Job reference: 0000020080

Date posted: 03/03/2023

Application closing date: 19/03/2023

Salary: £27,929 - £33,314 per annum (Grade 4) pro rata

Package: Hybrid/remote and flexible working opportunities, minimum 36 days annual leave (pro-rata), employer pension contribution of 20.8% plus other excellent benefits

Contractual hours: 35

Basis: Full Time

Job description

Research Assistant, Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases – Full Time, Fixed Term (4 months- Remote/Hybrid working)

We have a Research Assistant position available to join our School of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University to work on an internally funded project, to work on the development of a novel mathematical model that aims to describe the transmission mechanism of a zoonotic disease (Johne’s disease) in cattle.

Our phenomenal results from the Research Excellence Framework (2021) are testament to our growing strength and capability as a research institution. These results, alongside our consistently positive National Student Survey results and sustained high levels of graduate employability, demonstrate the increasing impact of Edinburgh Napier's collective work, quality, and commitment..

REF 2021 assessed 68% of our research as either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent”, up 15% since 2014. Additionally, the University’s research power metric rocketed from 250 to 718, making Edinburgh Napier the top ranking Scottish modern university for both research power and research impact.

The University’s improved research power rating will now see our research funding increase as we take significant strides to grow our reputation as a research-focused institution as well as a teaching one.  We are confident that we are well on our way to establishing ourselves as one of the UK’s world-leading universities in research.

The Role

You will have the opportunity to use your post-doctoral research background to contribute to the development and participate in curating existing literature in the project area, along with contributing to qualitative data collection. In addition, you will also be conducting data analysis through qualitative and quantitative methods and undertaking research to address the aims of the project, including the development of a mathematical model that describes the transmission of Johne’s disease in cattle.

In this role, you will have the chance to develop contacts and research collaborations within the University and the wider community while carrying out any other duties as may be reasonably assigned by the PI or the co-I.

Who are we looking for

An ideal applicant will be highly motivated individual with the following:

• A Master’s degree (or near completion) in one of the following areas: epidemiology, (applied) mathematics, computational biology, or a similarly quantitative discipline. Alternatively, combination of qualifications and experience equivalent to a master’s degree.
• Experience in infectious disease transmission dynamic modelling.
• Experience in epidemiological data analysis for infectious diseases.
• Experience in qualitative research methods for data collection and analysis.
• Experience in working independently with a minimum supervision, as well as collaboratively.

For a comprehensive list of the responsibilities and requirements, please click here to view the full job description.

Benefits we offer

Salary: Grade 4, £27,929 - £33,314 per annum (Grade 4) pro rata

We offer a great working environment where we support ambition, recognise achievement, and offer an attractive benefits package.

This includes:

• hybrid working and flexible working opportunities
• minimum of 36 days annual leave including 10 fixed holidays (holiday entitlement will be pro-rata)
• a generous pension scheme (employer contribution of 20.8%)
• nationally agreed pay increases each year
• various learning and development opportunities
• discounted access to onsite and local gym facilities and a wide range of other staff discounts

For more information on our wide range of benefits, click here.

Additional information

For informal enquiries about the role, please contact Dr. Stathis Tingas (e.tingas@napier.ac.uk). For any Recruitment queries, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@napier.ac.uk.

Application Closing date: Sunday 19th March @ 11:59pm

Please note we start screening applications and interviewing candidates from the start of the campaign. A successful candidate could progress to offer before the advertised closing date. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible and send in your CV if you are interested in the role.

Edinburgh Napier is committed to creating an environment where everyone feels proud, confident, challenged and supported and are holders of Disability Confident, Carer Positive and Stonewall Diversity Champion status. Please see here for more information.