What We’re Looking For:

Essential Qualifications & Skills:

• A PhD in statistics or another closely related quantitative discipline, or an MSc with commensurate post-qualification development and work experience.
• Experience with developing, and applying, modern statistical methods to real-world problems in the social sciences.
• Evidence of ability to initiate, manage and maintain scientific collaborations, and an ability to work independently.
• Broad familiarity with the current statistical methods used in social and socio-economic research.
• Enthusiasm for promoting the use of statistical methods to aid research in the social and socio-economic sciences, and for interacting with applied scientists.
• Strong general statistical skills, and an understanding of relevant statistical methods, including survey design, mixed models, generalised linear models, longitudinal modelling, and multivariate analysis.
• Proficiency in statistical programming (for example, in R).
• Evidence of good written communication.
• Ability to give effective spoken presentations, to both quantitative and wider scientific audiences.

Desirable Skills And Experience:

• A broad range of areas of statistical experience and expertise would fit the remit of the post well, including:
  • statistical design of social-science studies, including survey design
  • ordinal regression
  • latent variable models
  • statistical graphical modelling
  • causal inference
  • model-based integration of data from multiple sources
  • synthetic data and data simulation
• A track record of research and collaboration, preferably in a field relevant to the remit of the post. (e.g., scientific journal papers, conference papers and presentations, policy briefs, consultancy reports, digital tools, open-source software, etc).
• Familiarity with software often used by social science and socio-economic researchers (e.g., SPSS, Stata).
• Experience of communicating with government and commercial clients.
• Experience of developing funding applications.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, please create an account and complete your personal details. You will also be asked to upload:

• a CV, including as a minimum your education and employment history and relevant scientific achievements; and
• a covering letter or supporting statement explaining why you consider yourself suitable for the post.

Applications will be reviewed by BioSS and JHI staff. We do not use AI tools to sift or assess applications, and applicants should ensure that the materials they submit are an accurate and authentic representation of their own experience, skills and suitability for the role. We reserve the right to disregard applications where we identify substantive material that appears to have been generated by AI rather than written by the applicant.

Closing date: 2026-11-10

Interview date: 2020-11-27

Other Details:

BioSS is a member of the SEFARI (Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes) collective (https://sefari.scot/); we have an international reputation for research, consultancy, and training in statistics, mathematical modelling, and bioinformatics. At BioSS, you will be part of a forward-thinking, diverse, and supportive team working across multiple statistics and modelling disciplines, collaborating on applications in plant & crop science, animal health & welfare, environmental science & ecology, offshore renewables, and human health & nutrition. We value collaboration, innovation, and the continuous development of our team members.

BioSS is formally part of, and administered by, The James Hutton Institute, a Scottish charity No. SC041796. The James Hutton Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applications from underrepresented groups in STEM, particularly women, BAME and LGBTQ+. The James Hutton Institute is happy to discuss flexible working.

Our Commitment to Equality and Diversity

We will not consider the use of 3rd party recruitment agencies for the sourcing of candidates for this position.

The James Hutton Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

The James Hutton Institute is a: Stonewall Diversity Champion; Athena SWAN Silver Status Holder; Disability Confident Committed Employer and a Living Wage Employer.

The James Hutton Institute is Happy to Talk Flexible Working.

The Company

The James Hutton Institute combines strengths in crops, soils and land use and environmental research, and makes a major contribution to the understanding of key global issues, such as food, energy and environmental security, and developing and promoting effective technological and management solutions to these.

James Hutton (1726 – 1797) was a leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, an eighteenth century golden age of intellectual and scientific achievements centred on Edinburgh. He is internationally regarded as the founder of modern geology and one of the first scientists to describe the Earth as a living system. His thinking on natural selection influenced Charles Darwin in developing his theory of evolution.

Our Values

We respect and value our people and the people we engage with

We want to make a difference

We strive to be excellent in everything we do

We lead by example

We foster creativity and innovation

Sorry - this vacancy is no longer available.