Jonathan Emberson, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology

15 minutes with Jonathan Emberson

The ’15 minutes with…’ blog series aims to provide a glimpse into the career paths and personal lives of the researchers and employees in our department and showcase the wide range of roles and science conducted. In this blog series, we ask researchers, non-research staff and students, nominated by the students themselves, to reflect on their career to date – their proudest accomplishments and their lowest points – and how they came to be where they are today.

We will publish on a regular basis in the coming months – we hope you will enjoy it.

Today, we continue this series with an interview featuring Jonathan Emberson, Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology.

Could you describe your current role in one sentence?

I’m fortunate enough to work on a range of interesting and varied projects; from studying the effects of statins, to analysing COVID-19 drug treatments, to leading the team investigating the major causes of disease in Mexico.

 What is your favourite thing about it?  

The day you publish a really nice paper is always good. In particular, it feels great when you know you’ve been involved in something which is going to make a real difference with regard to the treatment or prevention of disease, or to how we think about the causes of a particular disease.

...and what is your least favourite thing about it?

Every time one of my grant applications gets rejected. Still, it’s not entirely wasted effort as it at least forces you to think about what research you actually want to do (and why it’s important, even if the funders don’t always agree).

Moving on to the science, could you tell us about what science you’re most excited about or interested in in your own work?

At the moment it’s difficult to look beyond the COVID-19 research I’m involved in – in particular the hope that the RECOVERY trial will identify further treatments that reduce in-hospital mortality – but beyond that, I’m probably most excited by the genetics research programme we have recently started in the Mexican cohort study.

And what about the science that you’re most interested in beyond your own work?

Like many people, I’m probably most interested in the COVID-19 vaccine research programmes being done around the world (and particularly the one developed on the Old Road Campus!).    

What’s the thing that you are most proud of in your professional life?

My contribution to the work the department has done demonstrating the safety and efficacy of statins has probably been my biggest achievement. Although being one of the first people to learn that dexamethasone reduced mortality by up to one-third in the sickest COVID-19 patients was pretty exciting!

And your biggest failure or disappointment?

Not a failure as such, but it’s always disappointing when a trial you’ve been involved with for some years ends up showing that the drug just doesn’t work. Still, it at least allows you to close one chapter and start a new one.

Could you outline your route to where you are today?   

Without really knowing what I wanted to do for a living I did a maths degree and then a statistics master's. I was then lucky enough to get the opportunity to work at a clinical trials centre in Sydney (in the same year Sydney had the Olympics). On my return, I worked in London for a few years while studying for my PhD in Epidemiology. I knew that I wanted to work at CTSU in Oxford as soon as I learnt about the sorts of studies they were doing. I managed to persuade Richard and Rory to employ me in 2004 and have been here ever since!  

Could you tell us one thing about you outside work?

I play five-a-side football every Friday evening.

If you could give an advice to your 18-year-old self, what would that be? 

Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing and keep an open mind about where it might lead you in the future (and don’t worry too much about what comes next).  

Thank you so much!

Jonathan is now a Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology. He is also the module lead for the Clinical trials and meta-analysis section of the MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology programme.