Senior Research Associate

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a highly motivated Senior Research Associate in Health Technology Assessment. This role offers an exciting opportunity to lead prestigious programs, requiring strong quantitative skills and experience in health technology assessment. The successful candidate will engage in critical reviews, conduct economic evaluations, and work collaboratively in a dynamic team environment. With a focus on professional development and a commitment to research excellence, this position is ideal for those passionate about making a significant impact in the field. Join a thriving institution that values diversity and promotes inclusive practices.

Benefits

Generous holiday package

Pension schemes

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience in health technology assessment and economic evaluation.
• Proficient in developing and critiquing decision models.

Responsibilities

• Lead technology appraisals across Medicines, Diagnostics, and MedTech.
• Supervise early-career researchers and develop funding proposals.

Skills

Health Technology Assessment

Economic Evaluation

Evidence Synthesis Methods

Decision Models Development

Statistical Analysis

Time Management

Communication Skills

Education

PhD in Health Economics

PhD in Epidemiology

PhD in Evidence Synthesis

Tools

Microsoft Excel

STATA

R

WinBUGS

Job description

Press Tab to Move to Skip to Content Link

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

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: 28 May 2025

The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Research Associate in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and modelling with strong quantitative skills to take a lead in the delivery of two prestigious programmes: the Newcastle NIHR Technology Assessment Group and the NICE External Assessment Group.

The successful candidate will lead and develop technology appraisals across the Medicines, Diagnostics, and MedTech landscape. This role offers an exciting opportunity for individuals with experience in all aspects of HTA, including critical review of the clinical and economic components of company technology assessment reports, conducting network meta-analyses, matching-adjusted indirect comparisons, evaluation and analysis of real-world evidence, and economic evaluations through de novo economic models.

The post-holder will work across two successful research groups, the Health Economics Group and the Evidence Synthesis Group, within the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University. These groups jointly hold the contracts for the two HTA programmes of work.

For the suitable candidate, responsibilities will also include supervising early-career researchers, developing funding proposals, analysis plans, leading applied methodological research projects, and development of short courses. There will be opportunities to contribute to teaching, as appropriate.

The post-holder will join a thriving, dynamic group of methodologists with a large porfolio of active projects, including national centres such as the NIHR Innovation Observatory. Candidates must be willing to work in multidisciplinary teams across institutes and demonstrate a proactive approach to their work and career development.

The post is full-time, fixed term until 31 March 2027 in the first instance.

• Contribute to the leadership of the TAR programme, delivered by a multidisciplinary team of researchers mainly from the Health Economics Group and the Evidence Synthesis Group.
• Support delivery of the TAR and EAG contracts for the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence by reviewing company evidence submissions; systematic reviewing; evaluating the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic and other health technologies by adapting and/or developing de novo decision models; and undertaking complex evidence synthesis methods such as network meta-analysis, and matching-adjusted indirect comparison analyses.
• Maintain academic standards and freedom, and work in accordance with university policies (e.g. equal opportunities, health and safety policies)
• Attract funding for research from a range of peer reviewed external sources.
• Plan and lead high quality research, project managing the research activity, supervising and taking responsibility for the research team. Plan the research to be undertaken, as a self-contained item or as part of a broader programme.
• Carry out research within agreed timelines, meeting project milestones and to an appropriate standard.
• Consistently publish research in peer-reviewed publications at a 3* level, with significant contribution at the 4* level.
• Undertake teaching relating to health technology assessment on the Institute and Faculty of Medical Science postgraduate and undergraduate courses as required.
• Collect and organise data; ensure that research activity and data is consistent with current research governance instructions and Data Protection legislation; ensure that research activity and data collection and management meet the demands of new instructions and legislation as these come into effect and keep appropriate records.
• Identify and undertake a programme of professional development, including further training in research methods and other transferable skills.
• To contribute to the activities of the Health Economics and Evidence Synthesis Groups at Newcastle University.
• Carry out administrative tasks and other duties to support the Population Health Sciences Institute as required by the Dean.
  

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience – Essential

• Significant experience of conducting research in the areas of health technology assessment, economic evaluation, and/or advanced evidence synthesis methods.
• Significant experience in the development and critique of decision models across a range of statistical packages including Microsoft Excel.
• Effective time management and prioritisation skills to balance the potentially conflicting demands of the TAR programme of work and other research and teaching commitments; and the ability to meet deadlines.
• High level of understanding and experience in the conduct of Technology Assessment Reviews.
• High level of understanding and experience of employing advanced evidence synthesis methods including application to real world evidence.
• Ability to work independently and as part of the research project team.
• Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work flexibly and cooperatively with others to successfully deliver research projects.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and protect research/personal data according to protocols and principles of good research practice.
• Ability to prepare reports and papers for presentation at national and international conferences and meetings.
• Experience of preparing research proposals and applying for research funding.
• Evidence of ability to write for high quality peer reviewed publications with a publication record at a national level.
• Evidence of skills in using relevant statistical and economic modelling packages (such as STATA, R, winbugs) and the ability to undertake modelling of study data.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience – Desirable

• Experience of research on methodological aspects of economic evaluation and advanced evidence synthesis.
• Experience of supervising less experienced staff and postgraduate students.
• Teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate level in an academic setting.

Qualifications – Essential

• PhD in Health Economics, Epidemiology or Evidence Synthesis or a closely related quantitative subject or equivalent experience to specifically include advanced evidence synthesis skills.
  

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 silverAthena 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.