News

Photo of BSU interns - all standing on grass in front of building, smiling and lifting their arms up in the air.

Another great year for the BSU Internship Programme

1 September 2025

This summer, the BSU welcomed a new and fantastic cohort of interns. Our successful and widely recognised internship programme provides undergraduate students with an interest in data science and knowledge of statistics to join the Unit for 8 weeks, to work on and contribute to research projects led by our researchers...

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Local school students have fun with statistics at first Campus Safari

22 July 2025

Life science collaborative launches new STEM Safari pilot for local students. The MRC Biostatistics Unit (BSU) joined forces with Form the Future , Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) and AstraZeneca to take part in an exciting new initiative designed to expand access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (...

Using local and national data to inform sexual health services

7 July 2025

In May, the Unit organised a one-day workshop on the topic of HIV and STI data and how they can be better used to inform sexual health services. Initiated and led by Anne Presanis , Senior Statistician at the BSU, and funded by the NIHR, the main aim of the event was to better understand a variety of stakeholders’ views on...

Mia Tackney awarded NIHR Fellowship

12 June 2025

Many congratulations to Research Associate, Mia Tackney , who has been awarded an NIHR Advanced Fellowship. mia_tackney.jpg The NIHR Advanced Fellowship is a Postdoctoral Fellowship that supports individuals undertaking research in a scientific discipline or sector who can demonstrate a contribution to improving health or...

Sofia Villar receives Frank Hansford-Miller Fellowship

21 May 2025

Congratulations to Programme Leader (MRC Investigator), Sofía Villar, on being the 2025 Frank Hansford-Miller Fellowship holder. The Frank Hansford-Miller Fellowship helps to bring a UK statistician to Australia biennially usually for a period of 2 weeks during which they give a talk and deliver a workshop. The talk this...

Photo of speakers and organisers of Ethics and Innovative Trial Designs workshop

Muti-stakeholder perspectives on Ethics and Clinical Trial Designs

13 May 2025

On Thursday 24th April, the BSU hosted a notable international workshop designed to bring together diverse perspectives on the ethical, regulatory, patient, and methodological issues surrounding the use of adaptive clinical trial designs. The well-attended and insightful event, co-organised with Carnegie Mellon University...

flashfmZero offers insights into the genetic basis of complex health traits

14 April 2025

New research published in Cell Genomics , led by Jennifer Asimit and colleagues, is providing powerful insights into the genetic basis of complex health traits. Often a genetic variant affects a group of health-related traits through a common pathway. Methods that leverage information between traits can identify associated...

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Are NHS health checks for cardiovascular risk too frequent?

27 March 2025

New research reveals that cardiovascular risk assessments should be personalised based on initial individual cardiovascular risk, age, and sex, challenging the current one-size-fits-all approach. cvd_fig.jpeg Identifying optimal intervals for re-assessing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is important for ensuring...

BSU PhD student presents at STEM for BRITAIN 2025

20 March 2025

Conor Egan, was selected as a finalist at the STEM for BRITAIN annual scientific poster competition, showcasing the brilliant research and talent of early-career scientists. av8y8779.jpg This prestigious event, held at the UK Parliament, provides a unique platform for researchers to present their work directly to Members...

Mendelian Randomization course turns 10!

21 February 2025

This March marks a significant milestone for the Mendelian randomization (MR) course here at the MRC Biostatistics Unit, as it enters its 10th year. First offered in 2015 as a two day, in-person course, the course is aimed at introducing participants to Mendelian randomization, a statistical technique that uses genetic...