"Postdoctoral Research Fellow"

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Company: Harvard University

Job Location: Cambridge, 02138

Category: Public and Environmental Health

Type: Full-Time

School: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Department/Area: Epidemiology

Position Description

The Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health studies the frequency, distribution, and determinants of disease in humans, a fundamental science of public health. In addition to pursuing ground-breaking global research initiatives, we educate and prepare future medical leaders and practitioners as part of our mission to ignite positive changes in the quality of health across the world.

The Department of Epidemiology is seeking 2-3 postdoctoral researchers for projects related to mathematical modelling and epidemiological analysis of HIV epidemics in eastern and southern Africa. Postholders will be responsible for developing and leading analytical and modelling components of internationally collaborative projects funded by the Gates Foundation, and in partnership with ministries of health, academic partners, programme implementers, and international health agencies such as UNAIDS, WHO, PEPFAR, and the Global Fund.

The postholder will be based in the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics within the Department of Epidemiology, and will be a member of the HIV Inference Group a geographically distributed and substantively diverse research team led by Dr. Jeff Imai-Eaton. Postholders will be responsible for leading and managing key working relationships with other group members, external project partners and collaborators, and project stakeholders.

Projects include:

• Mathematical modelling and epidemiologic analysis to develop new indicators for monitoring sustained effectiveness of HIV testing and diagnosis programmes, in collaboration with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and national HIV programmes in Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozamabique.
• Geospatial modelling of national surveillance and programme data in South Africa to develop new tools to support national HIV and TB policy in South Africa through the Linganisa II project, in collaboration with the University of Cape Town, University of Witswatersrand, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa Medical Research Council, the Human Sciences Research Council and national HIV programme stakeholders.
• Design and simulation of innovative targeted and adaptive household surveys and routine surveillance designs in Malawi, as part of the Kuzama pa Kalondo project, in partnership with the Malawi Ministry of Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, and other programme partners.

Basic Qualifications

Education Requirements

• A doctoral degree in infectious disease epidemiology, biostatistics, population biology, economics, or related quantitative discipline.

Experience & Skills Requirements

• Ability to analyse and visualise disease surveillance and population health data; knowledge of infectious disease transmission dynamics; and competence in applied Bayesian statistical modelling.
• Strong quantitative background, with demonstrated ability to program in one or more scientific programming languages, e.g. R, Python, C++, etc.

Additional Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of HIV epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and programmes in eastern and southern Africa.
• Familiarity with methods for collection and analysis of common disease survey and surveillance data, especially HIV.
• Experience using modern Bayesian computing and probabilistic modelling tools such as Stan, TMB, INLA, PyMC.
• Experience applying reproducible research and team science tools and workflows (e.g. Git/Github).
• Demonstrated research skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills, for example through research presentations and journal publications.
• Ability to collate data, interpret and present results to a high standard using a range of specialised research techniques.
• Ability to work independently but also as part of a larger interdisciplinary research team, with minimum supervision and comfort operating with ambiguity in cultural contexts.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally.

Additional Information:

Per university guidelines, postdoc appointments are considered to be on-campus, full-time positions. Per university payroll tax guidelines all applicants must reside in an acceptable payroll states or be willing to relocate to: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, Maryland, Vermont, New York, California, New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, Georgia, or Illinois.

Contact Information

For additional questions about the position, please contact Jeffrey Imai-Eaton, PhD, Associate Professor of Epidemiologyin the Department of Epidemiology.

Contact Email: jeaton@hsph.harvard.edu

Salary Range

$70,000 - $77,000
Compensation will be based on post-graduate (PGY) experience

Minimum Number of References Required: 2

Maximum Number of References Allowed: 2

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