CDC Vaccine-Preventable Disease Outbreak Risk Fellow

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - ARISE Branch, Immunization Services Division, NCIRD in Atlanta, GA, invites a data-focused fellow to advance methods for identifying sub-county areas at elevated VPD outbreak risk using vaccine and health data.

You will train with a multidisciplinary team, develop R-based mapping tools, and provide technical assistance to immunization programs across jurisdictions.

Qualifications

• Master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.
• Degree must have been received within the past five years, or be currently pursuing.

Responsibilities

• Explain to non-technical audiences how data sources related to vaccination and VPDs inform outbreak risk.
• Recommend processing methods to clean large line-level datasets and create visualizations.
• Describe knowledge gaps between theory and applied methods for estimating outbreak risk.
• Evaluate strength of evidence for planning preparedness activities.
• Coordinate subject matter experts at CDC with immunization programs.

Skills

Quantitative analyses

Data visualizations

R programming

Python

GIS

Scientific writing

Collaboration

Communication

Education

Master's degree

Doctoral degree

Tools

R

Python

GIS

Job description

Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Reference Code

CDC-2026-0104

Description

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location

A fellowship opportunity is currently available in the Applied Research, Implementation Science, and Evaluation (ARISE) Branch in the Immunization Services Division (ISD) within the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), located in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the major operation components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC protects America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same. CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish its mission, CDC conducts important science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

ISD contributes to CDC’s mission by working to protect people and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) by increasing access, confidence, and demand for vaccines in collaboration with 66 state/local/territorial immunization programs. A key priority within ARISE is to support these immunization funding recipients by providing research and evaluation technical assistance. ARISE works to conduct health services research and program evaluation to assess drivers of low vaccination coverage and to identify effective interventions to improve vaccine access, confidence, and demand.

Research Project

The first half of the fellowship will be training with immunization funding recipients as they develop an approach to identify sub-county areas at elevated risk of VPD outbreaks using data related to vaccine administration, previous reported cases, local knowledge, and other publicly available data. You will train with the preparedness mapping multidisciplinary group which will involve collaborating and learning from data scientists, health scientists, and evaluators from multiple branches in ISD. This group supports recipients in assessing VPD outbreak risk through the creation of an R-based mapping tool and guidance materials, providing large-group or 1-on-1 technical assistance, and identifying solutions to challenges shared by many programs.

You will use the experience gained in the first half of the fellowship to collaborate on development of methods for immunization programs to refine their understanding of VPD outbreak risk within their jurisdiction. Time permitting, and under the guidance of a mentor you could pilot your methods with select immunization programs or disseminate to all jurisdictions.

Learning Objectives

• Explain to non-technical audiences how different data sources related to vaccination and VPDs could inform outbreak risk
• Recommend processing methods to clean large line-level datasets, append and validate geospatial data, and create impactful visualizations, based on program needs and resources
• Describe knowledge gaps between theoretical and applied methods to estimate VPD outbreak risk
• Evaluate strength of evidence used to plan specific preparedness activities
• Coordinate and match subject matter experts at CDC with immunization programs based on expressed or implied programmatic technical assistance needs
• Create at-a-glance programmatic summary reports used to maintain CDC leadership awareness

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is RajReni Kaul ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date

October 1, 2026.

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation

The appointment is full time.

Citizenship Requirements

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) only.

ORISE Information

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility.

Questions

Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a master's or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past five years, or be currently pursuing.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with quantitative analyses and data visualizations using R, python, and/or GIS.
• Ability to conceptualize complex problems and identify possible approaches or solutions
• Experience synthesizing, summarizing, and presenting information from multiple sources in written reports, presentations, or other communication products
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and organizational skills
• Strong interpersonal, collaboration, and facilitation skills

Point of Contact

Rachel

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
• Discipline(s):

• Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (Data Science)

• Earth and Geosciences

• Life Health and Medical Sciences

• Mathematics and Statistics

• Other Non-Science & Engineering

• Social and Behavioral Sciences

I certify that I have not previously been employed by CDC or by a contractor working directly for CDC. I understand that CDC does not permit individuals with a prior employment relationship with CDC or its contractors to participate as trainees in the ORISE program. (Exceptions may be granted for individuals who, since the previous CDC employment, have obtained a new STEM degree which necessitates training in a new field.)