"Professor of Early Phase Clinical Trial Statistics"

About us

The appointee will provide academic leadership for the early-phase and experimental medicine trial portfolio in the King’s Clinical Trials Unit (KCTU), the UKCRC registered CTU within King’s College London and Partner Trusts in King’s Health Partners. KCTU supports trials in all disease areas with specialist strength in mental health, neuroscience, rheumatology, transplantation and ophthalmology. The KCTU Academic Director is Professor Richard Emsley.

The appointee will support the Academic Director to promote and develop KCTU’s work in this area both within King’s and externally. On appointment you will be affiliated with the Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics in the School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

About the role

The King’s Clinical Trials Unit (KCTU) is seeking to appoint a leading academic to the role of Professor of Early Phase Clinical Trial Statistics. This senior position provides an outstanding opportunity to lead and grow methodological and applied research in early phase clinical trials, particularly those involving novel therapies, biomarkers, and adaptive designs.

You will join a world-class academic environment within King’s Clinical Trials Unit working with academics in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. You will work collaboratively with clinical and translational researchers, trialists, statisticians, and industry partners to deliver high-quality, innovative early phase trials in priority health areas.

You will support a portfolio of externally funded research, contribute to postgraduate teaching and supervision, and support the development of capacity in early phase methodology and implementation within the KCTU and more widely across King’s Health Partners.

• Provide academic leadership in early phase clinical trial statistics, including dose-finding, experimental medicine and proof-of-concept studies.
• Develop and an internationally recognised programme of methodological and applied research.
• Collaborate with clinicians and scientists to design, analyse, and report early phase trials across a range of clinical specialties.
• Contribute to the strategic direction and development of the King’s Clinical Trials Unit.
• Secure external funding from NIHR, MRC, UKRI, industry, and charitable sources.
• Supervise and mentor early career researchers and PhD students.
• Contribute to postgraduate education in clinical trials methodology.
• Promote best practices in statistical methods and regulatory-compliant trial design.

The post is responsible to the King’s CTU Academic Director, Professor Richard Emsley.

This is a part time post (0.2FTE, 7 hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract for 3 years from date of appointment.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD or equivalent in medical statistics, biostatistics, or a related quantitative discipline.
2. Proven track record of leading the statistical design and analysis of early phase clinical trials.
3. Extensive publication record in peer-reviewed journals relevant to early phase methodology and applications.
4. Demonstrable success in attracting significant external research funding.
5. Experience supervising doctoral or postdoctoral researchers.
6. Expertise in Bayesian and/or adaptive trial designs and dose-finding methodologies.
7. Strong leadership and team collaboration skills, with experience of working in interdisciplinary research settings.
8. Understanding of the regulatory and operational aspects of early phase trials, including MHRA/EMA/ICH guidelines.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience working within or in collaboration with a UKCRC-registered Clinical Trials Unit.
2. Engagement with national or international methodological networks (e.g., Trials Methodology Research Partnership, NIHR Statistics Group, PSI).
3. Experience of methodological innovation in trials involving advanced therapies (e.g., ATMPs, immunotherapies, pharmacogenomics).

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our How we Recruit pages.

Grade and Salary: £82,208 - £101,781 per annum including London Weighting Allowance

Job ID: 135865

Close Date: 25-Jan-2026

Contact Person: Professor Richard Emsley

Contact Details: richard.emsley@kcl.ac.uk