LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE
(University of London)
FACULTY OF INFECTIOUS AND TROPICAL DISEASES
IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTION DEPARTMENT
Project Scientist – ESEI Project
FURTHER PARTICULARS
1. ADVERTISEMENT
Project Scientist – ESEI Project
We are seeking to appoint a Project Scientist to co-ordinate a joint UK Research Councils initiative:
“Environmental & Social Ecology of Human Infectious Diseases (ESEI)”. This 5 year project will
establish an interdisciplinary collaboration between institutes in the UK, Australia, the Philippines
and Malaysia to define the biomedical, environmental and social risk factors for human infection
with zoonotic Plasmodium knowlesi malaria.
The postholder will be based in one of the two study sites (Sabah, Malaysia and Palawan, the
Republic of the Philippines), with frequent travel between the two expected. The post-holder will
work closely with administrative support teams at LSHTM, both project sites and with personnel
leading the various interlinked work packages to ensure timeliness and complementarity of work
plans. There will be interactions with various local and international stakeholders including WHO
WPRO as well as a Scientific Advisory Group.
The successful applicant will be self-motivated and well-organised with excellent interpersonal and
communication skills. S/he should have an in-depth knowledge and experience of public health
related research in low/middle income countries. S/he should have demonstrated experience in
large-scale project management and the ability to work collaboratively with a range of academic
groups and other related stakeholders.
The post is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) for a period of 4 years & 4 months
from 1st September 2012 until 31st December 2016 (current end date of the grant). Salary is on the
Academic Pathway Grade 6 scale from £35,661 to £40,499 per annum inclusive and will be subject
to the LSHTM overseas terms and conditions of service.
Applications should be made on-line via our website at jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The reference for this post
is CD-MRC01. Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until midnight of the
closing date. Applications should also include the names and email contacts of 2 referees who can
be contacted immediately if shortlisted. Any queries regarding the application process may be
addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities
employer
2.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is one of Europe’s leading schools of Public
Health and a leading postgraduate institution worldwide for research and postgraduate education
in global health.
Part of the University of London, the London School is the largest institution of its kind in Europe
with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise encompassing many disciplines. The School was
ranked one of the top 3 research institutions in the country in the Times Higher Education’s 'table
of excellence', which is based on the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). In 2009, the
School became the first UK institution to win the Gates Award for Global Health.
The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: there are almost 4000 students from 100+
countries following 22 taught masters courses delivered either in London (~650) or through
distance learning (~2700), and undertaking research degree training (~400). Over 40% of these
students are from non-European countries. The largest growth has been in distance learning
students (>40% over 3 years), though the London-based student population (where
accommodation limits growth) is at its highest level ever. Alumni are working in more than 180
countries. The School has about 1500 staff drawn from over 60 nationalities.
There are research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the world, utilizing our critical
mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, social
scientists, economists, molecular biologists, immunologists, ophthalmologists, anthropologists,
virologists, pharmacologists and nutritionists. At any one time around 100 School staff are based
overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia. We have a strong commitment to partnership with
institutions in low and middle income countries to support the development of teaching and
research capacity.
The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Its research funding now exceeds £67M per
annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. The commitment of
staff to methodological rigour, innovative thinking and policy relevance will ensure that the School
continues to occupy a leadership position in national and global health, adapting quickly to new
challenges and opportunities.
Mission
To improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve
excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy
and practice.
Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases
The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases encompasses all of the laboratory-based research
in the School as well as that on the clinical and epidemiological aspects of infectious and tropical
diseases. It is headed by Simon Croft, who is Professor of Parasitology. The range of disciplines
represented in the faculty is very broad and inter-disciplinary research is a feature of much of our
activity. The spectrum of diseases studied is wide and there are major research groups with a
focus on malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, vaccine
development and evaluation, and vector biology and disease control. The Faculty is organised into
four large research departments comprising: Pathogen Molecular Biology, Immunology and
Infection, Disease Control, and Clinical Research. There is close interaction between scientists in
different research teams. The Faculty has strong overseas links, which provide a basis for field
studies and international collaborations in developed and developing countries. The teaching
programme includes MSc courses, taught in-house and by distance learning, which are modular in
structure, a variety of short-courses and an active doctoral programme (PhD and DrPH).
Department of Immunology and Infection (Head: Professor Eleanor Riley)
Research in the Department of Immunology and Infection centres on analysis of the host response
to infection at the molecular, cellular and population levels. The goals are to develop a greater
understanding of basic mechanisms of immunological protection versus pathology, and to apply
this knowledge to the development of immunological interventions and the identification of
correlates of immune status. Our work involves application of state-of-the-art cellular and molecular
approaches to the in vitro analysis of pathogen-host cell interactions, to in vivo studies in models
and to the study of immunity at the population level in disease endemic areas. Main areas of
research include the regulation of acute and chronic inflammation; macrophage-pathogen
interactions; cellular pharmacology; the production of cytokines during innate and acquired immune
responses; T-cell function and antigen recognition; the mechanisms of immunopathology; the
development of vaccines; and delivery systems for vaccines and drugs.
Current research includes the role of acute phase proteins in resistance to infection, homeostasis
and inflammatory disease, mechanisms of macrophage activation, control of cytokine synthesis
and mammalian lectin interactions (J. Raynes); intracellular trafficking and secretory pathways of
cells of the immune system (T. Ward); the role of innate responses in resistance to the bacterial
pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia pseudomallei, activity and regulation of
natural killer cells and their effect on macrophage activation and recruitment, regulation of
chemokine receptors during infection and granulomatous tissue responses in the lung against
Cryptococcus neoformans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (G. Bancroft); correlates of protection
against tuberculosis and studies of BCG vaccination, human CD8+ T-cell responses to
mycobacterial antigens and synthetic peptides, use of whole blood assays in immunoepidemiology (H. Dockrell); cytokine and chemokine responses to leprosy, cellular composition and
effects of steroids on skin and nerve lesions of reactional leprosy, identification of specific peptides
for immunodiagnosis of leprosy (S. Young); innate and adaptive immunity to malaria including
activation of natural killer cells, cytokine regulation in clinical immunity and immunopathology,
regulation of antibody production and immunoglobulin class switching (E. Riley); using anti-malarial
antibodies as a marker of malaria exposure & assessment of the use of sero-epidemiology to
monitor and target malaria control measures www.seromap.com (C. Drakeley)transmission of
Plasmodium falciparum malaria including antibody responses to gametocyte-infected erythrocyte
surface antigens, effect of gamete antigen variability on transmission, gametocyte sequestration
and development and gametocyticidal drug therapy (C. Sutherland); characterisation of protective
immune mechanisms and defined antigens in attenuated vaccine models of schistosomiasis (Q.
Bickle); impact of concomitant viral, bacterial, protozoal and helminth infections on induction of
immune responses and immunopathology and T cell regulation and induction of mucosal immune
responses during intestinal nematode infections (H. Helmby); the identification and evaluation of
novel drugs and drug delivery systems for leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and malaria, interaction
between antiprotozoal drugs and the immune response (L. Vivas, V. Yardley)
Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology (Head: Professor John Kelly)
Research in the Department of Pathogen Molecular Biology focuses on the molecular biology and
genetics of pathogens and their hosts in the context of improving the understanding and control of
infectious diseases. Aspects of pathogen biology of interest include: (i) determining the
mechanisms of infection of globally important viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens; (ii)
deciphering the genetic diversity of selected disease agents in natural populations and to
determine its epidemiological impact, (iii) studying immune evasion mechanisms of particular
disease agents, (iv) exploiting parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens as model biological systems
and (v) developing practical applications including improved diagnostic tests and the identification
and characterisation of vaccine candidates and drug targets.
PMBD currently has funding to investigate, amongst others, the malaria parasite (Plasmodium
spp), Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), African sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma brucei),
amoebic dysentery (Entamoeba), the Leishmania species, bacterial food borne pathogens
(Campylobacter jejuni and Yersinia enterocolitica), gastric ulcers/cancer (Helicobacter pylori),
pseudomembranous colitis (Clostridium difficile), plague (Yersinia pestis), paddy field melioidosis
(Burkholderia pseudomallei), Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis), Pneumonia
(Streptococcus pneumoniae), Bluetongue viral disease of livestock, Herpesviridae, SARS, the
hemorrhagic fever virus (RVFV) and the enteric rotavirus that cause significant diarrhoeal disease
in infants developing countries.
The long-term aim of PMBD research is to gain a fully rounded understanding of the complex and
dynamic ways by which pathogens modulate virulence and interact with the human host. Such a
holistic approach will vastly increase the scope for the rational of design of long-term intervention
strategies to reduce the burden of infectious disease. In recent years such a mission has been
significantly enhanced by the availability of whole genome sequences. Members of the Department
are, or have been, involved in several pathogen genome projects including Herpes, Campylobacter
jejuni, Yersinia pestis, Clostridium difficile, Entamoeba and Trypanosome species. In particular,
post genome studies have facilitated research on more complex parasites such as Plasmodium,
Entamoeba and Trypanosome species. The interpretation and exploitation of this basic information
is the platform for numerous new avenues of research on pathogenesis, epidemiology and the
evolution of virulence.
Department of Clinical Research (Head: Prof Alison Grant)
The Department of Clinical Research addresses infectious diseases of major public health
importance in developing countries. Activities include trials of new therapies, vaccines and
educational interventions; the development of new diagnostic tests; studies to elucidate the
immunological and molecular correlates of pathogenesis and protective immunity, and to identify
genetic polymorphisms conferring protection or susceptibility to infectious diseases; health services
research which aims to identify the most efficient and cost-effective way to deliver health care; and
health policy analysis. In addition to our many overseas collaborations, we have close links with
the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, in purpose-built accommodation on the main UCL Hospital
campus, five minutes walk from the School. The Wellcome Trust Bloomsbury Centre for Clinical
Tropical Medicine is based in the Department, and supports Clinical Fellows at all levels, most of
whom are based overseas.
The Department’s main research interests include HIV and related infections; in particular, the
interaction between HIV infection and tuberculosis, and other sexually transmitted diseases;
malaria; trachoma; leprosy; diagnostic tests for resource limited settings; eye health; disability; and
travel medicine.
Department of Disease Control (Head: Dr Mark Rowland)
This multidisciplinary Department includes epidemiologists, entomologists, anthropologists and
social scientists, clinical scientists, public health engineers, and geographers. This range of
expertise provides us with a battery of tools for focusing on the control of diseases that are insectborne, water-borne or associated with poor hygiene – mostly in developing countries. Much of the
research can be categorised as: evaluating disease control interventions; investigating
implementation strategies - including working with the private sector; understanding the factors
underlying household behaviour in relation to family health; or determining how control resources
can be targeted most efficiently. Particular attention is paid to research directed at current health
policy issues, including the gap between policy and practice. The DFID Resource Centre for Water
and Environmental Health (WELL) and the Hygiene Centre make up the Department’s
Environmental Health Group, which plays a leadership role in research and operational support for
hygiene promotion, water supply and sanitation. The Department also houses the largest research
group in LSHTM working on malaria control, including the DIFD Team for Applied Research to
Generate Effective Tools and Strategies for communicable disease control (TARGETs) and the
Malaria Capacity Development Consortium (MCDC). The Department’s valuable mosquito colonies
are used for testing repellent products and insecticides in the laboratory. The Department also
includes a major grouping of researchers using spatial analysis in public health.
Teaching
The School offers 22 one year full-time taught courses leading to the Master of Science (MSc)
degree of the University of London and the Diploma of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine (DLSHTM). The Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases runs or contributes
substantially to ten of these courses and the “Immunology of Infectious Diseases” course is run
from within the Department of Immunology and Infection. In addition, the Faculty is responsible for
the three-month Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) and offers a range of
specialist short courses lasting usually one or two weeks. Three MSc courses are also offered by
Distance-based Learning, including one on Infectious Diseases.
Teaching requirements
To contribute to the Faculty teaching programme, up to 10% of your time per annum, subject to the
policy of any funding agency (by agreement, some staff may make a greater contribution than this).
Research Training
The School offers two doctoral training programmes. The MPhil/PhD degrees are designed for
those who wish to go on to a full time research career. The DrPH is directed towards those who
expect their careers to be more in the practice of public health.
Project information
This is a joint UK Research Councils initiative: “Environmental & Social Ecology of Human
Infectious Diseases (ESEI)” project. The 5 year project will establish an interdisciplinary
collaboration between institutes in the UK, Australia, Philippines and Malaysia to define the
biomedical, environmental and social risk factors for human infection with zoonotic Plasmodium
knowlesi malaria. Linked work packages will focus on epidemiology, entomology, primatology,
social science, land use and ecological modelling with a case control study, the over-arching aim
being to describe factors that contribute to the emergence of this primate pathogen in the human
population.
3.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post:
Project Scientist – ESEI Project
Grade:
Academic Pathway Grade 6
Responsible to:
Dr Chris Drakeley & Dr Jonathan Cox
Department:
Immunology and Infection Department
Main duties and responsibilities:

Assist in the set-up and day-to-day running of interdisciplinary research activities across
two study sites (Sabah, Malaysia and Palawan, the Philippines).

Liaise with the project PI and other project & administrative staff at LSHTM, while working
closely with project personnel at both sites.

Work with country teams to train and assist staff members recruited to provide
administrative and technical support at each study site.

Set up and manage effective communication mechanisms within and between country teams.

Work with local project partners to ensure timely completion and reporting of individual project
elements.

Ensure the project team’s adherence to work package plans and protocols, ethical review
requirements, standard operating procedures, subcontract conditions and good practices.

Clearly identify and solve issues as they arise.

Contribute to the preparation and presentation of scientific reports, project budgets,
financial evaluations to expected timelines and the analysis and writing of scientific papers.

Understand and promote the goals and objectives of the project.

Contribute to the organization of teleconferences, meetings and workshops.

Assist investigators to coordinate their interlinked work package activities.

Establish and maintain collaborations with appropriate stakeholders, with direction from PI
and lead personnel at each site.

Assist in the dissemination of project activities through a variety of channels (website,
reports to associated stakeholders and funders, conferences).

Undertake other duties as may be required by the PI.
Teaching

Contribute to the Faculty teaching programme, up to 10% of your time per annum, subject
to the policy of any funding agency (by agreement, some staff may make a greater
contribution than this).
4.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential

A postgraduate qualification, MSc or PhD, in a relevant field or an MD.

Experience of post-graduate (or equivalent) research in a public health related field.

Experience of management and analysis of epidemiological datasets.

Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

A track record of working in a low / middle income country setting.

Demonstrated experience in managing large projects, including coordinating and
supervising staff/teams in the field.

Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, including proven ability to establish and
maintain positive and effective working relationships, to gain trust and to work effectively in
a team.

A proven capacity to be pro-active, to work independently and to manage and prioritise
workload.

Willingness to be located in either Sabah, Malaysia or Palawan, the Philippines, with
frequent travel between the two sites.
Desirable

A good publication record in the international scientific literature commensurate with
experience.

Knowledge and experience of working in the fields of malaria and infectious disease.

Knowledge and experience of zoonotic or emerging infectious disease infection.

Experience with geo-spatial analysis.

Fluency in Malay or Tagalog.
5.
SALARY AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT
The post is funded by the MRC for a period of 4 years & 4 months from 1st September 2012 until
31st December 2016 (current end date of grant). Salary is on the Academic Pathway Salary scale
from £35,661 to £40,499 per annum inclusive and will be subject to the LSHTM overseas terms
and conditions of service. Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year for all staff (prorata for part-time staff). In addition to this there are 6 fixed-date "Director's Days".
6.
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be made on-line via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The reference for
this post is CD-MRC01. Applications should also include the names and email contacts of 2
referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted. Any queries regarding the application
process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk.
The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience and training
meet each of the selection criteria. Please provide one or more paragraphs addressing each
criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a failure
to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An answer to any
of the criteria such as “Please see attached CV” will not be considered acceptable.
Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date it may not be
possible to offer you an alternative date.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities
employer