PhD Studentships in Bayesian Modelling, Viral Dynamics, and Pandemic Response at University of Oxford Statistics University of Oxford in United Kingdom

The University of Oxford's Department of Statistics is offering two fully funded DPhil (PhD) studentships for outstanding candidates interested in advanced statistical research applied to infectious diseases and pandemic response. The first project, supervised by Prof Ben Lambert (primary, Oxford) with collaborators at GSK, focuses on viral dynamics and Bayesian modelling. The research will develop scalable Bayesian methods to analyze within-host viral dynamics for infections such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2, integrating mechanistic ODE models and flexible Bayesian approaches to capture nonlinear, individual-specific effects. The project aims to identify key covariates shaping viral kinetics and generalize methods to other pathogens and complex systems. Short research visits to GSK may be possible.

The second project, supervised by Prof Christl Donnelly (Oxford), Prof Christophe Fraser (Oxford), Prof Roberto Vivancos (UKHSA), Prof Iain Buchan (Liverpool), and Prof Tom Solomon (Liverpool), investigates methods and digital tools for improving public health and social measures (PHSMs) in pandemic response. The research will explore ways to measure and optimize end-user acceptability, usability, and equity of PHSMs, drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 app and considering social, ethical, and political implications for policy-relevant trials. The studentship is based in Oxford Statistics, lasts 3.5 years, and includes cohort benefits from the Oxford Martin School Digital Pandemic Preparedness Programme and NIHR HPRU-EZI, such as training, mentorship, and career-development events.

Both studentships are fully funded (fees and stipend) for UK/home students, with limited places for international students (up to 30% of the cohort). Applicants must have, or expect to obtain, a first or upper second class honours degree or a master's in a relevant quantitative discipline. International qualifications may be accepted. For the PHSMs project, applicants should answer 'Yes' to applying for an advertised studentship and specify 26STAT02HPRU in their application and proposal. Application deadlines are 21 November 2025 for the viral dynamics project and 8 January 2026 for the PHSMs project. For more information, see the provided links or contact the supervisors directly.