Research Associate - Statistical Genetics & Immunotherapy

Salary: £33,966 to £44,263 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 23 June 2024

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to become involved in an international, collaborative project jointly funded by the European Commission (Horizon 2020 via UKRI Guarantee Fund) and the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) for Ageing and Multiple Long Term Conditions, entitled, Stratification of Patients using advanced Integrative modelling of Data Routinely acquired for diagnosing Rheumatic complaints (SPIDeRR).

Involving a total of 20 partners/institutions across Europe, the ambition of this data science consortium is to leverage electronic health record (EHR) data from primary and secondary care settings alongside available genetic and other biological datasets to develop novel tools for streamlining diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making, thereby improving both the experience and outcomes of service-users presenting with musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints in the future. 

We seek a highly motivated and methodologically-focussed researcher with excellent statistical and computational skills to contribute cutting-edge methods development in a clinically relevant research area with strong translational potential.

You will help resolve the additive diagnostic and/or prognostic value of genome-wide genetic information alongside routinely available clinical and other biological data in people with musculoskeletal complaints.

Working as part of a team, you will help discern the discriminatory utility of published polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in pooled cohorts of people using rheumatology services across the UK and the EU. Using available multi-omics datasets (including SNP genotypes, gene expression, CpG methylation and serum proteomics), you will furthermore develop and deploy novel statistical approaches to unravel causal pathways in the development/progression of immune-mediated disease.

You will hold a PhD and demonstrate enthusiasm to develop experience in Statistical Genetics and data science. You will benefit from the sharing of ideas across our broad, collaborative network, in turn supporting skills development amongst students and colleagues within the group and presenting your findings at national and international fora. 

The project

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) that leverage understanding of genetic architecture by measuring summed effects of multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have demonstrated discriminatory potential in case-control settings, but their diagnostic value in more clinically relevant contexts has yet to be confirmed. Utilising extant whole-genome genotyping data from consenting patients with MSK complaints seen in rheumatology clinics across diverse populations in the UK and Europe, SPIDeRR will address this unmet need. It will, in parallel, leverage rich multi-omic datasets prospectively acquired in Newcastle cohorts of people with rheumatoid arthritis and evolving drug-induced immune-mediated disease to develop methods for unravelling causal relationships between disease risk factors. These methods will then be applied in the multi-centre setting. 

This post is fixed term for a period of 36 months.

For informal enquiries contact: Dr Arthur G Pratt (arthur.pratt@newcastle.ac.uk) or Professor Heather Cordell (heather.cordell@newcastle.ac.uk)

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ 

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Key Accountabilities

• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value’
• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students, informatics technicians or research assistants
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
• Work with other members of the Newcastle SPIDeRR team to integrate workstreams in order to maximise sample resources and deliver complimentary outputs
• Collaborate with our SPIDeRR partners locally and internationally, whilst contributing proactively to the project

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge (PI to describe subject knowledge required) in the area of research
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability 
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment 
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications 
• A background in computational biology and/or statistics, sufficient to provide input into method development and data analysis for the project, together with a willingness to share knowledge and to learn

Desirable

• Experience in the curation, manipulation and analysis of whole genome human genetic data
• Experience in analysing and combining multiple/multi-omic datasets

Attributes and Behaviour

• Collaborative team player
• Willingness to contribute to more than one project at a time

Desirable

• Enthusiasm to develop interests in rheumatic disease, Statistical Genetics and data science

Qualifications

• A PhD in genetics, statistics or data science (awarded)

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27318