We welcome applications for a PhD position on the topic “Assessing the impact of human mobility on Dengue spread in an urban system of Cuba by means of mathematical modeling”. The PhD scholarship follows from a collaboration between the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp (Veerle Vanlerberghe), the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine at the University of Havana (Maria Eugenia Toledo) and Ghent University (Jan Baetens and Tijs Alleman, research unit BIOSPACE - https://biospace.ugent.be - at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University).

Mathematical models predicted an increase of Dengue cases under the social restrictions imposed to counter COVID-19. Opposed, such increase was not observed and Dengue cases were historically low. This implies the current knowledge on the influence of mobility patterns on dengue transmissions is incomplete and more research is warranted. To this end, qualitative data on public space use and quantitative data on vector prevalence and mobility patterns in Cienfuegos, Cuba will be funneled into a mathematical model co-developed at Ghent University and ITM Antwerp. In addition to broadening our knowledge on Dengue epidemiology, the project aims to build knowledge locally by providing concrete recommendations to policymakers and by building a real-time forecasting system for the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana. In addition, the project will be relevant in Western Europe under current climate change predictions, as Dengue may become endemic in this region.
The project is a unique and large-scale collaboration between social scientists, epidemiologists and engineers with implications for public health decisions in Cuba and beyond. This position is temporary (1-1.5 years), the student will be tutored to submit a personal project proposal at the Flemish Research Fund in order to obtain funding for four years. If successful, this will lead to the title of Doctor of Bioscience Engineering: Mathematical Modelling. The student will be based at Ghent University, Belgium, with a possibility to make short visits to the Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine in Havana Cuba.

Unicorns or people with the following profile are highly encouraged to apply,
• MSc degree in a quantitative field such as (Applied) Mathematics, Mathematical Biology or Mathematical Sciences, (Bioscience) Engineering, Physics, or equivalent
• Msc degrees in Public/Global Heath or History/Philosophy are considered strong qualitative assets
• Good knowledge of spatio-temporal modelling paradigms, agent-based models and Bayesian inference are considered strong quantitative assets
• Experience in at least one programming language (Python, Julia, R, Matlab, C++, etc.)
• Fluent in English (both written and spoken)
• Excellent grades obtained during Master program (increases odds of obtaining personal funding significantly)

The PhD position will begin at the earliest on 1st November 2023. Interested candidates should apply by sending their motivation letter and CV to ruth.vandendriessche@ugent.be before September 30, 2023. The selection procedure consists of two steps. Firstly, a shortlist of the candidates will be made based on their motivation letter and CV. Secondly, the shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview during which they’ll have to present their master thesis research, a research paper and a computational task we’ll then provide.