We are looking to recruit a PhD student with a strong statistical background to develop methodology in biostatistics within a vibrant multidisciplinary research environment within the Institute for Applied Clinical Sciences at Keele University. 

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is the last stage of Chronic Kidney Disease, requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the form of peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis or renal transplantation, to stay alive. This PhD project will apply, and extend as required, multistate modelling and graphical Markov modelling to analyse longitudinal data collected from the UK Renal Registry. Multistate modelling will be used to describe how ESRD and its management in RRT patients evolve through different stages over the patient’s lifetime, including transitions between different treatment modalities, the occurrence of other health events, hospitalisation, recovery of kidney function, or death. Further, graphical Markov models will be developed to describe in a causal graph how patient factors and treatment modalities are interrelated and how they impact survival time. The statistical modelling will be guided by strong clinical knowledge and experience from experts in the field of nephrology based at the Institute for Applied Clinical Sciences (iACS) at Keele University, so that clinical insight from the analyses can be demonstrated and communicated meaningfully. 

Environment and training: iACS is co-located with the iPCHS which is the largest and most successful Research Institute at Keele (http://www.keele.ac.uk/pchs/), 91% of Keele’s research in Primary Care has been judged world leading or internationally excellent (Ref 2014).  The student will benefit from an excellent programme of research training within a vibrant multidisciplinary research environment including a strong biostatistics group.  There are regular seminars, journal clubs, short courses and workshops in biostatistics, research methodology, epidemiology, prognosis and clinical trials. The student will also be encouraged to attend conferences elsewhere and national PhD training programs (e.g. Academy for PhD Training in Statistics) as required.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to the project statistical supervisor Dr Ivonne Solis-Trapala ([log in to unmask]) or the clinical supervisor Dr Mark Lambie ([log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]).

Eligibility:  Applicants should have a good first degree (2:1 or above) in Statistics, Mathematics or related discipline, and a Master’s degree in Medical Statistics or related discipline is desirable. 

Studentship: Funding is available for three years to cover fees for PhD registration (2018/19 home/EU rates currently: £4,195) and a research studentship stipend of currently £14,553 per annum for 2017/18. Non-EU students would be required to pay the balance (currently approximately £11,253 per annum) of the overseas fees themselves. 

How to apply: Please ensure that you reference the studentship number (RPCH2018/01) throughout your application online at  http://www.keele.ac.uk/pgresearch/studentships/. For any queries relating to the application process, please contact Miss Zara Richards ([log in to unmask])