London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
(University of London)
Health Policy Unit, Department of Public Health and Policy
Research Fellow in Mathematical Modelling of HIV and STIs
July 2010 – October 2011
Background
An opportunity has arisen for a Research Fellow to work within the Department of Public Health and
Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
This is a research position within a collaborative team of mathematical modelers and epidemiologists,
from different Canadian, Indian and English institutions, interested in the transmission dynamics of
HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections and the evaluation of HIV prevention intervention.
The modeling team at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is lead by Dr Peter
Vickerman.
This highly visible project is financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is part of the India
AIDS Initiative (AVAHAN) intervention prevention programme, which is implemented in selected
districts of six Indian states. The main aim of the current project aim is to evaluate the impact of this
large scale intervention targeted to high risk population using a novel mathematical monitoring and
evaluation framework.
The suitable candidate will help at the final stage of development of the mathematical evaluation
framework and in the actual final evaluation of the impact of HIV/AIDS intervention activities targeted
to core group individuals with high-risk sexual practices (e.g. male and female sex workers and their
clients) on the HIV epidemic in more than 20 AVAHAN districts. The monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
plan for the intervention involves the use of dynamical models of HIV/AIDS and STI transmission and
extensive behavioural and biological data collection in high-risk and general populations in the different
districts. The data collection is used to inform model development and parameter estimations. The
project also includes additional modeling experiments to validate and simplify the mathematical
framework without losing functionality and accuracy.
In addition, the person will also help on an affiliated project using mathematical modeling with
behavioural and biological data from urban Bangalore (southern India), to better understand the
importance, for HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission, of the behavioural
heterogeneity1 observed among men who have sex with men (MSM). This will be achieved by
exploring the role of different behavioural subgroups of MSM, and their interactions, both in
accelerating, sustaining or limiting the HIV epidemic among MSM themselves, and in bridging
infections to women through sex with their female partners and female sex workers (FSWs). The
implications for HIV prevention and future research in this setting will be investigated.
The candidate will be involved in developing new mathematical models and adapting and simplifying
existing mathematical models of STI and HIV/AIDS, testing model assumptions, statistical analysis of
data to parameterize the model, fitting the dynamical model to epidemiological trends in multiple
settings using different model fitting algorithms, and multivariate statistical sensitivity analysis of model
predictions of intervention impact.
The candidate will also be expected to be motivated and autonomous, have good organization skills,
assist the main mathematical modeler in different analyses as well as carry his/her analysis and
submit manuscript to peer reviewed journals.
The person appointed will be expected to spend most of their time at LSHTM working on the assigned
project, with frequent trips to India and elsewhere for meetings with collaborators and
collation/analysis of data. Travel to international conferences is also expected.
1
defined as differences in anal sex roles (insertive/receptive) and involvement in commercial sex and
sex with women
You will join a multi-disciplinary team of epidemiologists, mathematical modellers and economists
(The HIVTools Research Group) interested in exploring the transmission of different infectious
diseases, the potential impact and economic benefits of different HIV/STI prevention strategies, and
linking social science research with epidemiological modelling.
We are looking for an applicant with a strong applied mathematical background and a PhD in
Mathematics / Physics / Mathematical modelling / Mathematical biology / Epidemiology / Control of
Infectious Diseases or other relevant quantitative subject. The applicant must have experience of
developing and programming dynamical models, preferably in C coding language, an interest in
biological systems, and the ability to design and analyse large-scale epidemiological modelling
experiments involving considerable data and uncertainty. You will have strong IT and communication
skills and work effectively within a team environment that includes mathematicians and nonmathematicians. It is highly desirable that you will have an interest in the health issues of lower or
middle income countries.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is Britain's national school 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), ahead of the London
School of Economics, Oxford, Imperial and University College, London. The institution also achieved
the largest increase in ranking compared with 2001 of any of the top 10 institutions in the RAE
rankings.
The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: every year over 800 students come to the School
from around 120 countries to study doctoral or masters degrees. The School has about 1200 staff
drawn from around 45 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, molecular biologists and immunologists. At any one time around 80 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 £48 m per
annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. The distance learning
programme which was launched in 1998 now caters for over 2000 students studying on four masters
programmes. 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
The School's mission is to contribute to the improvement of health worldwide through the pursuit of
excellence in research, postgraduate teaching and advanced training in national and international
public health and tropical medicine, and through informing policy and practice in these areas.
Organisation and Management
There are three academic departments, one principally concerned with infectious and tropical
diseases and two with public health (Department of Epidemiology & Population Health; Department of
Public Health & Policy).
Department of Public Health and Policy
The Department of Public Health & Policy is responsible for research and teaching in the policy,
planning and evaluation of health programmes and services. Its interests are both national and
international, encompassing industrialized, and less developed countries. The Department has three
research units:
Health Services Research
Health Policy
Public and Environmental Health
Each unit is multidisciplinary containing about 50 - 70 academic staff representing medicine, statistics,
epidemiology, sociology, economics, anthropology, operational research, psychology, nursing and
history. Each unit is responsible for its own research. The School has adopted a rotating system of
management for its academic units and departments. The management of a unit is under the control
of the Unit Head, appointed by the Director for a period of three years in the first instance. The
Department Head is appointed in a similar manner but for an initial period of up to five years.
The Department currently has a staff of 19 professors, 7 readers, 26 senior lecturers, 47 lecturers, 77
research fellows and assistants, about 40 computing, administrative and secretarial staff, and a
number of honorary staff.
Health Policy Unit
The Health Policy Unit (HPU), one of the three units in the PHP department, seeks to inform the
development of health policy, primarily in low and middle income countries, through collaborative
research, teaching and other activities involving exchange of skills and knowledge. A wide range of
disciplines are represented within the unit including economics, epidemiology, international relations,
medicine, mathematics, social anthropology and sociology.
There are a number of research themes and groups in the Unit including the Health Economics and
Financing Programme (HEFP); HIV Tools modelling and economics research group (HIVTools);
Communicable Disease Policy Research Group (CDPRG); Conflict and Health; Gender Violence and
Health and Anthropology of medicine and health. The Unit also houses the UK's Department for
International Development funded Consortium for Research on Equitable Health Systems (CREHS)
and provides social science, economics and modelling input to Department for International
Development (DFID) funded Consortia on HIV & Sexual Health Research; Communicable diseases
Consortium (TARGETS); Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health and HIV treatment and care as well as
the Gates Malaria Partnership, the DFID Microbicides Development Programme and the Gates
Avahan Project. Unit members edit the journal Health Policy and Planning. The post advertised falls
within the HIVTools Research Group
HIVTools Research Group
The HIVTools Research Group is a multi-disciplinary group of epidemiologists, economists and
mathematical modellers that use modelling and economic analysis to look at the potential impact and
economic benefits of different prevention strategies for reducing the transmission of HIV, STIs and
blood bourne infections. Interventions evaluated include those among injecting drug users, female sex
workers and their clients, and men who have sex with men. The geographic scope of the Group’s
research is Worldwide, covering settings in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, South American and Europe.
Duties and responsibilities
i.
Research

Contribute to the particular research projects described above:

Review scientific literature on key aspects of model development, HIV/AIDS and STI
epidemiology




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ii.
Model development
Help in the continued development and validation of existing models and
development of new models, including programming
Development and use of algorithms to fit models to epidemiological data
Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of model results to parameter assumptions
Sensitivity analysis of model results to structural assumptions and simplification of
evaluation framework

Diffusion of research findings:

Identify papers to write for publications in peer-reviewed journals and contribute to
these (in collaboration with others)

Presentation of results in scientific conferences or meetings of collaborator when
appropriate

Others:

Working in close collaboration with the modelling team at IC and LSHTM

Work and assist closely the senior modeller and organise working meetings weekly

Working flexibly to meet deadlines

Identify and contribute to new grant applications
Teaching
The post-holder will be expected to contribute up to 15% of his or her time to teaching in the
Department, including contributing to:

tutoring 1-2 MSc students (or Distance Learning equivalent)

taking seminar or practical groups

undergoing training in teaching skills
Accountability
The Research Fellow will be accountable to Peter Vickerman and Anna Foss as the grant-holders and
through them to the Head of the Health Policy Unit, the Head of the Department of Public Health &
Policy, and ultimately to the Director of the School. The Research Fellow will also be accountable to
Marie Claude Boily, the senior modeller at Imperial College.
Person specification
Essential
1. Strong mathematical background with a PhD or MSc degree in a relevant quantitative subject
(e.g. mathematics, epidemiology, physics, mathematical biology etc)
2. Proven experience of undertaking mathematical modelling analyses
3. Proven experience of developing and programming dynamical models, preferably in C/C++
coding language
4. Applied knowledge of ordinary differential equations, numerical methods, and basic statistics
5. Ability to undertake algebraic manipulations of model systems
6. Ability to design and analyze large scale modeling experiments involving large datasets
7. Knowledge of basic epidemiological principles
8. Proven ability to write academic papers or reports in English
9. Ability to work independently (e.g. using initiative to solve problems)
10. Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team environment, including demonstrating
flexibility to help deliver research results in order to meet deadlines while also maintaining
relationships with collaborators
11. Strong general IT skills (including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and packages for
numerically solving mathematical models)
12. Availability to travel to India and other destinations for international conferences or other
meetings
13. Commitment to conducting research on issues of HIV/STIs in India and low/middle-income
countries, and demonstrating sensitivity to the diverse needs of MSM in these contexts
14. Experience of contributing to grant applications
Desirable
1. Experience in developing and programming epidemiological models of HIV/AIDS or other
infectious diseases
2. Experience of handling uncertainty analyses in fitting dynamics models and performing
intensive sensitivity analysis (e.g. Latin Hypercube sampling, MCMC, Likelihood)
Advanced knowledge of the epidemic theory of infectious diseases
3. Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections
4. Ability to supervise students at undergraduate and MSc level
5. Ability to work with large data sets
6. Knowledge of social science research/literature relating to MSM in India or relevant
experience with MSM in another context
7. Keen to learn new skills
Salary and conditions of employment
Starting salary would be on Grade 6, Research Fellow Scale (£35,370- £40,188 pa including London
weighting). The post will be subject to the LSHTM terms and conditions of service, including
membership of the Universities Superannuation Scheme.
The post is full-time and available from July 2010 until October 2011 and may be extended if
applications for further research funding are successful.
The School's retirement date is 30 September following the 65th birthday. It is the School's policy not to
appoint candidates aged 65 or over.
Applications
Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Peter Vickerman (Peter.Vickerman@Lshtm.ac.uk or
07821196359) or Anna Foss (Anna.Foss@lshtm.ac.uk) for an informal discussion.
We encourage you to apply for this post online at our website jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The reference for
this post will be PV02. Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until midnight
on 21st April 2010. If you are unable to apply online, please contact us at jobs@lshtm.ac.uk or
telephone 0207 927 2173 during office hours.
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. Applications should also include a CV
and the names and email contacts of 2 referees who can be contacted immediately if shortlisted.
It is hoped to hold the interviews during the week commencing 3rd May 2010.
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