EMPLEO | PhD opportunity – Using missing data methods to enable well informed interim decision making in adaptive clinical trials

Applications are invited for an exciting PhD topic on addressing missing data arising in adaptive clinical trials, working under the supervision of Dr. Robin Mitra (Cardiff University), Dr. Kirstin Stokorb (Cardiff University), and Dr. Thomas Burnett (University of Bath). The successful applicant would be based in the School of Mathematics at Cardiff University.

Adaptive designs for clinical trials add flexibility and efficiency to the clinical development process through the addition of interim analyses, allowing pre-planned alterations to a trial in progress. The benefits of such flexibility have been highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic with a large amount of uncertainty while designing trials.

In most trials there is a delay between administration of the treatment and observing the patient’s response. Thus, clinical end points will not be observed for all recruited when interim decisions need to be made. It is crucial to make well informed decisions at the interim analyses to ensure the best treatments are made available to patients, while avoiding delays to the trial.

You will explore this problem from a missing data perspective, developing principled statistical methodology to improve the quality of decision making in adaptive clinical trials, through the incorporation of all available information. You will also engage with the project partners in the pharmaceutical industry, collaborating with statisticians in Roche and AstraZeneca, paving the way in developing methodology that is suitable in practical settings.

More details of the opportunity are available at (including details of how to apply):

Mathematical Sciences DTP studentship in Using missing data methods to enable well informed interim decision making in adaptive clinical trials at Cardiff University on FindAPhD.com

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact either Dr. Robin Mitra (mitrar5@cardiff.ac.uk) or Dr. Thomas Burnett (thomas.burnett@mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk) prior to submitting their application to discuss this opportunity further.