London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Job Title: Assistant Professor in Molecular Epidemiology – UK-PHRST
Department: Department of Infectious Disease & Epidemiology (IDE)
Faculty: Epidemiology and Population Health (EPH)
Location: Keppel Street
FTE: 1.0
Grade: G7
Accountable to: Associate Professor in Epidemiology Hilary Bower, IDE Department, UK-PHRST & Associate Professor of Virology Dr David Allen, Department of Infection Biology
Job Summary:
The postholder will develop and deliver a research portfolio in molecular epidemiology that supports outbreak response for the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST). They will manage new and innovative research projects and provide molecular epidemiology expertise across the programme.
The postholder will support and collaborate with a team of epidemiologists and microbiologists within the UK-PHRST based at LSHTM and the UK Health Security Agency. They will also support the training of molecular epidemiologists in programme-eligible countries to ensure effective preparedness and response for future epidemics/pandemics.
The post-holder should expect to travel overseas frequently on behalf of the UK-PHRST to strengthen partnerships and support research and capacity development projects in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
General Information
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is renowned for its research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health.
Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
We embrace and value the diversity of our staff and student population and seek to promote equity, diversity and inclusion as essential elements in contribution to improving health worldwide. We believe that when people feel respected and included, they can be more creative, successful, and happier at work. While we have more work to do, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace, a community that everyone feels a part of, which is safe, respectful, supportive and enables all to reach their full potential.
History
Founded in 1899 at the London Docks, LSHTM is now based in Bloomsbury, where it has two main sites at Keppel Street and Tavistock Place, and additional sites in The Gambia and Uganda. Today, our staff, students and alumni work in government, academia, international agencies and health services across the world.
Research
Research income has grown to more than £180 million per year from national and international funding sources including UK government and research councils, the European Union, the Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation and other philanthropic sources.
Our diverse research talents, skills and experience underpin our position as a leader in public and global health. These range from the molecular to the global, the theoretical to the applied, the analytical to the political. Our staff are conducting research in more than 100 countries.
Staff community
We have 3,300 staff based all around the world with core hubs in London and at the MRC Units in The Gambia and Uganda, which joined LSHTM in February 2018. Our outstanding, diverse and committed staff make an impact where it is most needed – deploying research in real time in response to crises, developing innovative programmes for major health threats, or training the next generations of public and global health leaders and researchers.
Partnerships
Working in partnership is central to achieving our mission. Our strategic collaborations in the UK and across high-, middle- and low-income countries deliver health and socioeconomic benefits across the world, especially in the most disadvantaged communities.
LSHTM is also a member of the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers, Universities and National Academies, the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region, and the Consortium of Universities for Global Health.
Education
We deliver research-led educational programmes to future health leaders, managers and researchers across the world. We have more than 1,200 face-to-face Master’s and Doctoral students, 3,000 studying by distance learning, and 1,000 each year on short courses and continuous professional development. Our free online courses are studied by more than 270,000 participants globally.
Excellence in research and education
We perform strongly in various global university league tables. In the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020 we placed 3rd in public health (1st in the UK). In the 2020 CWTS Leiden Ranking LSHTM is ranked the UK’s top university for the proportion of academic research with women listed as authors, and third in Europe for publishing open access research.
In the US News Best Global Universities Ranking 2021, we ranked 3rd in the world for public, environmental & occupational health, 4th in the world for infectious diseases, 11th in the world for social sciences & public health, and 12th best University in the UK overall. We ranked 27th for medicine in the 2019 QS World University Rankings.
In 2017, the inaugural Center for World University Rankings by Subject placed LSHTM first in the world for tropical medicine research, second for parasitology and seventh for infectious diseases, public, environment and occupational health, and social sciences and biomedical.
LSHTM was named University of the Year 2016 by Times Higher Education and awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2017 in recognition of our response to the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa. LSHTM does not appear in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings as universities are excluded if they do not teach undergraduates.
LSHTM is one of around 20 specialist institutions that receive institution specific funding from the Office for Students (OfS). This funding recognises the additional costs that LSHTM incurs because of its unique range of teaching, specialist facilities, and the scale of its contributions to national and international agencies.
Faculty Information
Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health
The Faculty of Epidemiology & Population Health (EPH) houses a large group of epidemiologists, demographers, statisticians and nutritionists working on issues of major public health importance in the UK and globally. EPH has approximately 400 staff members organised into four research departments:
• Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Department of Medical Statistics
• Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology
• Department of Population Health
The Faculty has a teaching programme consisting of ten MSc courses: Epidemiology, Demography and Health, Medical Statistics, Public Health in Developing Countries (run jointly with the Faculties of Infectious & Tropical Diseases and Public Health & Policy), Nutrition for Global Health, Reproductive & Sexual Health Research, Veterinary Epidemiology (run jointly with the Royal Veterinary College), Global Mental Health (run jointly with Kings College London – Institute of Psychiatry) and the Distance Learning courses in Epidemiology and Clinical Trials. The Faculty also has approximately 120 research students studying for an MPhil, PhD or DrPH degree.
The Dean of Faculty is Professor Elizabeth Allen
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology (IDE)
The Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology conducts research on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases of public health importance. Work is carried out in low-, middle- and high-income countries, including the United Kingdom, in close collaboration with partners in each country. The Department has groups working on maternal, neonatal and child health; international statistics and epidemiology; vaccines, outbreaks and humanitarian crises; and modelling. Research methods include ecological studies of variations in disease frequency in different populations, observational casecontrol and cohort studies to define risk factors for disease, randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of individual- and community-level interventions, and mathematical models to project the impact of public health interventions.
The Department Head is Professor Mark Jit.
The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST)
Launched in 2016, the UK-PHRST is an innovative government-academic partnership funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and co-led by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), with a consortium of academic and implementing partners in the UK and internationally.
It is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of public health professionals and researchers with a novel integrated triple-remit of outbreak response, research and capacity strengthening to prevent and control epidemics of infectious diseases in countries eligible for UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). Both institutes contribute and are responsible for delivery of the UK-PHRST triple mandate across outbreak response, research and capacity strengthening, with LSHTM leading the research programme and UKHSA who lead the outbreak response.
The UK-PHRST has the following objectives:
1. Support partners in LMICs to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond rapidly to disease outbreaks, with the aim of stopping a public health threat from becoming a health emergency
2. Identify research questions with partners and deliver rigorous research with partners that improves the evidence base for best practice in disease outbreak prevention, detection and response in LMICs
3. Support the development of in-country capacity for an improved and rapid national response to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks
The UK-PHRST is a multidisciplinary team that includes a range of technical skillsets from across public health, core programme/operational management, and senior leadership.
UK Health Security Agency
At the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) our mission is to provide health security for the nation by protecting from infectious disease and external hazards. We are a trusted source of advice to government and to the public, focusing on reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health.
Our mission is challenging, innovative and in the spotlight. We will work to ensure our people have the diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds we need to thrive, that our staff are representative of the communities we serve and feel valued and enabled to play their part in delivering our work. Creating our working culture is an ongoing process which we are developing by listening and learning together, hearing and acting upon diverse voices and opinions to develop a common sense of identity and effective ways of working.
The portfolio of duties outlined below will vary in accordance with the detailed expectations of the role and any additional role to which you are formally appointed (attached), all of which may be varied from time to time, and as agreed at your annual Performance and Development Review (PDR).
Job Description
Main Activities and Responsibilities
Knowledge Generation
1. To deliver high quality research & scholarship in your field of study, individually and in collaboration with others, by applying for external grants/fellowships from good1 research funders, publishing peer-reviewed outputs as lead and co-author; and evaluating teaching practice;
2. To contribute to doctoral student supervision;
3. To manage research grants and promote and ensure compliance with good practice in relation to the conduct of research, the ethics policy, and other relevant School policies;
4. To support the development of early-career researchers;
5. To develop and deliver a portfolio of molecular epidemiology research on outbreak-prone infectious diseases in ODA-eligible countries;
6. To manage new and innovative research projects that improve the evidence base for best practice on outbreak response in ODA-eligible countries;
7. To work collaboratively with and support UK-PHRST colleagues on multidisciplinary projects across the UK-PHRST’s triple remit (research, response and capacity strengthening);
8. To create new approaches and tools that establish the UK-PHRST as a leading innovator in outbreak response;
9. To inform/support response, research, and capacity development in outbreak settings.
Education
1. To deliver high quality, inclusive, research-informed teaching and assessment in relation to your specific subject and within the broader area covered by your department/disciplinary field;
2. To contribute to the improvement of the quality and inclusivity of the School’s education, by participating in the development of new and updated learning and, teaching materials or approaches, and/or improving assessment practices, and/or improving aspects of the student experience;
3. To support educational leadership and management by active participation in selected aspects of the curriculum, as appropriate, and by collaborating with professional services staff, centrally and in the Faculty, in carrying out relevant administrative processes;
4. To contribute to teaching molecular epidemiology methods in epidemics/pandemics and outbreak response;
5. To contribute to UK-PHRST capacity development activities in outbreak response in ODA-eligible countries, through partnership working and support for educational and training activities.
Internal Contribution
1. To undertake activities that support the Department, Faculty or MRC Unit or School, including Committee membership;
2. To reflect LSHTM’s EDI goals in your work and behaviour;
3. To participate in own PDR and undertake those of others;
4. To coordinate with the UK-PHRST Senior Microbiologist and Public Health Microbiologist in Genomics at UKHSA to support the UK-PHRST microbiology team to deliver actions that meet UK-PHRST strategic objectives.
External Contribution
1. To demonstrate good external citizenship by contributing to the external academic community;
2. To promote knowledge translation and enterprise by participating in networks and activities that disseminate research-based knowledge beyond academia;
3. To represent the UK-PHRST at international and national external events, conferences and workshops.
Professional Development and Training
1. To keep up-to-date with the latest research/thinking in your academic field and with changes to pedagogic practice within the School and more generally;
2. To undertake and successfully complete the mandatory training required by the School appropriate to the role;
3. To maintain own professional development in molecular epidemiology including reflecting on own practice and adhere to the UK-PHRST competency framework.
General
All academic staff are free within the law to question and test received wisdom, and put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions, to enable the School to engage in research and promote learning to the highest possible standards.
All staff at LSHTM are also expected to:
1. Act at all times in the School’s best interests;
2. Treat School staff, students and visitors with courtesy and respect at all times;
3. Comply fully with School policies, procedures and administrative processes Page 8 of 14 Assistant-Professor-Job-Description-Template – v13 relevant to the role including when acting as Principal Investigator, accepting academic, managerial, financing and ethical responsibility for a project;
4. Uphold and support the School’s values (as set out in the School Strategy);
5. Act as ambassadors for the School when hosting visitors or attending external events;
The above list of duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the role holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the role
Role descriptions should be regularly reviewed to ensure they are an accurate representation of the role.
Person Specification
This form lists the essential and desirable requirements needed by the post holder to be able to perform the job effectively.
Applicants will be shortlisted solely on the extent to which they meet these requirements.
Essential criteria:
1. A doctoral degree in a relevant topic
2. Expertise in molecular epidemiology with applied experience working during outbreak or epidemic responses
3. Expertise in developing and implementing bioinformatic pipelines with applied experience working from raw data processing through to contextualised phylodynamic analyses
4. Experience of working with key stakeholders (e.g. field epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, medical practitioners) during outbreak or epidemic responses
5. Contributions as lead and co-author in peer-reviewed outputs, as expected by the subject area/discipline in terms of types and volume of output; significant contributions to at least four outputs within the most recent 5 years which are at least internationally excellent
6. Proven ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively as part of a research team, and to meet research deadlines
7. An understanding of the strategies for improving equity and inclusion in research and or learning and teaching
8. Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
9. Evidence of good organizational skills, including effective time management
10.Expertise in working in programming languages (R, Python etc.) with demonstrable skill in using programming languages to curate and transform complex primary data, perform analyses including integrating genomics and epidemiological data, and the ability to interpret results appropriately
11.Comprehensive and contemporary understanding of technological computational requirements related to setup and implementation of bioinformatics pipelines, including hardware specifications, software and applications and integrated solutions for remote data access and analysis
12.Experience of working in LMICs
Desirable criteria:
1. Experience of generating research income such as fellowships, and/or small project grants, and/or supporting grant applications of others
2. Some experience of supervising and supporting junior researchers and/or research degree students, and non-academic staff
3. Some experience of undertaking teaching and assessment
4. Demonstrable evidence of promoting inclusion in research and or learning and teaching
5. A teaching qualification
6. Ability to function professionally in one or more foreign languages, especially French.
Salary and Conditions of Appointment
The post is full-time, 1.0 FTE and fixed-term until 31 March 2025. The post is funded by the UK Government Overseas Development Aid and available from 13 February 2023.
The salary will be on the Academic Pathway salary scale Grade 7 in the range £48,827- £55,895 per annum (inclusive of London Weighting). The post will be subject to the LSHTM terms and conditions of service. Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year, pro rata for part-time staff. In addition to this there are discretionary “Wellbeing Days”. Membership of the Pension Scheme is available. The post is based in London but, as noted above, the post holder should be willing to spend substantial periods of time in partner countries.
Asylum and Immigration Statement
The School will comply with current UKVI legislation, which requires all employees to provide documentary evidence of their legal right to work in this country prior to commencing employment. Candidates will be required to email a copy of their passport (and visa if applicable) to HR prior to their interview and if appointed will be asked to bring the original documents in to be copied and verified before their start date.
Applications from candidates who require sponsorship to work in the UK will be considered alongside other applications. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK will have to satisfy UK Visas & Immigration regulations before they can be appointed.
Further information about Sponsorship and eligibility to work in the UK, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-skilled-worker
How to apply
Applications should be made on-line via our website at http://jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until 10pm of the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to [email protected]. Please quote reference EPH-IDE-2022-56.
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.
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.