We have an exciting opportunity at the University of Glasgow for a Research Assistant/Associate to contribute to a BBSRC project on “An integrated approach to tackling drug resistance in livestock trypanosomes” working with Professor Louise Matthews, as well a broader interdisciplinary team of modellers, veterinary epidemiologists and molecular parasitologists located at the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, as well as SRUC and partners in Tanzania.

Drug resistance is an increasing problem for many diseases worldwide. Trypanosomes are tsetse-fly transmitted parasites that cause serious disease in cattle mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 60 million cattle are at risk and African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT) kills 3 million each year. The main tool farmers have to combat AAT is drug treatment, but resistance to these drugs is increasingly reported. This exciting project will yield new insights into the mechanisms of resistance, the extent of resistance in the field and through the development of mathematical and epidemiological models it will design better treatment protocols that aim to improve livestock health and reduce the spread of resistance.

The post-holder will be based within the Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health and the Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, working alongside Louise Matthews whilst collaborating closely with the field and experimental scientists to develop epidemiological models of the control of AAT.

We are be looking for someone PhD qualified, or working towards their PhD, in Mathematical Biology or other relevant quantitative subject such as statistics, physics or infectious disease epidemiology with a strong quantitative component. Candidates will ideally have experience in mathematical modelling of epidemiological systems and should be skilled in one or more common programming languages such as R, Matlab, C++, Julia, Fortran or similar. Experience of interaction with biologists would be helpful.

The Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health and the Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine provide a vibrant and open research environment that bring together mathematicians, biologists, vets, ecologists as well as economists and social scientists to address a wide variety of livestock, zoonotic and human health diseases via a One Health approach.

For further information on the Institute and the Boyd Orr Centre please see:

http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/bahcm

http://www.gla.ac.uk/boydorr

This post has funding for 36 months.

Informal enquiries can be made to Louise Matthews (louise.matthews@glasgow.ac.uk).