Group Summary:
As part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Institute for Disease Modeling’s (IDM) mission is to guide global efforts towards the eradication and control of infectious disease through the use and promotion of quantitative analysis. Composed of research scientists and software engineers, IDM uses data and scientific findings to inform decision making through dynamic modeling and statistical analysis. We directly apply these tools in formulating strategic insights and provide technical assistance to in-country partners assessing priority questions. IDM is a highly dynamic organization with a work environment that is defined by innovation and collaboration. As part of our work, we routinely collaborate with international health agencies, ministries of health in the developing world, as well as universities and research institutes across the globe.

Position Summary:
We seek a full-time Senior Research Scientist to join IDM’s Computational Science Research (CSR) team to design and apply the next generation of dynamic models and analytical pipelines. In this role you will be instrumental in creating new models that will be faster and more incisive than current tools while gaining flexibility and ease-of-use through innovative design patterns. Your work will also support applications, both directly and through the translation or development of algorithms and workflows that facilitate tasks such as model calibration, cost-benefit optimization, information value quantification, scenario analysis, and related utilities to make modeling easier and more widely accessible. Potential application areas are diverse, ranging from pandemic preparedness to high-priority questions in malaria, polio, TB/HIV/HPV, FP/MNCH/nutrition, vaccine-preventable diseases, healthcare delivery, and more. You’ll also be encouraged to publish any resulting models, and tools will be shared broadly with internal stakeholders, external collaborators, and the general public as open-source software.

Joining our group provides unique opportunities to interact with global-health policymakers, to collaborate with world-class researchers and non-profit organizations, and to contribute to more effective burden reduction and disease eradication strategies.

Core Responsibilities:
• Design, implement, and deploy next-generation computational frameworks and discrete models in partnership with IDM’s research and software teams, BMGF program teams, and external partners.
• Lead in the creation of global public goods such as open-source modeling software and academic publications.
• Support in-country applications of models and tools through provision of technical assistance, workflow examples, documentation, and targeted training.
• Cross-pollinate solutions from technical areas such as computer science, dynamical systems, economics, biosystems, and engineering to problems in health and development.
• Quickly prototype solutions to challenging problems through approximation and scripting.

Core Knowledge & Skills:
• Diverse interest across theoretical and computational methods in areas such as statistics, virology/immunology, computer science, epidemiology, dynamics, economics, and genomics.
• Knowledge of public health issues in developing world settings and passion for health equity is highly desired.
• Excellence in at least one data-analysis or scripting language (python preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to work productively as part of a team.
• Attention to detail and high standard for quality of work product.
• Experience working on collaborative software projects.
• Must be highly inquisitive, self-motivated, and results oriented.

Education & Experience:
• PhD in a quantitative field (e.g. Computational Modeling, Health Policy Analysis, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Biology) and 5+ years of post-PhD experience in quantitative analysis