PhD studentship in Faster fitting and dimension reduction for multivariate joint

Value of award
100% of UK/EU tuition fees paid and annual living expenses of £15,009 International fees will be considered where possible.

Number of awards
1

Start date and duration
September 2020 for 42 months

Overview
We invite applications for a PhD position in statistics at Newcastle University.

Some 20 years after the first joint models of longitudinal and time-to-event data began to emerge, studies in disease areas such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease are now routinely collecting information on multiple longitudinal biomarkers.

Such studies present a series of challenges and opportunities. On one hand, this multivariate data is likely to provide predictions that are more informative, and allow for better discrimination between patients. Counter to this are the computational and statistical difficulties in fitting models with multiple biomarkers that often lead, in practice, to the fitting of joint models that either do not take into account the information in all of the biomarkers or adopt unrealistically simple random effects structures in both the longitudinal sub-model and its association with the time-to-event sub-model.

Numerical integration methods such as quadrature, Monte Carlo and Laplace approximations have typically been used to fit joint models.

This research project will investigate alternative and hybrid approaches to enable fast fitting of multivariate joint models as well as explorations in to reducing the dimensionality of the longitudinal data.

As well as the above stipend and fees, the studentship includes the provision of a new desktop computer and travel allowance. Students also have the opportunity to take part in a range of paid teaching activities, with training provided.

Sponsor
UKRI and School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics (https://bit.ly/35KixY0)

Name of supervisor(s)
Dr Pete Philipson

Eligibility Criteria
You must have or expect a first class or high 2:1 honours degree in mathematics, physics, engineering or a closely related discipline. Enthusiasm for research, an ability to think and work independently, excellent analytical skills and strong verbal and written communication skills are essential requirements.

This award is available to UK/EU and international candidates. If English is not your first language, you must have IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in all sub-skills).

How to apply
You must apply through the University’s online postgraduate application form (https://bit.ly/2MbfX5r)

You will need to:
click on programme of study
insert 8080F in the programme code section and click search
select Programme name PhD Mathematics (full time) - Statistics
insert MSP028 in the studentship/partnership reference field
attach a covering letter and CV. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote reference code MSP028 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project
attach degree transcripts and certificates and, if English is not your first language, a copy of your English language qualifications.
if you already have an active application which you wish to be associated with this studentship, please access the Application Portal and send an enquiry to the PG Admissions team, stating your request to be associated with this studentship

Contact
Dr Colin Gillespie ([Email Address Removed])