.png "MRC: Medical Research Council")
View Vacancy -- Statistician - GAM - 153
Established in 1947, the Medical Research Council in The Gambia has an international reputation for ground-breaking research into some of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Achievements include a large trial showing the efficacy of Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine in The Gambia and the subsequent near elimination of the disease, pioneering studies of the impact of insecticide treated bed nets as a preventive measure against malaria leading up to their worldwide use, studies demonstrating the impact of conjugate pneumococcal vaccines on pneumonia and child mortality and the demonstration of a dramatic reduction in the carriage of Hepatitis B in The Gambia due to the effects of vaccination.
To reflect changes in national and global health priorities and new international funding opportunities a new research portfolio has been organized under three themes: Disease Control & Elimination; Nutrition; Vaccines & Immunity. These themes have been selected to target national health needs, to reinforce sub-regional and international links and to address some of the major current priorities in the Millennium Global Health Goals.
The post-holder will be a member of the Unit’s Statistics and Data Management Department which provides training and support in the design and analysis of research studies and conducts independent and collaborative research.
He/she will have responsibility for the statistical aspects of projects, which will include issues relating to study design, sampling and field procedures, quality control, statistical analysis and contribute to the writing of scientific reports and publications. He/she will also contribute to formal and informal training for scientific staff.
Grade
Band 4a.
Role
The post-holder will work with the Unit’s Senior Statistician and the scientific staff in the conduct and promotion of high-quality research including clinical trials, epidemiological studies, community-based interventions and studies of basic biomedical science.
Purpose of the Job
The post-holder will:
•Contribute to the development of research proposals/protocols by providing mathematical and statistical expertise.
•Support scientific staff for the choice of the appropriate experimental design for clinical, epidemiological and laboratory-based studies.
•Be responsible for the statistical analysis of datasets and contribute to the preparation of scientific reports and publications.
•Present results at both internal and external/international meetings.
•Pursue independent research interests that are relevant to the Unit’s research programmes.
•Assist and advise on the data management of field and laboratory studies.
•Be committed to continued professional development.
•Assist with the preparation of grant applications and research protocols.
•Be responsible for ensuring that all information relating to research participants and staff follows Good Research Practice and that confidentiality of personal data is respected.
•Contribute to on-the-job training and support for staff as appropriate.
•Undertake all work strictly following the safety guidelines as laid down in the MRC’s Safety Manual.
Essential
A postgraduate qualification in statistics or equivalent.
Previous experience as a practising statistician.
Practical experience of medical statistics, epidemiological methods, genetics or bioinformatics.
Excellent working knowledge of a data analysis package (e.g. Stata, SAS, or Splus) .
Ability to programme in a high-level language (e.g. VB, C#, Matlab).
Experience of handling the statistical analysis of complex data sets.
Knowledge of relational databases such as Microsoft Access or SQL server.
Excellent written and spoken English.
Excellent communication skills.
Commitment to working as part of a multidisciplinary research team.
Ability to conduct independent methodological research appropriate to the MRC’s requirements.
Desirable
Experience of data management and analysis of laboratory based techniques such as FACS, Elispot, ELISA and PCR based methods.
Advanced knowledge of data management techniques and the ability to write SQL based queries and stored procedures.
Advanced methodological knowledge of key statistical algorithms
Record of publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Experience of health research in developing countries.
Experience of teaching or delivering professional training.
Experience of managing the delivery of statistical services.
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
This opportunity is closed to applications.