TMRP DTP Studentships
Are you interested in medical research that matters to patients and the NHS?
The MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership (TMRP) aims to Improve health by improving trials. Our MRC Doctoral Training Partnership presents an opportunity to undertake training for a PhD in trials methodology.
We will advertise upcoming projects in various areas including statistics, data analytics and informatics, computer science, health economics, qualitative methods, mixed-methods, clinical medicine and psychology.
Professional development training and support
Students will become members of the TMRP, offering a broader spectrum of training activities and networking opportunities beyond their host Research Organisation. Students will be encouraged to join relevant TMRP working groups, where they will meet other PhD students, post-doctoral researchers and senior academic staff from relevant and complementary research themes. In addition to a structured ‘core’ training programme, we are able to provide a range of more specific training that students may choose to attend following consultation with their supervisors.
Our Associate Partner Research Organisations are able to offer opportunities for students that will include: research visits; internships with industry, regulatory bodies and clinical trials units; engagement with health professional and other research networks. We will encourage and support DTP students to apply for international internship schemes such as the UKRI UK-Canada Globalink Doctoral Exchange Scheme.
TMRP DTP Recruitment Projects to Start October 2026
Thank you for choosing to consider the TMRP DTP for your PhD project. Please see below the 28 projects we have available at our research organisations. The links (available from 17 October 2025) will take you to the full project description listed on FindAPhD. See ‘How to Apply’ for application guidance, process and application form.
University of Aberdeen
Investigating statistical methods to assess the conduct and integrity of clinical trials, Lead Supervisor: Professor Alison Avenell.
ECOnomic Tools for Research to Identify, Analyse and Link carbon costs and outcomes into RCT-based economic evaluations (ECO-TRIAL), Lead supervisor: Dr Dwayne Boyers.
Bangor University
Methods for Addressing TRial-based economIc evaluation compleXities (MATRIX), Lead Supervisor: Dr Will Hardy.
Value of fundIng a Similar trIal after discontinuatioN (VISION); Lead Supervisor: Dr Will Hardy.
How should the environmental impact of medicines be considered in the context of trial outcomes? Lead Supervisor: Dr Catrin Plumpton.
University of Birmingham
Advancing the design, conduct and utilisation of within-person randomised trials, Lead Supervisor: Dr Caroline Kristunas.
University of Cambridge
Improving efficiency of Randomised Controlled Trials for rare diseases: Application to ANCA-Associated Vasculitis, Lead Supervisor: Dr Jessica K. Barrett.
Designs for adaptive biomarker-driven clinical trials, Lead Supervisor: Dr Pavel Mozgunov.
Integrating the Design and Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials and Observational Cohort Studies for Alzheimer’s Dementia Research, Lead Supervisor: Dr Li Su.
Operationally feasible Multi-Arm-Bandit Response Adaptive Trials, Lead Supervisor: Dr Sofia S. Villar.
University of Glasgow
Optimising allocation ratios in platform trials: role of simulation, Lead Supervisor: Professor John Petrie.
Improving trials for older adults, and trials with older adults, Lead Supervisor: Professor Terry Quinn.
Institute of Cancer Research
Digital Twins in Breast Cancer Trials: From Clinical and Molecular Data to Digital Pathology for Biomarker Discovery and Trial Simulation, Lead Supervisor: Dr Maggie Chon U Cheang.
Assessing Cancer Treatment Tolerability using Patient-Reported Outcomes, Lead Supervisor: Professor Christina Yap.
From Methodology to Practice: External Controls in Single Arm Oncology Trials with a Brain Cancer Application, Lead Supervisors: Professor Christina Yap and Dr Xiaoran Lai.
University of Leeds
The Use of AI to Support Trials Conduct, Lead Supervisor: Professor Susanne Coleman.
Developing a toolkit to facilitate surgical trial implementation and delivery – applying knowledge from qualitative research in trials, Lead Supervisor: Dr Nikki Rousseau.
Beyond ITT: Estimating real-world effectiveness using patient preference data, Lead Supervisor: Dr Duncan Wilson
University of Liverpool
Developing and Evaluating Methodological Frameworks for AI-Augmented Clinical Trial Documentation and System Configuration: A Human-Centred Approach to Quality Assurance, Lead Supervisor: Professor Carrol Gamble.
Newcastle University
A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Co-Enrolment Practices in NIHR-Funded Clinical Trials: A Comparative Study of Critical Care and Other Specialties, Lead Supervisor: Dr Tom Hellyer
Expanding design and analysis methods for multi-arm clinical trials, Lead Supervisor: Professor James Wason.
Perceptions of Digital Outcome Measurement in Parkinson’s Disease, Lead Supervisor: Professor Alison Yarnall.
University of Plymouth
Co-designing for equity: a mixed methods investigation to enhance the inclusion of diverse patient groups in clinical trials for liver disease, Lead Supervisor: Professor Ashwin Dhanda.
Longitudinal analysis to explore the long-term changes in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patient reported outcome measures, Lead Supervisor: Dr Joanne Hosking.
QMUL
Developing a typology of research outputs in trials methodology, Lead Supervisor: Professor Richard Hooper.
Designing and evaluating complex methods for adaptive multi-arm, multi-stage trials, Lead Supervisor, Dr Victoria Vickerstaff.
UCL
Optimising the choice of estimand in randomised trials: developing guidance on balancing statistical and clinical considerations to ensure results matter to stakeholders. Lead Supervisor: Dr Brennan Kahan.
Improving Design and Analysis of Non-Inferiority Trials with sparse outcome data. Lead Supervisor: Dr Matteo Quartagno.
