Overview
Fully Funded PhD Studentship (Home Fees) – Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
Project Title: Developing Fair and Robust Cancer Risk Prediction Models Using Health Data
Supervisor: Professor Angela Wood (Professor of Biostatistics and Health Data Science)
Start date: January 2027 (or earlier)
Project Description
Early cancer diagnosis remains challenging, particularly for patients with vague or non‑specific symptoms. Electronic health records provide unprecedented opportunities to develop personalised cancer risk prediction models, but missing and incomplete symptom data can introduce bias and worsen existing inequalities. This PhD will develop innovative statistical and machine learning approaches to understand, model, and overcome missing data in large‑scale healthcare datasets. The student will investigate how data completeness varies by patient and healthcare setting, evaluate its impact on cancer risk prediction, and develop new methods to produce more accurate, equitable, and clinically useful models.
Training and Research Environment
The student will join the Department of Public Health and Primary Care and become part of the multidisciplinary CD3 consortium, collaborating with world‑leading researchers across the UK, including teams at Manchester, Exeter and University College London. The student will receive training through the Cancer Early Detection Training Programme, delivered in partnership with the Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED), alongside tailored supervision and development in biostatistics, health data science, cancer epidemiology, and responsible AI.
Qualifications
Applicants should have a first‑class or upper second‑class degree (or equivalent) in a quantitative discipline such as statistics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, data science, or a related biomedical/population health subject.
Applicants should have strong analytical and programming skills in R or Python, an interest in health data science, and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research aimed at improving patient outcomes.
Funding and Benefits
This studentship is available to applicants eligible for Home tuition fees and includes a tax‑free stipend at the UKRI 2026 rate (currently £20,780 per year).
Reference
Reference: RH50039
Equal Opportunities
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
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