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University of Sussex
Research Fellow in Epidemiological Modelling in Bats Ref: 43577 (Fixed Term)
Brighton On-site 2-5 yrs exp
Sponsorship verifiedEpidemiological ModellingStatistical ModellingProgrammingRInfectious Disease Modelling
Requirements
Candidates must have a PhD or equivalent experience in infectious disease modelling, strong quantitative skills, and proficiency in R. Experience with large datasets and the ability to communicate research methods to non-specialists are also required.
Job Description
About The Role
We are looking for a motivated post-doctoral researcher to assess potential zoonotic disease transmission pathways between bats humans. As part of an international consortium, OneBAT-funded by Horizon Europe, you will collaborate with an interdisciplinary network of researchers working at the interface of ecology, epidemiology, and public health.
One focus of the Sussex team is to understand the circulation and persistence of zoonotic viruses within bat populations and the risks of spillover into other hosts. In this position, you will analyse a unique longitudinal dataset collected from maternity roosts in five European countries, integrating molecular and serological data to characterise infection dynamics of three major viral groups: lyssaviruses, filoviruses, and coronaviruses.
A central objective of the project is to quantify transmission dynamics within bat colonies in relation to the life-history of the bats and the co-circulating viruses. You will apply advanced statistical and mechanistic modelling approaches, including fitting compartmental (SIR-type) models to real-world surveillance data from wild animal populations. This will involve close collaboration with field ecologists and laboratory scientists across the consortium.
The role requires excellent quantitative and analytical skills, with strong experience in statistical modelling and programming in R. Experience with infectious disease modelling, particularly in wildlife systems, and the ability to handle complex longitudinal datasets will be highly advantageous.
You will contribute to advancing our understanding of how viruses persist and spread in natural host populations, with implications for predicting and mitigating zoonotic risks.
About You
You will have a PhD or equivalent experience in infectious disease modelling, together with strong quantitative skills and experience of fitting compartmental models to surveillance data. You will be able to interpret molecular and serological data, and have a high level of competency in R. Experience of working with large and complex datasets is essential, as is the ability to communicate research methods clearly to non-specialists such as volunteers or practitioners. A strong track record of effective teamwork and excellent interpersonal skills are also required.
Ideally, you will have a good understanding of infectious disease epidemiology, particularly in wild populations, and experience with ecological or epidemiological modelling approaches. Familiarity with programming languages such as R or Python, and experience developing efficient workflows for managing data-intensive sources, would be advantageous.
About Our School
In the School of Life Sciences we strive to understand the mechanisms that drive biological and chemical processes and to develop innovative and diverse approaches to enhance human health, technology and the environment. We undertake multidisciplinary research, teaching and engagement across a wide range of subjects, from Chemistry through Cellular and Molecular Biosciences to Conservation Biology.
The School comprises five Departments: Biochemistry & Biomedicine, Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Neuroscience, Ecology & Evolution and Chemistry. We also house the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which works to deliver the bench-to-bedside translation of our discoveries. The breadth and depth of our cutting-edge research and innovative teaching practice is delivered by a diverse community who work across boundaries to deliver excellence, engage with real world problems and produce impact.
We pride ourselves on our world-leading research and have a strong research economy, with approximately 50% of our income stemming from research and an active grant portfolio of over £50 million. We host or form part of three University Centres of Excellence: the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Sussex Neuroscience and Sussex Sustainability Research Programme. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90.6 % of our Biological Sciences outputs and 84.8% of our Chemistry outputs were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We are proud that in both areas, 100% of our Impact cases were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
The School is committed to the University’s core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and aim to provide a friendly and supportive environment for all who work, study and visit the School of Life Sciences.
Please find further information regarding the School of Life Sciences on our website.
The School of Life Sciences is proud to hold a Silver Athena Swann Award.
The School of Life Sciences is part of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
Why work here
Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
Find Out More About Our Reward And Benefits Package.
Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion.
Further Key Information
Please contact Pierre Nouvellet (pierre.nouvellet@sussex.ac.uk) or Fiona Mathews (f.mathews@sussex.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.
The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Eligibility
Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time and appointed at Grade 7.4. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.
Please note that this position may be subject to ATAS clearance if you require visa sponsorship (code: CAH03-01-03 - Ecology and Environmental Biology).
The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.
We are looking for a motivated post-doctoral researcher to assess potential zoonotic disease transmission pathways between bats humans. As part of an international consortium, OneBAT-funded by Horizon Europe, you will collaborate with an interdisciplinary network of researchers working at the interface of ecology, epidemiology, and public health.
One focus of the Sussex team is to understand the circulation and persistence of zoonotic viruses within bat populations and the risks of spillover into other hosts. In this position, you will analyse a unique longitudinal dataset collected from maternity roosts in five European countries, integrating molecular and serological data to characterise infection dynamics of three major viral groups: lyssaviruses, filoviruses, and coronaviruses.
A central objective of the project is to quantify transmission dynamics within bat colonies in relation to the life-history of the bats and the co-circulating viruses. You will apply advanced statistical and mechanistic modelling approaches, including fitting compartmental (SIR-type) models to real-world surveillance data from wild animal populations. This will involve close collaboration with field ecologists and laboratory scientists across the consortium.
The role requires excellent quantitative and analytical skills, with strong experience in statistical modelling and programming in R. Experience with infectious disease modelling, particularly in wildlife systems, and the ability to handle complex longitudinal datasets will be highly advantageous.
You will contribute to advancing our understanding of how viruses persist and spread in natural host populations, with implications for predicting and mitigating zoonotic risks.
About You
You will have a PhD or equivalent experience in infectious disease modelling, together with strong quantitative skills and experience of fitting compartmental models to surveillance data. You will be able to interpret molecular and serological data, and have a high level of competency in R. Experience of working with large and complex datasets is essential, as is the ability to communicate research methods clearly to non-specialists such as volunteers or practitioners. A strong track record of effective teamwork and excellent interpersonal skills are also required.
Ideally, you will have a good understanding of infectious disease epidemiology, particularly in wild populations, and experience with ecological or epidemiological modelling approaches. Familiarity with programming languages such as R or Python, and experience developing efficient workflows for managing data-intensive sources, would be advantageous.
About Our School
In the School of Life Sciences we strive to understand the mechanisms that drive biological and chemical processes and to develop innovative and diverse approaches to enhance human health, technology and the environment. We undertake multidisciplinary research, teaching and engagement across a wide range of subjects, from Chemistry through Cellular and Molecular Biosciences to Conservation Biology.
The School comprises five Departments: Biochemistry & Biomedicine, Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Neuroscience, Ecology & Evolution and Chemistry. We also house the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which works to deliver the bench-to-bedside translation of our discoveries. The breadth and depth of our cutting-edge research and innovative teaching practice is delivered by a diverse community who work across boundaries to deliver excellence, engage with real world problems and produce impact.
We pride ourselves on our world-leading research and have a strong research economy, with approximately 50% of our income stemming from research and an active grant portfolio of over £50 million. We host or form part of three University Centres of Excellence: the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Sussex Neuroscience and Sussex Sustainability Research Programme. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90.6 % of our Biological Sciences outputs and 84.8% of our Chemistry outputs were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We are proud that in both areas, 100% of our Impact cases were rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
The School is committed to the University’s core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and aim to provide a friendly and supportive environment for all who work, study and visit the School of Life Sciences.
Please find further information regarding the School of Life Sciences on our website.
The School of Life Sciences is proud to hold a Silver Athena Swann Award.
The School of Life Sciences is part of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
Why work here
Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
Find Out More About Our Reward And Benefits Package.
Find out about our equality, diversity and inclusion.
Further Key Information
Please contact Pierre Nouvellet (pierre.nouvellet@sussex.ac.uk) or Fiona Mathews (f.mathews@sussex.ac.uk) for informal enquiries.
The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Eligibility
Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time and appointed at Grade 7.4. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship.
Please note that this position may be subject to ATAS clearance if you require visa sponsorship (code: CAH03-01-03 - Ecology and Environmental Biology).
The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.
Education
["postgraduate degree"]
Skills
Epidemiological ModellingStatistical ModellingProgrammingRInfectious Disease ModellingData AnalysisQuantitative SkillsMolecular Data InterpretationSerological Data InterpretationTeamworkInterpersonal SkillsEcological ModellingLongitudinal Data HandlingCommunication SkillsWorkflow DevelopmentPython