This is a 12 month limited term position with an anticipated start-date in September, although start and end dates may change.

Group Summary
As part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Institute for Disease Modeling’s (IDM) mission is to support global efforts to eradicate infectious diseases and achieve permanent improvements in health by developing, using, and sharing computational modeling tools and promoting quantitative decision-making. The IDM team is composed of research scientists and software developers who create advanced models of disease transmission, develop computational tools to inform global disease eradication policy, conduct analysis of epidemiologically- and policy-relevant data, and identify and address critical knowledge gaps. 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 groups at the World Health Organization, World Bank, the U.S. and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with ministries of health, universities, and research institutes across the globe.

Leadership and Culture
We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things!

Position Summary
We are seeking a one-year limited-term Research Scientist to join IDM’s Computational Science Research (CSR) team in Seattle, WA. They will support ongoing modeling activities related to SARS-CoV-2 transmission and control modeling in low- and middle-income country settings. The scientist will apply Covasim, an open-source agent-based model developed at IDM, and other modeling tools to challenging research problems at the interface of diagnostic testing and surveillance, immunological correlates of protection, vaccination and treatment, and co-transmitting variants of interest and concern. Stakeholders for this work are diverse and include in-country partners, global agencies, and within-Foundation colleagues. The scientist will be working with an experienced modeling and analysis team and will have opportunities to learn, apply, and improve tools and workflows for data analysis, model calibration, uncertainty quantification, sensitivity analysis, cost-benefit optimization, and more. Publications will be encouraged and resulting models and tools will be shared broadly 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:

• Address complex research questions in COVID transmission and mitigation
• Survey scientific literature and remain current on fast-moving research topics
• Support the creation of internal and global public goods such as open source software and academic publications
• Design and execute an analytical plan with input from teammates and collaborators
• Quickly prototype solutions to challenging problems through scripting or web-based platforms
• Provide technical assistance to modeling applications in low- and middle-income settings
• Lead/support manuscript preparation and publication
• Present results to internal stakeholders and external partners

Core Knowledge & Skills:

• Attention to detail and a high standard for quality of work
• Demonstrated ability to work productively as part of a team
• Must be highly inquisitive, self-motivated, and results-oriented
• Experience in applying analytical tools
• Knowledge of and passion for global health issues

Education & Experience:

• MPH or PhD in a related field
• Computational experience in epidemiology, immunology, virology, or a related field preferred
• One year of related experience, or combination of education and experience
• Proficiency in at least one data-analysis or scripting language (python preferred)
• A list of published articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The foundation requires a COVID-19 vaccination for in-person business in the United States. Therefore, all U.S. employees are required to present proof of vaccination status upon hire unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption.