Back Senior Disease Modeler (100%)

The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) is a world-leading institute in global health with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. Associated with the University of Basel, Swiss TPH combines research, services, and education and training at the local, national and international level. About 850 people from more than 80 nations work at Swiss TPH focusing on infectious and non-communicable diseases, environment, society and health as well as health systems and interventions.

The Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH), within the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, is seeking a highly motivated individual with strong analytical skills to work within the Infectious Disease Modelling Unit of EPH to help design evidence-based strategic plans by providing analytical evidence and support execution of high-impact programs to ensure countries reduce their malaria burden.

Senior Disease Modeler (100%)

In this position you will lead the technical work of the modelling support provided to NMCPs in endemic countries as well as provide support to their partners including donors and NGOs.

Malaria is one of the world's most important causes of mortality and morbidity, mainly affecting countries in low endemic areas. Over the last decade, substantial progress has been made globally in reducing malaria burden through increased coverage with vector control interventions and improved access to diagnosis and treatment. However, the funding has recently plateaued pushing to the forefront of the policy agenda the need to optimize deployment of interventions, based on understanding of countries’ local malaria transmission and burden. In recent years, the availability and quality of malaria-relevant data have increased, encouraging countries to use evidence to make decisions, as promoted by the High Burden to High Impact initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute develops and applies epidemiological, statistical and mathematical methods to evaluate and predict malaria transmission and the impact of interventions in order to provide support National Malaria Control Programs (NMCPs) and their partners in their evidence-based decision-making processes.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement statistical and mathematical modelling studies to evaluate the impact of malaria interventions at national and sub-national levels in multiple high-burden countries. Specifically, the modelling outputs will support:
• Strategic and operational questions on implementation of malaria control interventions at subnational level by National Malaria Control Programs
• Strategic decisions by major donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as the President Malaria Initiative
• Methodological development of modeling malaria transmission and interventions as part of the Malaria Modelling Consortium
• Lead and manage a technical team of disease modellers and epidemiologists toward project deliverables
• Lead synthesis and communication of modelling outputs to diverse policy audiences
• Disseminate findings through high-quality presentations, reports, and publications
• Any other tasks as required

Skills and qualifications:

· PhD in epidemiology, ecology, biostatistics, biomathematics, bioinformatics, computational biology or related quantitative discipline

· 3+ years of experience related to the above responsibilities with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership

· Demonstrated experience in infectious disease modelling (preferably malaria)

· Experience in working with and communicating to government officials and other partners, including academics, donors, Ministries of Health and other relevant stakeholders

· Proven experience leading technical staff

· Experience with programming in R, geospatial data and software and in cluster computing environments.

· Strong problem-solving skills and ability to improvise with a variety of quantitative approaches to solve complex problems despite unreliable data

· Ability to work independently and in teams, to adapt to new challenges and operate as part of a multi-cultural team

· Experience working in fast-paced, output-oriented environments

· Idealism, humility, and desire to see quantitative approaches make a difference in the world

· Good intuition for the aesthetics and technical aspects of information visualization

· Exceptional written and oral communication skills in English

· Willingness to travel extensively

Applicants with previous expertise in infectious disease epidemiology and experience with providing analytical support to health authorities are highly encouraged to apply.

Contact: For additional information about the position please visit our website: https://www.swisstph.ch/en/about/eph/infectious-disease-modelling/

Job Profile:
Start Date: 15th July 2020 or upon agreement
Location: Basel, Switzerland

Duration: limited initially for one year
Percentage: 100%
Travel Required? Yes, the successful candidate will need to travel to several countries (Tanzania, Mozambique, Uganda, Ghana, Cameroon) approx. once every 2/3 months