Post-Doctoral Research Associate

at  Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

SALARY £38,205 - £44,263 DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE

The African Snakebite Alliance is funded by the Wellcome Trust and aims to improve health outcomes for people affected by snakebite envenoming, by addressing the gaps in policy and practice in Africa. We have an exciting opportunity for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to join Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine as part of The Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions (CSRI) team.
The successful candidate will join a substantial, multi-disciplinary research team dedicated to identifying and implementing systems and tools, to understand and improve the prevention and management of snakebite envenoming. This role will primarily contribute to research improving data on snakebite burden by spatial analysis methods undertaken by the African Snakebite Alliance, specifically in Ghana and Rwanda.

Snakebite burden data is often unavailable or underestimates incidence, not capturing victims who do not attend formal health facilities. The successful candidate will provide input and oversight of epidemiological studies (including community surveys), geospatial modelling and reporting of the following research objectives:

• To assess how remote sensing data and currently available epidemiological data can be best combined to predict geographical variation in snakebite risk and burden
• To explore how predictions obtained from currently available data sources can be validated and/or improved by primary data-collection in selected locations
• To understand the utility of snakebite risk maps in programmatic decision making and how snakebite risk data can best be presented to support this process

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS THE FOLLOWING:

• PhD in Statistics, Epidemiology or Public Health with a strong quantitative focus
• Knowledge of the challenges of collecting clinical and epidemiological data in LMIC settings
• Skilled in respondent-engagement for completion of community and hospital questionnaires, particularly with at-risk respondents suffering loss or disabilities
• Experience of using relevant, contemporary analytical and statistical tools
• Experience of developing and delivering teaching including the supervision of student research projects
• Ability to submit high quality publications
  Previous experience of research in epidemiology, research in LMIC setting (preferably Africa) and geostatistical analysis and/or modelling is also desirable criteria for this position however, this is not essential.
  We are ideally looking for the postholder to have the ability and flexibility to travel to Ghana and Rwanda for this post. This is likely to be for 1-2 weeks at a time, once or twice per year.

• Assess how remote sensing data and currently available epidemiological data can be best combined to predict geographical variation in snakebite risk and burden
• Explore how predictions obtained from currently available data sources can be validated and/or improved by primary data-collection in selected locations
• Understand the utility of snakebite risk maps in programmatic decision making and how snakebite risk data can best be presented to support this process
• Maintain accurate records of all research activity
• Work collaboratively in a research team and in partnership with external collaborators
• Significantly contribute to the planning and advancement of research programmes