Research Assistant/Associate in Nutritional and Cancer Epidemiology

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: 21 September 2026

The Role

We are excited to offer a new opportunity for a Research Assistant / Associate in Nutritional and Cancer Epidemiology within Newcastle University’s Population Health Sciences Institute. Appointment level will reflect the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience. You will join colleagues in the Human Nutrition and Exercise Research Centre and the REACH (Researching Equity, Access and Cancer Health outcomes) team, working with Dr Yashvee Dunneram, Professor Linda Sharp and multidisciplinary collaborators. Funded by Bowel Research UK, the project will examine whether adherence to the UK Eatwell Guide is associated with colorectal polyp prevalence, colorectal cancer incidence and survival. Analyses using COLO-COHORT and UK Biobank will also explore pathways involving adiposity, inflammation and metabolic biomarkers, generating evidence relevant to colorectal cancer prevention and survivorship. You will prepare complex dietary and health data, construct Eatwell Guide adherence scores, undertake reproducible analyses and contribute to interpretation and dissemination.

Applicants should have:

• Experience of analysing health data in Stata or R
• Knowledge of regression and survival methods
• Experience of nutritional epidemiology or dietary assessment

The post is fixed-term for up to nine months and is expected to be available from 2 November 2026. Part-time or flexible working will be considered where compatible with the funding period. Blended working may be possible, but the campus-based role cannot be undertaken entirely remotely.

Researcher development support includes mentoring, planning discussions, career development funding and peer review.

Duration of post: fixed term for up to nine months (project end date 01 November 2027); anticipated start 2 November 2026.

Key Accountabilities

Research Assistant

• Prepare, clean, document and manage dietary, sociodemographic, clinical, biomarker and outcome data from UK Biobank and COLO-COHORT in accordance with data-governance requirements
• Construct, quality-assure and document binary and graded UK Eatwell Guide adherence scores using food-frequency-questionnaire and repeated 24-hour dietary-recall data
• Undertake reproducible multivariable and time-to-event analyses of colorectal polyp prevalence, colorectal cancer incidence and survival, including mediation analyses involving adiposity, inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers
• Contribute to interpretation, project meetings, stakeholder and patient/public involvement activities, and the preparation of reports, manuscripts, presentations and accessible outputs
• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate

In addition for Research Associate

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Research Assistant

• Experience of managing and analysing large, complex epidemiological or health research datasets using Stata or R
• Knowledge and practical experience of epidemiological methods, including multivariable regression and time-to-event or survival analysis
• Knowledge or experience of nutritional epidemiology, dietary assessment, or constructing diet-quality or dietary-adherence scores
• Attention to detail and ability to work at high levels of accuracy
• Ability to present complex information effectively to a range of audiences
• Proven ability to analyse data and write-up results
• Experience of working collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent IT skills in all major office applications
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems

In addition for Research Associate

• Awareness of the research environment
• High level of analytical and problem solving capacity
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity
• Experience of presentations at conferences and/or in high quality publications
• Experience of analysing large cohort or linked health datasets, particularly UK Biobank or a comparable research resource
• Knowledge or experience of colorectal cancer epidemiology, cancer prevention or survivorship research, and/or mediation analysis or structural equation modelling
• Experience of research dissemination, patient and public involvement and engagement, or producing accessible outputs for non-academic audiences

Attributes and Behaviour

• Commitment to working positively as a member of a multi-skilled research team
• Ability to negotiate and prioritise multiple, competing responsibilities and to work to deadlines
• Commitment to continued professional development
• Understanding of good practice in equality, inclusion and diversity

Qualifications

• For appointment at Research Associate level, a PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, nutrition or a related field with a strong quantitative component is required.
• For appointment at Research Assistant level, a Master’s degree in an appropriate field with a strong quantitative component is required.
• Working towards a relevant PhD (Research Assistant appointment only)

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 Gold Athena 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. 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.