Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate in Epidemiology to join the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. We are seeking an excellent researcher to work on the epidemiology and mathematical modelling of poliovirus transmission, including analysis of global surveillance and vaccination data maintained by the WHO.

This post is full time, fixed-term until 31 December 2021

Salary: £40,858 - £48,340

Research Programme
Researchers in the vaccine epidemiology research group (VERG) at Imperial College led by Prof Grassly work on the epidemiology of infectious diseases and the impact of vaccination at the individual (immunogenicity, efficacy) and population level (effectiveness, impact). We are particularly interested in vaccines against enteric infections such as poliovirus, rotavirus and typhoid. We work extensively on the epidemiology of poliovirus, contribute to Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) policy and are the WHO collaborating institute on polio data analysis and modelling. We have also begun a new programme of work on non-polio enteroviruses causing neurological and respiratory diseases such as hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), aseptic meningitis and acute flaccid myelitis.

Our work is highly collaborative, and we work with researchers in Asia and Africa to conduct clinical trials and field studies that allow us to address key biological questions with translational value. We seek to emphasize throughout these studies high-quality and robust statistical and mathematical model-based analysis. This builds on our 20 years of experience analysing and modelling infectious disease surveillance data.
The recent emergence and spread of vaccine-derived polioviruses in Africa is a major challenge to the global eradication programme, resulting in more cases of paralysis in 2018 and 2019 than wild-type poliovirus (e.g. Blake et al. New Engl J Med 2018). We are currently working to understand the epidemiology and evolution of these viruses, and the optimal surveillance and vaccination response with oral and inactivated poliovirus vaccines.

Purpose of the Post
This post is funded by the WHO Polio Research Committee and focuses on the epidemiology of vaccine-derived polioviruses in Africa and Asia and the impact of different surveillance and vaccination activities. You will work closely with Dr Blake and the polio team in VERG and have access to excellent peer support from with other members of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis. The post would be especially suited to someone with experience in epidemiological analysis or mathematical modelling of infectious disease data but we will also consider applications from enthusiastic individuals with appropriate mathematical, statistical or biological skills. You will be expected to produce high quality research, submit publications to scientific journals, attend and present at conferences and attend meetings with researchers and policy-makers relevant to the field. You will be based in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology located at the St Mary’s campus of Imperial College London, Paddington. Remote working is still ongoing and expected into early 2021.

We expect applicants to have submitted their Ph.D. dissertation as a minimum.

Should you have any queries please contact: Professor Nick Grassly (n.grassly@imperial.ac.uk) or Dr Isobel Blake (isobel.blake@imperial.ac.uk )