Siobhan joined the University of Exeter in March 2020 as the Director of the UKCRC-registered Exeter Clinical Trials Unit (ExeCTU) and Professor of Medical Statistics & Clinical Trials. She is an experienced senior statistician and clinical trial methodologist, working across a wide range of clinical and healthcare areas. Siobhan is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and has retained Chartered Statistician status for over 20 years. She was previously the Director of the Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit (PenCTU) and lead of the Medical Statistics Group at the University of Plymouth. Prior to moving to the South West Peninsula, Siobhan was a research statistician for over eight years at the University of Glasgow Dental School.

Exeter CTU plays an active role within the UKCRC CTU Network and Siobhan is currently a member of the Executive Group as well as the Directors' Group. Siobhan was an expert member of the NIHR Research on Interventions for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) Call 6 International Committee and was a member of the College of Experts for the UK Department of Health & Social Care/UKRI Covid-19 rapid response calls. She served as Chair of the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit South West Regional Advisory Committee, having previously served four years as an expert member. She She has been an expert member of the Medical Research Foundation Emerging Leader Prize Panel. Siobhan currently chairs several data monitoring committees for trials aross the UK as well as sitting on oversight committees as an independent expert member. She is also an expert reviewer of funding applications and final reports for a number of NIHR programmes, NICE and charity organisations.

Siobhan has a strong commitment to improving healthcare interventions that will impact on individuals and wider communities through high-quality evidence, including that gained through well-designed, and transparently reported, clinical trials. She is a strong advocate of multi-disciplinary, collaborative working, seeking to bring the best out of all team members. Siobhan is also passionate about mentoring and supporting early career researchers, with a strong track record in nurturing early career statisticians.

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

PhD Supervisor – ongoing

TBC: Extending the estimands framework to randomised trials of complex interventions (commencing late 2024, full-time, University of Exeter)

Laura Casey: Improving adverse event reporting in rehabilitation trials for people with Multiple Sclerosis (commencing October 2024, full-time;  University of Plymouth)

Jade Chynoweth: Improving the efficiency of modelling complex physical activity data using novel statistical methods (commenced October 2019, part-time, University of Plymouth)

PhD Director of Studies - completed

Benjamin Jones: Bayesian approach to the design and analysis of cluster randomised trials (graduated 2022, University of Plymouth)

PhD Co-supervision - completed
Ailsa Nicol: Longitudinal studies into the effect of fluoridated milk on artificial caries lesion mineral change using an in-situ model dentine (graduated 2006, University of Glasgow)

Taher O Elgalaid: In vitro studies into the permeability of human dentine (graduated 2006, University of Glasgow)

Nutayla Alharthy: In vitro investigation of dental erosion in dental enamel (graduated 2005, University of Glasgow)

Vivian Binnie: A randomised controlled trial of “brief” smoking cessation advice and NRT, delivered by dental hygienists, to patients in a dental setting enamel (graduated 2005, University of Glasgow)

MSc Co-supervision
Siobhan supervised the statistical aspects of a number of healthcare-related Masters and PhD students at the University of Plymouth. Previously, over the course of 8 years at the University of Glasgow Dental School, Siobhan supervised the statistical aspects of approximately 80 postgraduate students’ projects, with, on average, approximately 10 students per year.

Qualifications

• PG Certificate in Clinical Education, Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry (2009)
• FHEA, Higher Education Academy (2009)
• Chartered Scientist, Science Council (2009-2019)
• Chartered Statistician, Royal Statistical Society (2004)
• Graduate Statistician, Royal Statistical Society (1998-2004)
• Bachelor of Science (Honours) (1st Class) in Statistics, University of Glasgow (1998)