification of outcomes and presentation of the results.
The post holder will co-ordinate the project, in collaboration with the investigators, ensuring that its aims are achieved on time and on budget. The project will involve liaison with the project investigators (in Birmingham and other institutions), as well as clinicians and patient representatives. The post holder will also take the lead in presentation and publication of the project’s outputs.
TheBiostatistician will have opportunities to collaborate with other members of the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit (CRCTU) Biostatistics Group on various projects, and to contribute to teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Main Duties
- Be the main scientist for the project investigating statistical methods for paediatric cancer trials, collaborating with the investigators and other members of the CRCTU Biostatistics Group.
- Complete and publish a systematic review of statistical methods in paediatric cancer trials.
- In collaboration with clinicians and patient representatives, design ordinal outcome measures for specific diseases.
- Conduct and report reanalyses of trial data sets.
- Design, perform and report simulation studies to support the reanalyses of real trial data sets.
- Contribute to reports, presentations, and publications of the project’s outputs.
- Develop recommendations for the presentation and communication of results using longitudinal ordinal outcomes.
- Organisation of a training workshop to disseminate methods.
- Collaborate on relevant trial-related methodology projects with researchers in CRCTU and other departments within the University of Birmingham, and in other institutions undertaking related research.
- Provide training for other statisticians (in CRCTU and beyond) in statistical and clinical trial methodology.
- Support the delivery of clinical research in accordance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the Declaration of Helsinki, applicable legislation (including, but not limited to, the Medicines for Human Use Clinical Trials Regulations, Data Protection Act 1998, Human Tissue Act), the Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care, Caldicott principals, and applicable NHS Trust and University policies and procedures, (including, but not limited to the University’s Data Protection Policy, Information Security Policy and Code of Practice for Research) in order to protect the research subject and the quality of each study.
- Promotes equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
- Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
- Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
- MSc in medical statistics(or equivalent qualifications), or relevant technical qualification and considerable relevant experience.Where no equivalent qualification is held,significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a series of more demanding roles will be required demonstrating the conceptual understanding required.
- Knowledge of statistical modelling and Bayesian methods.
- Knowledge of statistical software, particularly R.
- Strong statistical programming skills.
- Understanding of clinical trials.
- An ability to work well both on own initiative and within a team.
- Evidence of good inter-personal communication skills, including the ability to explain statistical concepts to non-statisticians.
- In depth up to date specialist understanding and experience in a relevant scientific, technical or IT specialism.
- Evidence of literacy and numeracy.
- Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
Further particulars can be foundhere
Informal enquiries to Professor Simon Gates, email:
View our staff values and behaviourshere
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .
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