
SURPH: Statistical methods Using data Resources to improve Population Health
Telephone number: 01223 748671Email Address: christopher.foley@mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk
I recently joined the MRC Biostatistics Unit as a Research Associate working under the supervision of Dr Stephen Burgess. My main research interests are in the area of causal inference, with a particular focus on Mendelian Randomization which proposes single nucleotide variants as instrumental variables in statistical analyses. Our aim is to build statistical models that can: (i) perform reliable inference on a putative causal relationship between a risk-factor and disease outcome and (ii) identify and explain causal effect heterogeneity when collections of genetic instruments recover conflicting `versions' of causality. Prior to joining the BSU I completed a PhD in mathematics at the University of Edinburgh and held a two year NIHR research methods fellowship in biostatistics at the University of Manchester.