Research Fellow in Infectious Disease Modelling - LSHTM, 2020

We are seeking a talented and highly motivated infectious disease modeller to join a multidisciplinary team working on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in sub-Saharan Africa. The post is nested within the STOP Project, which aims to develop and test the efficacy of new therapeutics for soil-transmitted helminths (including strongyloidiasis) across multiple settings in eastern Africa, and would ideally suit a recent PhD graduate who wishes to develop a career in international population health. The position will be based at LSHTM’s Disease Control Department, and will be accountable to the work package lead Dr Rachel Pullan, with substantial input from Prof Graham Medley in the Department of Global Health and Development. 

Although strongyloidiasis affects an estimated 370 million people worldwide, and can prove fatal in immunocompromised patients, our understanding of its transmission dynamics and control remain limited. The successful candidate will develop mathematical models to examine potential impacts on transmission and economic benefits of a new treatment regimen for strongyloides and other soil-transmitted helminths, as part of a European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) funded project. The post-holder will work across two highly successful and supportive groups at LSHTM (the London Applied and Spatial Epidemiology Research (LASER) group, and the Evaluation of Social and Public Health Interventions (ESPHI) group with considerable scope to take initiative for research within the field, in collaboration with colleagues at LSHTM and international partners.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in mathematical modelling, epidemiology, computational ecology, or another relevant discipline with a strong quantitative component; demonstrable experience in population dynamic modelling preferably on infectious diseases; expertise in common programming language(s), such as R, Python, C/C++ or Julia; publication record commensurate with experience. An epidemiological understanding of STH would be an advantage, as would practical experience of including economic and costing data within a modelling framework. Further particulars are included in the attached job description.

This full-time post, based in London, is fixed-term until 30^th September 2021, with the potential of extension. The salary will be on the Academic Grade 6 scale in the range £40,011 - £45,437 per annum (inclusive of London Weighting). The post will be subject to the LSHTM terms and conditions of service. Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year, pro rata for part time staff. In addition to this there are discretionary “Director’s Days”. Membership of the Pension Scheme is available.