{{Short description|Statistician}} {{Infobox scientist | honorific_prefix = | name = Julian Higgins | honorific_suffix = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = <!--(filename only, i.e. without "File:" prefix)--> | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Julian Piers Thomas Higgins | birth_date = 1971 | birth_place = Middlesbrough | death_date = <!--{{death date and age |YYYY|MM|DD |YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date)--> | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = <!--{{coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}--> | other_names = | pronounce = | citizenship = | fields = Biostatistics | workplaces = Imperial College London<br>University College London<br>University of York<br>Medical Research Council<br>University of Bristol | patrons = | education = Durham University<br>University of Cambridge<br>University of Reading | alma_mater = | thesis_title = Exploiting information in random effects meta-analysis | thesis_url = https://europepmc.org/abstract/eth/387704 | thesis_year = 1997 | doctoral_advisor = <!--(or | doctoral_advisors = )--> | academic_advisors = | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | spouse = <!--(or | spouses = )--> | partner = <!--(or | partners = )--> | children = | signature = <!--(filename only)--> | signature_alt = | website = <!--{{URL|www.example.com}}--> | footnotes = }} '''Julian Piers Thomas Higgins''' (born 1971) is a British biostatistician. He is Professor of Evidence Synthesis and Director of Research at the Department of Population Health Sciences at the University of Bristol.<ref name="bio">{{Cite web |url=http://www.bristol.ac.uk/social-community-medicine/people/julian-p-higgins/index.html |title=Professor Julian Higgins |website=Bristol University |language=en-GB |access-date=2018-07-04}}</ref>
Higgins was previously Chair in Evidence Synthesis at the University of York, and Programme Leader at the MRC Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge. He was President of the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology from 2005 to 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=Professor Julian Higgins receives award from the Society for Research Synthesis Methodology |url=https://methods.cochrane.org/news/professor-julian-higgins-receives-award-society-research-synthesis-methodology |website=Cochrane Methods |access-date=10 May 2025 |language=en |date=26 July 2019}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Higgins was born in North Yorkshire, where he attended the Stokesley School. He completed his undergraduate studies in mathematics at Durham University in 1992, earned a diploma in mathematical statistics from the University of Cambridge in 1993, and obtained a PhD in applied statistics from the University of Reading in 1997.<ref>{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Higgins|first=JPT. |date=1997 |title= Exploiting Information in Random Effects Meta-analysis |publisher=University of Reading}}</ref>
==Academic career== Higgins is a Senior Investigator at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). An expert on meta-analysis and systematic review methodologies, Professor Higgins contributes actively to the Cochrane Collaboration, where he also serves as Senior Methods Advisor. He is a co-editor of the ''Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions'' and has been named an ISI Highly Cited researcher each year since 2015.<ref name=bio /><ref>{{cite web |title=20 University of Bristol academics named on Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list |url=https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/january/clarivate-2024-list.html |website=Bristol University |access-date=10 May 2025 |date=27 January 2025}}</ref>
On 28 August 2019 Higgins, along with Jonathan Sterne, Jelena Savović, and colleagues, published in the ''British Medical Journal'' an article detailing "RoB 2", a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials.<ref> Sterne Jonathan A C, Savović Jelena, Page Matthew J, Elbers Roy G, Blencowe Natalie S, Boutron Isabelle et al. RoB 2: a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials BMJ 2019; 366 :l4898.</ref> Assessing risk of bias is regarded as an essential component of a systematic review. The most commonly used tool for assessing risk of bias to date has been the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, which Professor Higgins introduced in 2008.<ref> Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated March 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from www.handbook.cochrane.org.</ref>
==See also== *Doug Altman *John Ioannidis *David Moher *George Davey Smith
==References== {{Scholia}} {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.bristol.ac.uk/social-community-medicine/people/julian-p-higgins/index.html Faculty page] *{{Google Scholar id|EYQIr1sAAAAJ}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Julian P. T.}} Category:British statisticians Category:Biostatisticians Category:Academics of the University of Bristol Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Reading Category:Cochrane Collaboration people Category:Academics of the University of York Category:Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) people Category:Academics of Imperial College London Category:Academics of University College London Category:Alumni of Durham University Category:NIHR Senior Investigators Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge Category:People from Middlesbrough Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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