Research Assistant position in the modeling of the ecology of respiratory viral infections

A research assistant position is available at the Department of Molecular Medicine (DMM) at the University of Padova. We are looking for a strongly motivated person with excellent skills in computational modeling, data collection and analysis, and a keen interest in multidisciplinary research.

The selected candidate will work in Padova (Italy). She/he will join the Networks in Disease Ecology group (https://chiara-poletto.github.io/), part of DMM, and will work under the supervision of Prof. Chiara Poletto. The topics of the work will include the mechanistic modeling of infectious diseases spreading in structured populations to understand the interaction dynamics between seasonal respiratory viruses and virus subtypes, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, SARS-CoV-2. Research tasks will be the development of computational data-driven models (e.g. network-based and metapopulation-based models) by combining computational programming, statistical inference, and data analysis.

The candidate should have a background in quantitative science – e.g. physics, applied mathematics, computer science – and a strong interest in life science – notably epidemiology, virology, and medical science. Proven ability to work independently and to quickly adapt to new scientific environments are essential for this position. Good communicative skills to successfully collaborate with the other members of the group and a good knowledge of both oral and written English are required.

The position is full-time and fixed-term available for one year. Applications will be continuously received and evaluated until the position is filled.

Applications should be submitted to Dr. Chiara Poletto via email (chiara.poletto@unipd.it) and must include:

• letter of motivation;
• CV including the list of publications if any.