Job summary

We are seeking two outstanding Research Fellows or Research Associates for the Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium (VIMC, www.vaccineimpact.org). This major collaborative initiative directed by Professor Neil Ferguson, is based within the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London and funded jointly by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance ($11 million over 2016-22). The MRC Centre has built upon a world-leading research group in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology to undertake applied collaborative work with national and international agencies in support of policy planning for emerging and endemic infectious diseases.

Duties and responsibilities

You will join a team of researchers who collaborate closely on the analysis of vaccine impact estimates generated across the consortium and the refinement of the methods used for impact estimation. This research includes (a) improving methods for generating ensemble estimates of disease burden and vaccine impact that fully represent uncertainties in the underlying data sources, assumptions and alternative model structures; (b) refining estimates to allow for sub-national variation in vaccine coverage and disease burden; (c) assessing the effects of socio-economic and geographic clustering of vaccine coverage across different vaccines (i.e. the effect of ‘hard-to-reach’ groups with low coverage of all vaccines); (d) assisting key country partners with the refinement, interpretation and use of VIMC outputs.

These exciting roles will also offer substantial opportunities to interact with the external modelling groups in VIMC, and to work with staff in Gavi, BMGF and other major global health bodies (notably the World Health Organization) and with public health policy-makers in low and middle-income countries.

Essential requirements

You must have a PhD in a relevant field; research experience of working with mathematical or statistical models; programming experience in R or similar; experience in quantitative data analysis, visualisation and interpretation; publications in leading scientific journals; experience in communicating research findings to a non-specialist audience; and an interest in infectious disease epidemiology and control. (We are also open to applicants from candidates at Research Assistant level who are finishing off their PhD.)

Further information

We are looking to make 2 appointments, both posts are full-time on a fixed term contract until 31 March 2022. You will be based at the St Mary’s Campus, Paddington in the longer term, but working remotely in the first instance, due to COVID-19.

Candidates appointed as a Research Associate will be offered a salary within the range of £40,858 - £48,340 per annum.
Candidates appointed as a Research Fellow will be offered a salary within the range of £46,345 - £54,852 per annum.
Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £36,045 - £39,183 per annum.

For informal enquiries please contact Katy Gaythorpe (k.gaythorpe@imperial.ac.uk).