This permanent post is for an epidemiological modeller/statistical epidemiologist to work on influenza preparedness in UKHSA, particularly influenza vaccination policy, and with the potential to work in novel scientific and policy areas of respiratory disease immunisation and prevention, such as pandemic preparedness and respiratory syncytial virus pharmaceutical countermeasures. The post-holder’s role in the team will be to lead on modelling and statistical aspects of the design, management, and analysis of data. The post holder will be expected to write analysis plans, perform analyses in software such as R or Stata, and write reports and papers for peer-reviewed publications. S/he will work with minimal supervision. S/he will also be expected to present findings at national and international conferences and meetings.

Main duties of the job:

To work in collaboration with staff in the Influenza Section of the Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD) Division, Public Health Programme Directorate, to provide high quality statistical analyses on the health burden associated with respiratory diseases and to improve existing transmission dynamic models to enable robust and reliable estimates of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions against vaccine preventable respiratory diseases, upon which national immunisation policy can be based.

An important part of the position will be to update the cost-effectiveness analysis when new or improved vaccines are developed.

To keep abreast of the latest scientific knowledge around the transmission of respiratory diseases and incorporate that knowledge into existing models/cost-effectiveness analysis.

Provision of professional expertise for mathematical modelling activities within the Immunisation and VPD Division.

Taking an active role in expanding the range of modelling techniques available within the Immunisation and VPD Division and the Statistics, Modelling and Economics Department, in particular inference methodology for the integration of multiple data sources into transmission dynamic models.