Research Assistant or Associate

Imperial College London; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading research group at Imperial College London as a postdoctoral research scientist focusing on virus evolution and bioinformatics data analysis. This role supports the innovative Wastewater Surveillance for Pandemic Prevention network, offering opportunities for impactful research and collaborations. Ideal candidates will hold a PhD in relevant fields and have strong analytical skills, especially in infectious disease epidemiology and data programming.

Benefits

39 days off annually

Generous pension schemes

Access to Imperial’s research resources

Diverse and inclusive work culture

Qualifications

• Research experience in infectious disease epidemiology, evolutionary biology, and bioinformatics.
• Strong programming skills in Python or R.
• Interest in vaccine research and infectious diseases.

Responsibilities

• Analyze virus sequence data from wastewater samples.
• Incorporate virus evolution models into analysis methods.
• Collaborate closely with the WaSPP team across various countries.

Skills

Sequence data analysis

Programming in Python

Infectious disease epidemiology

Analytical skills

Education

PhD in infectious disease epidemiology

PhD in evolutionary biology

PhD in bioinformatics

Job description

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We are recruiting a postdoctoral research scientist to lead virus evolution and bioinformatic data analysis for our program on wastewater surveillance for pandemic pathogens.

The world faces an increased risk of new infectious disease pandemics. Global surveillance for emerging zoonotic viruses is currently inadequate, especially in low-income populations at greatest risk. Wastewater surveillance offers a scalable tool for detecting spillover infections and human transmission of concerning viral families. Funded by the Gates Foundation and the Institute of Philanthropy, we are establishing the Wastewater Surveillance for Pandemic Prevention (WaSPP) network, which will develop and pilot wastewater surveillance strategies, laboratory methods, and analytical tools in Africa and Asia. Our protocols and software will be shared with the community to enable wider testing and sustained implementation.

A key part of WaSPP's research will involve analyzing virus sequence data from wastewater samples. This will include next-generation sequencing of viral RNA/DNA, identifying viruses, and inferring potential human infection and transmission. The analysis will focus on viral evolution, scenario simulation, and applying analytical pipelines to data generated by the WaSPP network.

This is a three-year post suitable for a biologist, mathematician, or similar with research experience in infectious disease epidemiology, evolutionary biology, and bioinformatics, aiming to improve global public health.

In the first year, the successful candidate will incorporate virus evolution models into mathematical models of spillover infection and transmission, supporting the development of virus sequence analysis methods and inference of human transmission.

Subsequently, they will support wastewater sequence data analysis following pilot implementation, refining virus evolution models and developing analytical pipelines and tools. The role involves close collaboration with the WaSPP team at Imperial and the international WaSPP network in the UK, Ghana, DRC, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia.

The position offers opportunities for high-impact publications and engagement with centers of excellence in the UK and high-risk countries.

The successful applicant will be part of the Vaccine Epidemiology Research Group (VERG) within the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis. VERG includes epidemiologists and laboratory scientists focused on viral and bacterial pathogens, vaccines, and genomics. We are a collaborative, internationally recognized group.

Essential experience includes working with sequence data, programming in Python or similar languages (e.g., R), and a strong interest in infectious disease epidemiology.

Applicants should hold a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology, evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, or a related quantitative discipline, with strong analytical skills and an interest in infectious diseases or vaccine research. Candidates without a PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant.

Benefits include the opportunity to advance your career at a world-leading institution, access to Imperial’s resources, sector-leading salary and benefits (including 39 days off annually and generous pension schemes), and a diverse, inclusive, collaborative work culture.