King’s College London invites applications for a Research Assistant (RA) in GeoAI, Infectious Diseases, and Health Equity to join the GeoAI for Health Equity Lab (GAHEL, pronounced “gail”) led by Dr. Sabrina Li. The RA will contribute to Dr. Li’s UKRI-funded Future Leaders Fellowship project which focusses on integrating equity considerations into infectious disease mapping and surveillance, starting with the UK. The RA will be based in the Department of Geography, but will have access to training and support from King’s Health Partners Digital Health Hub, King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Digital Futures Institute. The RA will also have access to research and career development from King’s Centre for Research Staff Development. The postholder will work closely with Dr. Li and in collaboration with national and international interdisciplinary partners based at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and John Hopkins University (USA).

The RA will lead the development of a database of high-resolution equity indicators for disease surveillance, and will contribute to the development of novel approaches for managing confidential spatial health data, including differential privacy and other secure geospatial data protocols. This research will advance our understanding of how major infectious diseases of concern in the UK emerge, spread, and unequally affect different individuals and population groups.

Outcomes of this research will help advance the development of more equitable, spatial data-driven approaches to public health surveillance and pandemic preparedness, with direct links to public health policy. The findings will inform the development of a real-time spatial AI system to improve early detection and risk prediction, to protect vulnerable populations in the UK and in the future globally.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a 2-year fixed-term contract. Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development.

Essential criteria
-MSc/PhD in spatial epidemiology, quantitative geography/remote sensing, ecology, statistics, engineering, data science, quantitative social sciences, or a related discipline.
-Experience in working with real world data, with programming proficiency in R or Python and version control
systems like Git.
-Proven ability to work independently.
-Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within teams, with a strong commitment to fostering a fair and inclusive work environment.
-Excellent written and oral communication skills, including to diverse audiences.

Desirable criteria
-Experience managing stakeholder relationships and working in a practitioner/policy context.
-Experience working on interdisciplinary research projects.
-Track record in publishing peer-reviewed papers.