HOMERTON COLLEGE
CAMBRIDGE
Dr William Foster
Vice-Principal
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 8PH
Tel: 01223 747145
E-mail: whf21@cam.ac.uk
Junior Research Fellowships in Population Health at
Homerton College, University of Cambridge, in conjunction
with the Department of Public Health and Primary Care,
School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge
These JRFs focus on any of the following themes:

International Population Health / Epidemiology, or

Human Genomics, or

Data Science (“big data”) for Population Health
Academic focus:
We seek to appoint two new four-year Research Fellowships at Homerton College,
Cambridge, for early career postdoctoral researchers working in the field of population
health, with a focus on any of the themes listed below.
International Population Health / Epidemiology:
Population health research in low- and middle-income countries aims to identify and
understand the determinants of major non-communicable causes of morbidity and
mortality, and to develop and evaluate strategies in order to prevent them. For example,
during recent years the DPHPC (“Department of Public Health and Primary Care”) has
recruited more than 50,000 participants in South Asia into studies of major
cardiovascular diseases (eg, stroke, heart disease), with a goal to elucidate the relevance
of local risk factors (eg, arsenic exposure in Bangladesh and consanguinity in Pakistan)
and develop new preventive strategies.
Human Genomics:
Following the recent discovery of many genetic loci for chronic diseases, a key challenge
is to leverage human genetics to understand mechanisms and to advance medicines
development. Through strategic relationships with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,
the European Bioinformatics Institute and with the pharmaceutical industry, the DPHPC
is building and analysing diverse multi-scale (eg, transcriptomics, proteomics,
metabolomics, epigenomics) and multi-tissue phenotype data sets obtained from large
population studies that are anchored in dense genome sequence variation.
Data Science for Population Health:
Biomedical research is being revolutionised by the ability to measure and analyse, at
scale, vast amounts of data on tissues, patients, and populations in relation to genetic
make-up, human traits, psychosocial factors, the physical environment, and medical
conditions. The convergence of biological information with dense data from other
domains (eg, electronic health records, socio-educational databases, smartphone
applications, social media) promises to open new insights into the causes and predictors
of major chronic diseases. For example, the DPHPC has established a strategic
relationship with NHS Blood and Transplant, collating and analysing biological and other
information on tens of thousands of participants (with potential for expansion).
Benefits and Conditions:
These JRFs are jointly funded by Homerton College, the University of Cambridge’s
newest and largest college, and the Department of Public Health and Primary Care
(DPHPC), one of Europe’s leading academic departments of population health sciences.
The holder is expected to become a member of the DPHPC, and to reside in Cambridge
in term time.
The current stipend level for a Research Fellow is £19,081 to £21,391 plus the equivalent
of single rent-free accommodation in the College or a living-out allowance, a meal
allowance and optional membership of the Universities’ Superannuation Scheme. There
are also research funds available to Junior Research Fellows up to £1500 per annum. An
office will be provided in DPHPC. The Fellow is expected to participate in College life
and governance including research seminars and Formal dinners and guest nights.
The primary objective of the Fellowship is research; there may also be teaching
opportunities at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Supervisions will be paid for at
standard supervision rates, in addition to the stipend.
Notes for Applicants:
Applicants should provide the following:



Curriculum Vitae
names of three academic referees
a brief proposal (two page maximum) for research during the tenure of the JRF,
explaining how it would cohere with one of themes listed above and the work of
the DPHPC.
The deadline for applications is Monday 1st December 2014 at 12.00 noon.
Short-listed applicants will be interviewed on 15th December 2014.
Applications are invited from whose doctoral degrees are complete or very near to
completion.
A Junior Research Fellowship is tenable for four years with effect from 1st October 2015.
There is no age limit, but a Fellowship is intended to support those at an early stage in
their academic careers, who will expect, in due course, to go on to hold posts in
educational institutions of international standing. The College will not normally appoint
Junior Research Fellows who are more than three years beyond the award of a doctorate.
Applications should be submitted to: https://app.casc.cam.ac.uk/fas_live/homjrf.aspx.
Failure to submit the application by the deadline or to complete your application correctly
means that it will not be forwarded to the next stage of the competition. The College
administrator can be contacted with regard to processing issues. Please contact:
jrf.hom@casc.cam.ac.uk.
Applications will be examined by experts in the fields concerned and by the Research
Fellowship Committee. The final choice, however, will be made by the Governing Body,
and the research proposal should therefore be written so as to convey to the non-specialist
something of the interest and importance of the topic.
The College will NOT solicit references. It is therefore your responsibility to give the
email address of your referees who will be contacted through the on line Fellowship
Application System.