Research Associate

Imperial College London; City Of London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

10 development days for skill growth

Sector-leading salary and benefits

43 days off a year and generous final-

Job summary

Imperial College London is inviting applications for a Research Associate to develop novel methods for pathogen genomic epidemiology in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. The post is funded by a Wellcome Early-Career Award and based in a new group focusing on scalable mathematical and statistical approaches to large pathogen genome datasets.

The role combines data analysis, epidemiology, modelling and inference, with opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent research/industrial experience in a quantitative field.
• Experience developing mathematical/statistical approaches for biological questions.
• Experience conducting quantitative analyses of complex biological data.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply statistical and computational methods to pathogen genomic data.
• Perform computational simulations and data analyses to characterise transmission.
• Publish high-quality scientific outputs and contribute to software tools when appropriate.

Skills

Mathematical modelling

Statistical analysis

R and Python programming

Education

PhD or equivalent in infectious disease epidemiology, computational biology, biostatistics, or related quantitative discipline

Tools

R

Python

Job description

Applicants from groups underrepresented in science and research are particularly encouraged to apply.

What you would be doing

The successful candidate will develop and apply statistical and computational methods to characterise infectious disease transmission from pathogen genomic data, with an initial focus on seasonal influenza and opportunities to extend the work to other pathogens. Projects will build on approaches developed in the group that rely on genetically proximal sequences and do not require full phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The work will include a combination of method development and validation, computational simulations and data analysis, which can be balanced depending on the postholder's interests and experience. This work is fundamentally interdisciplinary, combining infectious disease epidemiology, pathogen evolution, genomic epidemiology, mathematical modelling, statistical inference and quantitative data analysis. We do not expect candidates to be experts in all these areas, and welcome applicants with a strong foundation in one or more relevant disciplines who are enthusiastic about developing expertise across these areas.

What we are looking for

• Hold a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology, computational biology, population biology, biostatistics or a related quantitative discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience
• Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant
• Demonstrated experience developing mathematical and/or statistical approaches to answer complex biological questions
• Experience conducting quantitative analyses of complex biological data using rigorous analytical approaches
• Experience disseminating research through high-quality scientific outputs, such as peer-reviewed publications, preprints, software tools and conference programming skills in R and/or Python
• Knowledge of, or strong interest in learning about, infectious disease epidemiology

About the role

We invite applications for a Research Associate to develop novel methods for pathogen genomic epidemiology in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London. The post is funded by a Wellcome Early-Career Award and will be based in a new group within the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. The group develops scalable mathematical and statistical approaches leveraging large pathogen genome datasets to understand the determinants of infectious disease transmission. Our work combines data analysis, genomic epidemiology, mathematical modelling and statistical inference to answer public health relevant questions. We are committed to building a positive and inclusive environment, where all team members feel that they belong and are excited to do research. We recognise the systemic barriers that exist in higher education and research, particularly for people from historically marginalised groups.

We can offer you

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: gain access to Imperial's sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
• As a member of research staff you have 10 development days to use to develop your skills and explore your career prospects.
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days off a year and generous pension schemes).
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further information

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have not yet been officially awarded will be appointed as a Research Assistant. This is a full-time and fixed-term contract for two years. The expected start date for this post is 01st February 2027 (with flexibility on the start date), and the contract end date will be 31st January 2029.