Statistics and Operational Research: Unit of Assessment 22
The majority of research in UoA 22 Statistics and Operational Research is officially classified as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour, having been placed in the highest categories of 4*and 3* in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.
| Quality Level | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | Unclassified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of research activity | 10 | 45 | 40 | 5 | 0 |
Statistics forms one of three sections within the School of Mathematics and Statistics at Newcastle University. There are 13 permanent academic staff within the Statistics section, all of whom are submitted to RAE 2008.
Highlights since 2001 includes the development to an internationally leading position of the statistical bioinformatics group, forming an integral part of a University-wide multidisciplinary infrastructure. We have made significant methodological and applied research achievements with increased collaborative research and research income.
We have worked to develop an improved graduate training programme, and run a combined Graduate Centre with statistics colleagues at Durham University. A wider role is taken in the statistics community nationally (including the EPSRC, MRC and BBSRC, the Royal Statistical Society) and also internationally.
Within Statistics, there are four research groups:
- Statistical bioinformatics
- Biostatistics
- Bayesian statistics
- Applied probability
We are key players in a number of bioinformatics projects. The Centre for Integrated Systems Biology of Ageing and Nutrition (CISBAN) was awarded £6.4m from BBSRC/EPSRC, one of the largest single-topic research grants received by Newcastle University.
Since 2001, investment in Mathematics and Statistics by the University includes:
- increasing staffing levels - the School will return 33 colleagues to RAE 2008 compared with 25 to RAE2001;
- increasing the clerical, administrative and technical support;
- investing £3.5m in the complete refurbishment of the Schools Herschel Building.
Contributing to an active and vibrant research culture, we have given numerous invited talks at universities and conferences nationally and internationally.
