LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS

CHAIR, SENIOR LECTURESHIP AND LECTURESHIP IN STATISTICS

Applications are invited for these three indefinite positions in Lancaster's RAE 6* Statistics research group within the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The group currently includes 17 academic staff, 5 research associates, 30 research students and 8 MSc students.

The Chair position is a replacement for Professor Rob Henderson. The Senior Lecturer and Lecturer positions are new, reflecting a commitment from the university to expand statistical activity at Lancaster. 

The research and teaching interests of the Lancaster Statistics Group are diverse, but there is a shared commitment to collaborative work at the interface between methodology and applications. The advertised positions are in Medical Statistics, one of three sections within the group. Its major activities include methodological and collaborative research, postgraduate training in biostatistics, service teaching in the biological and biomedical sciences, and support for NHS R&D activities. 

We welcome applicants whose research interests are in any area of statistical methodology, and who are committed to the application of statistics in bioinformatics, medicine or public health. Our aim for this set of positions is to maintain and develop strength across the full range of our activities, including at least one appointment in statistical bioinformatics. 

Applicants for appointment at Chair or Senior Lecturer level should have a strong track-record of research achievement in statistics. Additionally, applicants for the Chair should be able to take a scientific leadership role within the department. Applicants for the Lectureship should have a track record, or clear potential for achievement, in research. All applicants should be enthusiastic teachers. 

To apply or receive further information, please visit:  http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/personnel/jobs or telephone Personnel Services on answerphone +44 (0)1524 846549, quoting the appropriate reference number below. 

Informal enquiries can be made to Professor Peter Diggle ([log in to unmask], phone +44-1524-593957). 

General information about the Department can be found at:   http://www.maths.lancs.ac.uk 

Chair: ref A369, salary negotiable 
Senior Lecturer: ref A370, salary scale £37,558 to £42,573 
Lecturer: ref A371, salary scale £23,643 to £35,883 

Closing date for completed applications: 29 November 2004. 


Department and Job-description

The successful candidates will be members of the Medical Statistics Section, which forms one of four sections of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the others being the Statistics Section, the Centre for Applied Statistics and the Mathematics Section. The four Heads of Section sit on the department's Policy and Resources Committee which is chaired by the Head of Department (currently Prof Jonathan Tawn). The appointee to either the Chair or the Senior Lectureship may be invited to take on the role of Head of Section. The appointee to the Chair will take part in the appointment process for at least one additional indefinite academic position which has been approved by the university. 

The Medical Statistics Section operates a work-allocation model, within which the mix of each member of staff's contributions to the overall work of the Section can be adjusted to reflect their particular areas of expertise and interest. Individual work allocations are agreed as part of an annual appraisal by the Head of Section. 

Major areas of work for the Section include the following. 

Research 

The three statistical Sections operate largely as a single research group - the Lancaster Statistics Group, and have been returned as a single unit in successive RAE's. Current areas of methodological research strength across the combined group include spatial statistics, time series and longitudinal data analysis, survival analysis, computationally intensive statistical methods, extreme value theory and methods, statistical genetics and graphical modelling of multivariate data. 

Collaborative research extends across a wide range of natural and social science applications. Within medical and/or health-related areas, there are particularly strong collaborative links into biomedicine, genetics, environmental, veterinary and tropical disease epidemiology. New collaborative links in bioinformatics are being pursued, both within Lancaster and with Liverpool and Manchester universities; in particular, we are providing statistical input to the Manchester-led North West Institute for Bio-health Informatics, and to a Liverpool-led bid to establish a National Centre for Zoonosis Research. 

Research supervision is an important activity across the combined statistics group, at both PhD and post-doctoral level. This includes a Marie Curie training programme for visiting European research students. Currently, there are 35 postgraduate or post-doctoral researchers within the combined group. 

Teaching 

The Medical Statistics Section is responsible for a one-year full-time MSc in Medical Statistics, which is delivered with contributions from the Statistics Section. The MSc has 18 students registered for the academic year 2003/04. From 2005/06 the intention is to embed the current MSc within an MSc Programme in Statistical Science. 

The Section currently provides service teaching to Biology at undergraduate level, and to Biology, Environmental Science and Psychology at postgraduate level. The Section also offers Special Study Modules on behalf of the University of Liverpool Medical School. 

All three statistical sections are involved in a current major bid to HEFCE to establish Lancaster as a Centre for Excellence in Postgraduate Statistics Teaching. If successful, this will provide the funding for additional academic positions, and for a new building to house the resulting expansion in activity. 

Consulting and Professional Training 

The Medical Statistics Section contributes to a university-wide R&D support programme for NHS staff in the North West of England. This includes statistical consultancy and short-course provision.   

Computing 

The department has a team of three computing support staff for both Linux-based and Windows-based users. All staff have a desktop workstation configured for their needs, together with access to the departmental Linux cluster for high-performance processing requirements. There is also a University cluster of over 200 Sun CPUs for larger batch jobs beyond the capability of the departmental systems. 

The University and the City 

Lancaster University occupies a campus in a rural setting, approximately 5km south of Lancaster city centre. The university and city are connected by a regular bus service. 

The university was established in 1964, and is now amongst the leading group of UK research-led universities, with RAE Grade 5* units in Statistics, Management, Physics and Sociology, and almost all units rated at least RAE grade 4, in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise of all UK universities. 

Lancaster is a small city whose history goes back at least 2000 years when it was under Roman occupation. The surroundings are exceptionally attractive, with the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales national parks close by. 

The much larger cities of Liverpool and Manchester are each about 80km to the south, with good road and rail connections. Manchester airport is a major international gateway. London is about 3 hours away by rail, or a one hour flight from Manchester. 

Person-specification
Assessment code: C = cv; I = interview; P = presentation; R = referees

Chair 

Essential 

1.      Ability to provide scientific leadership within the department.  (C,I,P,R)
2.      Internationally recognised research achievement in statistical methodology.  (C,R) 
3.      Track-record of attracting research funding.  (C)
4.      Track-record of, or potential to develop, collaborative research for biostatistics, bioinformatics or biomedical/health sciences applications.  (C,I,P,R)
5.      Commitment to developing innovative programmes of postgraduate and service statistics teaching. (C,I,R) 
6.      Good oral and written communication skills. (I,P,R)

Desirable 

1.      Experience of running statistical consulting and/or CPD programmes in biomedical or health sciences settings. (C)

Senior Lecturer 

Essential 

1.      Track-record of research achievement in statistical   methodology. (C,R)   
2.      Track-record of attracting research funding. (C)
3.      Track-record of, or potential to develop, collaborative  research for biostatistics, bioinformatics or biomedical/health sciences applications. (C,I,P,R) 
4.      Enthusiasm for statistics teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. (C,I,R) 
5.      Good oral and written communication skills. (I,P,R)

Desirable 

1.      Experience of statistical consulting and/or CPD work in biomedical or health sciences settings. (C)
 Lecturer 

Essential

1.      Track-record of, or clear potential for, research achievement in statistical methodology. (C,I,P,R) 
2.      Track-record of, or potential to develop, collaborative research for biostatistics, bioinformatics or biomedical/health sciences applications. (C,I,P,R)
3.      Enthusiasm for statistics teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. (C,I,R)  
4.      Good oral and written communication skills. (I,P,R)

Desirable 

1.      Experience of statistical consulting and/or CPD work in biomedical or health sciences settings. (C)



Selection procedure 

The successful candidates will be chosen on the basis of their written application, referees' reports, a seminar presentation and a formal interview. We anticipate holding interviews in January 2005. Candidates will be reimbursed for all reasonable expenses incurred in attending for interview. 


Cathy Thomson
Administrator, Medical Statistics Unit
Mathematics & Statistics Department
Lancaster University
Fylde College
Lancaster LA1 4YF
 
Tel: 01524 594622
Fax: 01524 592681
email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>