Job Description
We are seeking an enthusiastic, creative and motivated postdoctoral researcher for a postdoctoral position in the Department of Mathematics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.

The research program will centre on leading the modelling and genomics arm of a study on tuberculosis transmission. We will establish novel methods and tools to uncover transmission dynamics from whole-genome sequences and other information, densely sampled over a time frame of several years. This work includes a bioinformatics component, analyzing variation in TB sequences to aid in understanding and modelling transmission. The study is funded by USAID and aims to improve TB control in the Republic of Moldova; this work is in collaboration with the group of Dr. Ted Cohen at the Yale School of Public Health. The work is based in Vancouver. The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to develop an independent related research program if they so wish. The position will be offered for 2 year at the outset, with the option to extend.

Environment and Context:
The research group is forming with the appointment of Dr. Colijn as a Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematics for Infection, Evolution and Public Health. We have close links with Statistics, Computer Science and Biology, as well as with the Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU as well as with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and UBC. The Canada 150 Research Chair funding will support an active and dynamic combination of MSc and PhD students and postdoctoral researchers over the next 7 years. Activities supported by the Canada 150 grant and by SFU include workshops, hackathons and national and international visitors, as well as travel opportunities for the group. This is an exciting time to join this dynamic group working at the interface of mathematics, evolution and public health.

There are opportunities to travel to visit collaborators, present results at conferences and workshops, and to develop new collaborations. Postdocs will be invited to suggest visitors and speakers for the planned workshops and hackathons, collaborate across the group and will be able to undertake paid teaching in the Department of Mathematics if appropriate. Interested candidates should contact Caroline Colijn (ccolijn@sfu.ca) or the Department via JoAnne Hennessey (mcs@sfu.ca), with a cover letter and a CV including names of potential references and a statement of interest, by January 15, 2019.

Person specification

• PhD in one of the following areas: mathematics, statistics, computer science, infectious disease epidemiology with a strong quantitative component, or a similar discipline
• Publication record commensurate with experience
• A strong interest in the topics of the research
• Strong interest in some of the following: bioinformatics, modelling, infectious disease epidemiology and genomics, statistical inference
• Ability to think creatively and thereby design new analyses, models and methods
• Ability to interpret and query results and follow independent courses of inquiry that arise
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. The work will require collaboration with project partners in public health, biology, computer science, statistics and/or epidemiology, depending on the specific project
• Knowledge of one of more common programming languages