Richard Elphick Studentship in Modelling progression risks in Barrett's oesophagus.

University of Cambridge; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 20,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition fees covered

Maintenance stipend

Job summary

Richard Elphick Studentship at Trinity College, Cambridge offers a fully funded PhD research opportunity in Oncology. The project investigates progression risks in Barrett's oesophagus using a Markov multistate model and large multicentre datasets, under Professors Rebecca Fitzgerald and Nora Pashayan.

The research aims to quantify cancer risk and personalise surveillance, with microsimulation to compare strategies and translate findings into a decision-support tool for clinicians.

Qualifications

• Applications are welcomed from UK and Overseas candidates who meet the entry requirements for the PhD in Oncology.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on modelling progression risks in Barrett's oesophagus using large multicentre datasets.
• Develop a Markov multistate model to estimate transition risks and personalize surveillance intervals.
• Apply microsimulation to compare fixed and risk-based surveillance strategies and support clinical decision tools.

Job description

Applications are invited for the Richard Elphick Studentship, a fully funded PhD studentship at Trinity College, established by friends and family in memory of Richard. The successful candidate will undertake research on "Modelling progression risks in Barrett's oesophagus" under the supervision of Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald (Department of Oncology) and Professor Nora Pashayan (Department of Public Health and Primary Care).

This is an opportunity to work with Professor Fitzgerald and her research group, who are internationally renowned for their work on Barrett's oesophagus including the development of a novel, non-endoscopic capsule sponge test, and Professor Pashayan's research group who are leading in quantitative methods to develop risk-based approaches to cancer screening.

Project Outline

Oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), the most common oesophageal cancer in the UK and US, has a 5-year survival rate below 20%, though outcomes improve with early detection. Barrett's oesophagus, an asymptomatic precursor, is monitored to detect and treat dysplasia before cancer develops or to identify cancer at an earlier stage. However, most cases remain undiagnosed. The Cytosponge, developed by Prof Fitzgerald's lab, offers a cheaper, GP-based alternative to endoscopy, increasing Barrett's detection and the number of people entering surveillance.

This project will use large multicentre datasets to develop a Markov multistate model of Barrett's oesophagus progression, estimating transition risks and incorporating patient and disease factors to predict individual cancer risk and personalise surveillance intervals.

Microsimulation studies will compare fixed and risk-based surveillance strategies and evaluate endoscopy versus Cytosponge-based approaches. Findings will be translated into a clinical decision-support and visualisation tool that communicates personalised progression risk and supports tailored surveillance recommendations for patients and clinicians.

Eligibility And Funding

Applications are welcomed from UK and Overseas candidates who meet the entry requirements for the PhD in Oncology.

The studentship will commence in the 2027-28 academic year and will provide full funding for 3.5 years, including tuition fees at either the UK Home or Overseas rate, a maintenance stipend at the applicable UKRI rate, and a research emolument. More details of the funding amounts can be found on the University's postgraduate funding webpages and the Trinity College website.

Further Information

Enquiries regarding the research project, application process or the PhD in Oncology should be directed to the Postgraduate Administration Team, Department of Oncology (email: [e-mail])

Enquiries relating to the Richard Elphick Studentship should be directed to Trinity College (email: [e-mail]).

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK

Please quote reference RD51277 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.