Epidemiologist/Statistician/Ecologist/Biologist for Arboviral Analytical Studies

Chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, Zika and other viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are serious health threats in the U.S. and globally. Actions to prevent or control the spread of arboviral diseases on local and global scales rely on evidence of spatiotemporal transmission patterns, geographical spread, and severity of disease. Data on these components are by nature limited, many infections are asymptomatic, more are unreported, surveillance systems vary substantial, and laboratory testing capacity is often limited. These limitations are amplified in emerging outbreaks, when surveillance systems are disrupted or confronted with novel pathogens.

The Dengue Branch Modeling Unit has a history of innovative research with broad implications for prevention and control of these diseases locally within Puerto Rico, in the continental United States, and internationally. The Unit played a central role in the Zika response, for example, analyzing the risk of severe disease, tracking and projecting potential population level impacts, and identifying effective surveillance strategies. The Dengue Branch provides a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary applied public health research in an endemic setting including studies of vectors, interventions, clinical management, and surveillance. Areas of active research for the Modeling Unit include:
• Strategies to increase the efficiency of arbovirus surveillance and intervention trials,
• Generalized methods to support real-time decision making in outbreaks,
• Models to elucidate the relationship between surveillance data, incidence of infection, incidence of severe disease, and epidemic risk,
• Spatiotemporal models to capture heterogeneous multi-scale arbovirus outbreak dynamics,
• Tools to improve risk assessment for the international spread of pathogens, and
• Standardization and evaluation of epidemic forecasts.

Position
Two-year term position with a possibility of extension depending on the availability of funding.

Duty Location
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Specific duties include:
• Perform analyses of complex data
• Design, plan, and initiate original research
• Present research and surveillance findings and methods at internal and external meetings
• Write and publish scientific manuscripts communicating findings
• Serve as a recognized expert on epidemiological issues in arboviral disease surveillance, prevention, and research
• Specific research projects will consider the interests of the postdoc, the needs of the Division of Vector-Borne Disease, and the potential public health impact

Qualifications:
• Doctoral degree in epidemiology, statistics, ecology, or related field
• Experience in epidemiology and infectious diseases
• Experience with the statistical software R
• Demonstrated skill in analyzing data from studies and projects
• Experience in writing and communicating research or surveillance findings
• Demonstrated skill in successful communication and collaboration with multidisciplinary team
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced work environment

If interested please contact Michael Johansson (mjohansson@cdc.gov) for more information.