Job Details
Postdoctoral Scholar
Northern Arizona University
Special Information
- This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities for remote work are rare.
About the Department/College
Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a Carnegie R1 university with over $77 million dollars in annual research expenditures. The School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) is known for its student-centered approach and strong emphasis on hands-on learning and research. Faculty and students engage in cutting-edge work in areas like AI, Robotics, and Microelectronics. We offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees, offered by approximately 60 faculty in the school, with roughly 1,200 undergraduate and 500 graduate students. The undergraduate Electrical and Computer Engineering degree programs are ABET-accredited. The department fosters close faculty-student interaction, with a focus on mentoring and collaborative research, partnering with local and national organizations to apply engineering solutions to real-world problems, especially those relevant to Arizona and the Southwest.
About the Position
The Postdoctoral Researcher will lead domestic and international infectious disease forecasting efforts of the Fox Lab within the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems at Northern Arizona University. This position will play a central role in advancing the university's growing research portfolio in data-driven public health and computational epidemiology. The Postdoc will coordinate real-time forecast submissions to national initiatives including the FluSight, RSV, COVID-19, and MetroCast Forecast Hubs, as well as the Southern America Influenza Forecast Hub, helping to position our group as a leader in global epidemic forecasting. In addition to managing these forecasting activities, the Postdoctoral Researcher will develop new modeling frameworks, conduct original research, publish scientific papers, and present findings at national and international conferences. The position will also contribute to training and capacity-building activities, including workshops for public health officials and mentorship of students and collaborators, supporting the broader goal of strengthening the global infectious disease forecasting community.
Responsibilities Include
40% - Advance Forecasting Techniques
- Design, implement, and evaluate new statistical, mechanistic, and hybrid forecasting models to improve accuracy, generalizability, and global applicability of epidemic forecasts.
20% - Forecast Coordination
- Lead national and international infectious disease forecasting activities, including coordinating real-time submissions to the FluSight, RSV, COVID-19, MetroCast, and Southern America Influenza Forecast Hubs.
- Oversee model updates, data processing, and evaluation pipelines.
25% - Scientific Writing
- Analyze forecasting results.
- Prepare manuscripts and reports.
- Present findings at national and international conferences.
10% - Support Lab Members
- Mentor graduate students and junior researchers.
- Lead workshops and training activities for public health officials to enhance capacity in epidemic forecasting and data-driven decision-making.
5% - Other
- Present research findings at national and international conferences and develop training curriculum for international forecast partners.
- Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- PhD in a quantitative field including but not limited to biology/ecology/evolution, epidemiology, public health, operations research, mathematics, statistics/biostatistics, or data science.
*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.*
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated familiarity with statistical analysis, machine learning, and time-series modeling techniques.
- Experience in infectious disease modeling, epidemiological forecasting, or related quantitative health research.
- Proficiency in scientific programming (e.g. R or Python).
- Strong written and oral communication skills, including experience preparing manuscripts and presenting research at professional meetings.
- Experience creating clear and effective data visualizations and presentations for technical and non-technical audiences.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- Ability to design and evaluate infectious disease forecasting models using statistical and computational methods.
- Ability to manage and analyze large epidemiological datasets and clearly communicate results.
- Knowledge of programming and scripting (R preferred, Python, Julia etc).
- Knowledge of infectious disease dynamics, surveillance systems, and applied statistical modeling.
- Skill in scientific writing, data visualization, and professional presentation.
- Ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research environment.
- Ability to effectively mentor graduate and undergraduate students
Compensation
Salary range begins at $58,882. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.