IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Research Associate posts in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
(SM091-10)
School:
School of Public Health
Section:
MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling
Department:
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Job Family/Level:
Research and Education, Level B
Salary Range:
£26,720 – £38,930 per annum
Contract:
Full-time for 4 years
Reporting to:
Prof Neil Ferguson
Location:
St Mary’s Campus, Paddington
A. The Posts
The Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling was
founded in 2007 with Professor Neil Ferguson as Director. Its mission is to be an
international resource and centre of excellence for research on the epidemiological analysis
and modelling of novel infectious disease outbreaks. SARS, H5N1 avian influenza and H1N1
‘swine’ influenza have highlighted the need of the world to improve its readiness for new
epidemics. The Centre has built upon a world-leading research group in the Department of
Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College to undertake applied collaborative work
with national and international agencies in support of policy planning and response
operations against emerging infectious disease threats.
We are seeking two Research Associates to develop and implement mathematical models of
infectious disease evolution and transmission. The positions are funded by the €12m EU FP7
EMPIRE (European Management Platform for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious disease
Entities) project, a collaboration between 14 leading European experimental, clinical and
theoretical research groups.
The mission of the EMPIRIE project is “to contribute to effectively countering the potential
public health threat caused by new and emerging infectious diseases in Europe by
establishing a powerful network capable of structural and systematic prediction, identification,
modelling and surveillance of infectious diseases health threats and pathogens”. The group
led by Professor Ferguson is contributing towards two of the 5 work-packages in this largescale project: WP5, “Synthesis, prediction and preparedness”, and WP3, “Metagenomic
sequencing and analysis”. The other key analytical groups involved in the consortium are at
Cambridge University (Prof Derek Smith) and the Sanger Institute (Dr Julian Parkhill).
The core focus of the work undertaken by the successful applicants for these posts will be
contributing to WP5, and will involve building new analytical tools for rapid epidemiological
characterization of an emerging epidemic and optimization of control options. The focus is on
making maximum utility of limited and noisy/uncertain data using sophisticated statistical and
mathematical tools – plus more fundamental work on the evolutionary drivers for zoonotic
transfer and adaptation to new host species. There are 6 proposed threads of activity:
1. Modelling pathogen emergence and establishment, and predicting risk factors for
zoonotic transfer;
2. Real-time analysis of outbreaks of poorly characterized emerging pathogens;
3. Optimising syndromic surveillance in resource poor settings for detection of case
clusters of emerging infections;
4. Developing generic modelling toolkits for modelling emerging pathogens.
5. Using novel diagnostics to optimise public health interventions for containment of
emerging pathogens.
6. Optimising intervention strategies to minimize adaptation of emerging pathogens.
The exact projects the successful applicants will undertake will be determined in discussion
with Professor Ferguson, taking into account the applicants’ interests and experience.
The research will be undertaken within the context of the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis
and Modelling at Imperial College, and will benefit from the translational focus of the Centre
and the close links it is forging with public health bodies in the UK (e.g. DH, HPA) and across
the world (e.g. WHO, CDC).
Key Responsibilities
•
Develop a range of mathematical and statistical simulation models of the
transmission and evolution of emerging infectious diseases.
•
Collate and analyse epidemiological and other data relevant for the research project.
•
Communicate results of work to collaborators and the wider scientific community, via
presentations and scientific papers.
•
To attend relevant workshops and conferences as necessary
•
To develop contacts and research collaborations within the College and the wider
community
•
To present findings to colleagues and at conferences
•
To publish in high quality journals and to present data at national and international
meetings.
•
Comply with relevant College policies, including Financial Regulations, Equal
Opportunities Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Information
Systems Security Policy and Intellectual Property Rights and Register of Interests Policies
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and so the post holder may be required to
undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Post holders are expected to observe and comply with all College policies and
regulations, for example Health and Safety, Data Protection etc.
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating
discrimination. All employees are expected to adhere to the principles set out in our
Equal Opportunities in Employment Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy and
Disability Policy and all other relevant guidance/practice frameworks.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications
Essential

PhD in one of the following areas: infectious disease epidemiology, population genetics,
population biology, mathematics, statistics, theoretical physics, computer science or a
similarly quantitative discipline.
Experience
Essential
 Research experience of working with mathematical and/or statistical models.
 Experience in communicating research findings to a non-specialist audience.
Desirable
 Research experience in infectious disease epidemiology.
 Research experience of mathematical modelling.
 Publication in leading scientific journals.
 Experience of working with external collaborators in the UK and overseas.
Knowledge
Essential
 Working knowledge of mathematical and/or statistical modelling relevant to the project.
 Programming in C, C++ or Java.
 An interest in infectious disease ecology and control.
Desirable
 Knowledge of R, Berkeley Madonna, Excel, or MatLab
Skills/Abilities
Essential
 Proven research skills
 Ability to collate data, interpret and present results to a high standard using a range of
specialised research techniques
 Ability to work independently but also as part of a larger interdisciplinary research team
 Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Other

Willingness and ability to travel internationally at relatively short notice.
APPLICATION GUIDANCE
Please read the person specification carefully and describe, as part of your application, how
much you feel you meet each of the criteria.
If you attach a CV it should include the following information:
Applicant’s full name, private address and private telephone number
A confidential fax number and e-mail address, where possible
Degrees (including University and dates)
Past and present posts
List of publications
Brief description of future research plans
Names, addresses and, email, fax numbers, of three referees.
Thank you for your interest in this post. We look forward to receiving your application.