Barcelona Institute for Global Health - Campus MAR
Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB)
Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Room: Hypatia
Phone: (+34) 93 214 73 83
E-mail: jose(dot)barrera(at)isglobal(dot)org
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Departament de Matemàtiques
08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain
Room: C1/-142
Phone: (+34) 93 581 37 39
E-mail: jose(dot)barrera(at)uab(dot)cat
I am a senior biostatistician and data analyst with training in physics (BSc) and statistics (BSc, MSc, and PhD). From 2009, I have been working in statistics applied to environmental epidemiology at Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) (former CREAL - Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology). I collaborate in several research programs (mainly air pollution, radiation, respiratory diseases, children health, cancer, and statistical methodology). I perform statistical data analyses under different study designs such as cohorts, case-control, cross-sectional, randomized experiments or exposure-outcome time series, as well as simulation studies. At methodological level, I have been working in some problems such as the integration of multiple imputation technique in cluster analysis, the interpretation of and software implementation for regression models with transformed variables, the assessment of interactions in the exposome-health association, or the design of observational longitudinal studies. I also provide statistical supervision to other statisticians, technicians, and PhD and MSc students. I have co-authored 40 articles (h-index = 23) in statistical or epidemiological international journals (88% in Q1), 4 of them as first author and one as co-last author. I have also created and published a number of R packages and a web-app in R-shiny.
I love teaching. I am Associate Lecturer at the Department of Mathematics at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona where I am responsible for the implementation and teaching of several subjects on applications of statistics in the health sciences as well as the supervision of BSc and MSc theses. In addition, I provide training in R and statistical methods. See details in the Teaching section.
Previously, I was working for 14 years as civil servant mathematics teacher in high school. I have been on voluntary leave since 2009.
Education
PhD in Statistics (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2026)
MSc in Statistics (Universitat de Barcelona - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2012). Best academic record of the promotion (thesis here, in Spanish)
BSc in Statistics (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2007). Extraordinary End-of-Degree Award for the best academic record
BSc in Physics (Universitat de Barcelona, 1994)
Professional experience
Statistician & Data Analyst at ISGlobal (former CREAL) since October 2009.
Associate Lecturer at Department of Mathematics, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona since February 2008.
External collaborator in UAB Statistics Service since 2012.
Freelance statistical consultant and R instructor since 2007.
Secondary school mathematics teacher as civil servant of the Spanish Administration since September 1995. On voluntary leave since September 2009. Personal website.