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Neil Davies

@neilmdavies.bsky.social
270 followers 207 following 82 posts

Epidemiologist, economist, statistician, causal inference, public policy

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Reposted by Neil Davies
Fartein Ask Torvik @torvik.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
New paper out in PNAS! We show that becoming a grandparent substantially reduces employment and earnings, especially for women. At the same time, grandparents go more to the doctor for respiratory infections, but less for mental health conditions. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
The cost of caring: Gendered health and labor market effects of grandparenthood | PNAS
While the effects of the transition to parenthood are well researched, less is known about how the transition to grandparenthood affects health and...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
1/ Research funders cap budgets. They rarely cap the supply of proposals. That is becoming a serious problem. In a new Nature Correspondence, David Bann, Jean-Baptiste Pingault, Matt Keller, Marcus Munafò and I argue that grant funding systems face a tragedy of the commons. rdcu.be/fl0Vv
rdcu.be
Is it time to ‘cap and trade’ credits for research-funding proposals? | Nature
Letter to the Editor
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Dylan Williams @dylwil.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
New preprint (and shameless rhetorical question use) in collab with @neilmdavies.bsky.social Commentary on attributable fractions that approach 100%, with lessons for epidemiologists, statistical genetics, etc. More context in thread... #episky zenodo.org/records/2034...
zenodo.org
Attributable fractions approaching 100%: irrelevant, improper, or informative?
We recently calculated attributable fractions (AFs) suggesting that up to 92.7% of Alzheimer’s disease may not occur without the contribution of risk alleles in the gene APOE. Among commentators who w...
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Dylan Williams @dylwil.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Our in-person Mendelian randomisation course is back at University College London this autumn! Join us in Bloomsbury, 15th-17th Sept 2026 Tutors: @emmylooroll.bsky.social, me & @neilmdavies.bsky.social Guest lecturer: Eleanor Sanderson, U.Bristol Sign up: onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-...
onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk
D79 Mendelian Randomization 2026 | UCL Online Store
Abstract This course covers the fundamental developments in Mendelian randomization and gives practical explanations about how to apply MR to applied resea
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
We have a new paper outlining the latest challenges and future directions for Mendelian randomization. We used AI to review 10,126 abstracts from studies using Mendelian randomization. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Challenges and future directions for Mendelian randomization - Nature Genetics
Mendelian randomization is widely used but relies on specific assumptions that are rarely systematically assessed. This Perspective argues that researchers should rigorously test these assumptions thr...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
We have an exciting postdoctoral fellowship opportunity in the PsychGen Centre. We are seeking to a quantitative researcher who wants to use genetically-informed designs to investigate the intergenerational transmission of mental health. More info: 945000.webcruiter.no/Main/Recruit...
945000.webcruiter.no
Do you want to contribute to cutting-edge research on mental health?
We are seeking to appoint a quantitative researcher to work on an ambitious research project using genetically-informed designs to investigate the intergenerational transmissi...
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Prof Anthony Isles @profantisles.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
❗We are recruiting a Post-Doctoral Research Associate❗ The PDRA will be based in the Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics at Cardiff University and will investigate the #molecular and #cellular changes in #schizophrenia. Please see link 👇 tinyurl.com/32u753js
krb-sjobs.brassring.com
Job Search | Cardiff University
Search for Internet job results.
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Molecular Epidemiology Short Course (UCL, 18-21 May 2026) This 4-day, in-person course is for PhDs and researchers seeking a practical introduction to analysing genetic & molecular data in population studies. www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
ucl.ac.uk
Molecular Epidemiology Short Course
This in-person course provides an applied introduction to molecular epidemiology, covering genetic and molecular data, quality control, GWAS, polygenic scores, and functional interpretation.
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Hilary Martin @hilarycmartin.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I have an opening for a staff scientist or bioinformatician in my group at the Sanger Institute (closing date 24 March). Our current projects focus on disentangling rare and common variant contributions to rare neurodevelopmental conditions and to neurodevelopmental and perinatal traits. 1/2
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com
Bioinformatician/Staff Scientist in Medical Genomics
Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenge...
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Adolescent Health Study @adolescenthealth.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
🔍 We’re looking for a Research Officer to support the scientific foundation, development, and coordination of our study. 💷 £35,000–£40,000 📅 Closing: 8 March 2026 jobs.theguardian.com/job/10032147... #Hiring #Research #Jobs #Careers #HealthResearch
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Jeremy Labrecque @jeremylabrecque.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
When does associational language make sense and when does it not? Katrina Kezios and I cover this in "How and when to use causal and associational language" with 3 suggestions for which concepts require causal language and which can be described in associational language.
bmj.com
How and when to use causal and associational language
Deciding which concepts should be described in causal language and which should not Research questions fall into one of three categories: descriptive, predictive, or causal.1 The past decade has seen...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
𝗠𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 (𝗨𝗖𝗟, 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲) Molecular genetic data are now widely used in clinical, epidemiological, and population health research. Using them well and interpreting results appropriately requires careful attention to study design, data quality, and population structure.
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Dylan Williams @dylwil.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Out now!! www.nature.com/articles/s44... Intro to this paper pictured below Huge thanks to collaborators @neilmdavies.bsky.social, @emmylooroll.bsky.social at @uclbrainscience.bsky.social & Sami Heikkinen and Mikko Hiltunen at @uniuef.bsky.social ... #endalz #episky #medsky
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Mel de Lange @meldelange.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Do daylight saving time clock changes affect our health? 🕰️ Our new study, published today in @bmj.com, using GP and hospital data for England, found that the autumn clock change may be beneficial for our health. #BMJChristmas bmjgroup.com/autumn-clock...
bmjgroup.com
Autumn clock change linked to reduction in certain health conditions - BMJ Group
Study contributes to ongoing debate about England’s clock change policy The week after the autumn clock change is associated with a reduction in demand for NHS services for sleep disorders, cardiovasc...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Do daylight saving time clock changes affect our health? 🕰️ Our new study, published today in @bmj_latest, found that the autumn clock change may be beneficial for our health. Led by the brilliant, and recently a Dr, @meldelange.bsky.social www.bmj.com/content/391/...
bmj.com
Acute effects of daylight saving time clock changes on mental and physical health in England: population based retrospective cohort study
Objective To explore the acute effects of daylight saving time clock changes on mental and physical health events in primary and secondary care in England. Design Population based retrospective cohor...
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Reposted by Neil Davies
Dylan Williams @dylwil.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
"Understanding apolipoprotein E as a predominant cause of Alzheimer’s disease" Preprint: zenodo.org/records/1796... Key takeaways below Thx to coauthors @emmylooroll.bsky.social @neilmdavies.bsky.social & N.Mukadam at DOP @ucl.ac.uk Funding @alzheimersresearchuk.org #endalz #episky #medsky
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Fartein Ask Torvik @torvik.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Who wants to join us in Oslo to study how health influences educational underperformance? We are hiring PhDs postdocs candidates for our funded project. We will follow children from birth to emerging adulthood, using behavioural genetic methods and large datasets 945000.webcruiter.no/Main/Recruit...
945000.webcruiter.no
Two positions as either PhD or postdoctoral fellow on health determinants of education
Do you want to research how health influences school performance and leads to intergenerational inequality? We have two vacant 3-year positions as a PhD fellow or postdoctoral research fellow in the p...
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Maria L. Andersen @mlandersen.com · 20/11/2025
New preprint📈📉 What happens to health and work when people become grandparents? Using Norwegian register data on all individuals born 1950-1960, we use event-study models comparing grandparents to not-yet grandparents to track changes in health and labour supply. 🔗 www.ssrn.com/abstract=571...
Figure showing event-study plots centred around the birth of one's first grandchild. The left plot shows health changes, the right shows labour market changes (separated by grandparent gender). The image shows the following abstract: 

The Cost of Caring: Gendered Health and Labour Market Effects of Grandparenthood

While the effects of the transition to parenthood are well-researched, less is known about how the transition to grandparenthood affects health and labour market outcomes. Using comprehensive Norwegian register data covering the entire population born between 1950 and 1960, we examine the effects of first-born grandchildren born during 2007–2018. Employing event-study models with person-year records, we compare grandparents to not-yet grandparents. Our findings reveal a sharp increase in the likelihood of respiratory infections during the first two years of grandparenthood, with infections increasing by 56% for women and 31% for men. Additionally, grandparenthood modestly reduces the likelihood of doctor’s visits related to mental disorders (4.5%) and cardiovascular health (3.3%). Grandmothers also see a decline in musculoskeletal-related visits (3.8%). These health-related changes coincide with notable gendered effects on labour market participation. Ten years after the birth of their first grandchild, employed women are 12% less likely to hold full-time positions compared to a 2% reduction for men. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the transition to grandparenthood significantly reshapes health and economic outcomes for both women and men. The larger effects observed for women likely reflect their greater involvement in informal childcare provision. Our results underscore the intersection of health, family dynamics, and gendered labour market behaviours in late adulthood.
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Upcoming seminar: Gibran Hemani and Andrew Elmore (UoB) on The Human Genotype-Phenotype Map – a resource to map pleiotropy and improve causal inference. Billions of associations, open data, better causal inference. Tues 2 Dec 2025, 1 pm, UCL 149 Tottenham Court Rd. www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
ucl.ac.uk
The Human Genotype-Phenotype Map: A resource to map pleiotropy and improve causal inference
Girban Hemani and Andrew Elmore will talk at this additional Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research Seminar, in collaboration with UCL Human Genomics, Centre for Longitudinal Studies and PALS
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
📢 Registration is open for Causal Inference in Practice — a 3-day short course at UCL 🗓️ 18–20 February 2026 Taught by me, @kdiazordaz.bsky.social & Peter Martin. Learn to estimate causal effects from observational data. 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc... #CausalInference #Epidemiology #DataScience
ucl.ac.uk
Causal Inference in Practice Short Course
This course covers the latest developments in causal inference methods and provides practical explanations for applying them to real research questions.
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Tim Morris @timtmorris.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Our data resource profile paper outlining the imputed & QC'd genomewide genetic data in 5 British cohort studies is now out in IJE. Data are free to access and the cohorts are deeply phenotyped... huge opportunities for amazing cross-cohort longitudinal research academic.oup.com/ije/article/...
academic.oup.com
Data Resource Profile: Genomic data in multiple British birth cohorts (1946–2001)—linkage with health, social, and environmental data from birth to old age
Birth cohort studies have a rich history of contributing to science within and between disciplinary fields, notably health and social sciences [1–4]. Here,
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Prof Alexandra Pitman @alexandrapitman.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
⏰Post-doctoral #qualitative job alert! (closes 14/9/25). @uclpsychiatry.bsky.social is recruiting for a #Qualitative Post‑Doctoral Research Associate to join our #suicide & #selfharm research team on a @nihr.bsky.social grant investigating acceptability of close obs www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
We're hiring! Join us on the incredible Adolescent Health Study — we're looking for two brilliant researchers to help shape and grow this exciting project. Deadline: 28 August. Questions? Get in touch. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOB253/s...
jobs.ac.uk
(Senior) Research Officer (x2 posts) at Adolescent Health Study (AHS)
Start your UK & international job search for academic jobs, research jobs, science jobs and managerial jobs in leading universities and top...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
1/ Parents with higher BMI tend to have kids with higher BMI—but why? Is it the genes they pass on, or the environment they create? Or both? We used trio data from MCS to help answer this longstanding question. journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
journals.plos.org
The association between parental BMI and offspring adiposity: A genetically informed analysis of trios
Author summary Children with obesity are more likely to have parents with obesity, too. This may be explained by environmental factors, such as prenatal conditions in utero or postnatal parental behav...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
I’m hiring- info in the link below, or get in touch if interested 📣 JOB OPPORTUNITY! 💻 Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow in Population Health/Data Science/Genetic Epidemiology Developing a new Wellcome-funded ALSPAC Olink Explore HT resource Deadline 15/08/25 www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
ucl.ac.uk
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNR789/e...
jobs.ac.uk
Engagement and Involvement Lead at Adolescent Health Study (AHS)
Start your UK & international job search for academic jobs, research jobs, science jobs and managerial jobs in leading universities and top...
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Emma Anderson @emmylooroll.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Fabulous work by Phazha Bothongo! 2 years and several near mental breakdowns for us both in the making! 🧠 Causes and consequences of vascular dementia across the life course: Evidence from a UK Biobank phenome-wide and Mendelian randomization study 🧠 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
medrxiv.org
Causes and consequences of vascular dementia across the life course: Evidence from a UK Biobank phenome-wide and Mendelian randomization study
Background Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common cause of dementia, yet its risk factors and biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Objective To identify causes and consequences ...
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Emma Anderson @emmylooroll.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Our in-person Mendelian randomisation course is back at University College London this autumn. Join us in Bloomsbury, 16th-18th September 2025. Tutors: Emma Anderson, Dylan Williams, Neil Davies Guest lecturer: Eleanor Sanderson onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-...
onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk
D79 Mendelian Randomization | UCL Online Store
Abstract This course covers the fundamental developments in Mendelian randomization and gives practical explanations about how to apply MR to applied resea
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Are you looking to learn how to conduct and interpret Mendelian randomization studies? You can register now for our in-person short course at UCL. With @emmylooroll.bsky.social and @dylwil.bsky.social 16th-18th September 2025. Details here: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
ucl.ac.uk
Mendelian randomization short course
This course covers the fundamental developments in Mendelian randomization and gives practical explanations about how to apply MR to applied research questions.
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Looking for your next research position? We're recruiting two genetic epidemiologists to work on two projects at the Division of Psychiatry at UCL, part of the growing UCL Human Genomics group.
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Nature Human Behaviour @nathumbehav.nature.com · 10/06/2025
This study uncovered several genetic associations linked to environmental sensitivity in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental traits, using data from over 21,000 MZ twins @munroepb.bsky.social @thaliaeley.bsky.social @neilmdavies.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Genetics of monozygotic twins reveals the impact of environmental sensitivity on psychiatric and neurodevelopmental phenotypes - Nature Human Behaviour
This study uncovered genetic associations with environmental sensitivity in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental traits in an international collaboration using data from more than 21,000 monozygotic twi...
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Dylan Williams @dylwil.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Our in-person Mendelian randomisation course is back at University College London this autumn. Join us in Bloomsbury, 16th-18th September 2025. Tutors: Emma Anderson, Dylan Williams, Neil Davies Guest lecturer: Eleanor Sanderson onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-...
onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk
D79 Mendelian Randomization | UCL Online Store
Abstract This course covers the fundamental developments in Mendelian randomization and gives practical explanations about how to apply MR to applied resea
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Emma Anderson @emmylooroll.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
*NEW PREPRINT* Awesome work by Victoria Taylor-Bateman examining the effects of 46 different lipid-lowering, antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory drug targets on risk of vascular dementia diagnosis and several neuroimaging biomarkers of cerebrovascular pathology. A thread :-) shorturl.at/ecCD0
shorturl.at
Repurposing drugs for the prevention of vascular dementia: Evidence from drug target Mendelian randomization
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Dylan Williams @dylwil.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
One year later ... a major update to our manuscript showing that most Alzheimer's disease is attributable to the gene APOE. We expanded it to analyses of four studies, now with data on about 460,000 people in total..... www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... #Alzheimers #Dementia #Epidemiology #EpiSky
medrxiv.org
The proportion of Alzheimer's disease attributable to apolipoprotein E
Objective To estimate the proportions of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and all-cause dementia burden attributable to the common risk alleles ε3 and ε4 in the APOE gene Design Genetic association analyses i...
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
🚀 We're Hiring: Research Associate in Neuroimaging! 🚀 We're looking for a talented Research Associate to join our team at the University of Bath in Esther Walton's group. www.bath.ac.uk/jobs/Vacancy...
bath.ac.uk
ED12535 Research Associate in Neuroimaging (fixed-term) - Jobs at Bath
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Tim Feeney @tfeend.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
New paper in @bmj.com. Ever been told ‘what does your DAG say?” or “show me your DAG”, or “ok draw a DAG” and not sure what that means or how to get started? Well buckle up, because Fernando Hartwig, @neilmdavies.bsky.social and I wrote an RMR on just this topic. www.bmj.com/content/388/...
media.tenor.com
Dags Yda Like Dags Mickey Oniel GIF
ALT: Dags Yda Like Dags Mickey Oniel GIF
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Ella Hubbard @ellahubbard.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Fancy spending a year commissioning, editing, and writing content for The BMJ? Applications are now open for next year's Editorial Registrar @bmj.com. Feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions about the role -- I've loved every minute of it.
jobsearch.bmj.com
Editorial Registrar, The BMJ | 31 March, 2025 | Jobs and careers with BMJ Group
Jobs and careers with BMJ Group -
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Come and join our team at UCL
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Are you interested in causal inference and genetic epidemiology? We have three research posts in Tom Lumbers' research group, part of UCL Human Genomics. Do get in touch for further details. comp-med-lab.notion.site/How-to-Apply...
comp-med-lab.notion.site
How to Apply | Notion
We are hiring for three positions: two in Human Genetics and one in Health Data Science.
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Funded PhD position available as a part of a Wellcome funded project, joint with meand Esther Walton at the University of Bath. See here for more information, or get in touch. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
findaphd.com
Unravelling cognitive impairments in psychotic disorders through novel computational neuroimaging approaches at University of Bath on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Unravelling cognitive impairments in psychotic disorders through novel computational neuroimaging approaches at University of Bath, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Karla Diazordaz @kdiazordaz.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
I’m teaching a 3-day intro course to Causal inference in practice, in person in London starts Feb 18 2025. To register onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-... #epidemiology #causalinference
onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk
F61 Causal Inference In Practice 2025 | UCL Online Store
Abstract A wide range of fields, from clinical medicine to social science, seek to use empirical data to learn how different factors affect the world. Maki
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Karla Diazordaz @kdiazordaz.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
I’m hiring- info in the link below, or get in touch if interested 📣 JOB OPPORTUNITY!  💻 Research Fellow in causal inference and machine learning, Statistical Science Department, UCL 🔗 www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/... 📅 Deadline 5th December #causality #stats
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Are you looking to learn methods for applied causal inference? You can register now for our in-person short course at UCL. With @kdiazordaz.bsky.social and Peter Martin. 18th to 20th February 2025. Details here: onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-...
onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk
F61 Causal Inference In Practice 2025 | UCL Online Store
Abstract A wide range of fields, from clinical medicine to social science, seek to use empirical data to learn how different factors affect the world. Maki
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Viktor H. Ahlqvist @ahlqvistviktor.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
New research out on antiseizure medications in pregnancy 🎉🎉 Nature Communications: nature.com/articles/s41... Thread follows 🧵 🧵:
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Neil Davies @neilmdavies.bsky.social · 20/10/2024
1/ New paper—We've just published a practical guide to instrumental variable studies in the BMJ. It explains how instrumental variable methods can estimate causal effects in clinical research. www.bmj.com/content/387/...
bmj.com
Reading and conducting instrumental variable studies: guide, glossary, and checklist
Instrumental variable analysis uses naturally occurring variation to estimate the causal effects of treatments, interventions, and risk factors on outcomes in the population from observational data. U...
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