Assistant Professor (Mpx Study Coordinator) At London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Assistant Professor (Mpx Study Coordinator)

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Dynamics

Salary:

£51,299 to £58,723 per annum, inclusive.

Closing Date:

Monday 18 March 2024

Reference:

EPH-EPED-2024-06

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health.

The UK-Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) at LSHTM is seeking to appoint a full-time Assistant Professor to coordinate a set of multidisciplinary research studies into clinical, epidemiological, One Health and social aspects of Mpox in the Nigerian context in collaboration with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Veterinary Research Institute Nigeria (NVRI), Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) and the University of Oxford.

The position requires a doctoral degree, technical training and/or experience in at least one of the research study disciplines and the ability to rapidly gain an overview and understanding of the study requirements in the others. The candidate will require experience of implementing and supervising multi-disciplinary field-based research in ODA-eligible countries, a good knowledge of project management and expertise in supporting multiple teams to deliver a complex study to time. They must have a collaborative approach and the ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders and partners in the UK and Nigeria. Further particulars are included in the job description.

The role is employed by LSHTM in the UK, where the post-holder will spend at least 20% of time; and the research will be carried out in selected locations across Nigeria, with up to 80% of time in Abuja, Nigeria and travel to all study locations.

The post is full-time 35 hours per week, 1.0 FTE and fixed-term until 31 March 2025. The post is funded by UK Government Overseas Development Aid and available from 01 April 2024.

The salary will be on the Academic Pathway salary scale Grade 7 in the range £51,299-£58,723 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 Nigeria and London.

Applications should be made on-line via our jobs website. 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 jobs@lshtm.ac.uk.

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.The UK-Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is seeking to appoint a full-time Study Coordinator, to coordinate a set of multidisciplinary research studies into clinical, epidemiological, One Health and social aspects Mpox in the Nigerian context in collaboration with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the National Veterinary Research Institute Nigeria (NVRI), Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) and the University of Oxford. The Clinical Study aims to increase understanding of the clinical characteristics, natural history, determinants of disease progression and clinical sequelae of Mpox in Nigeria.

The One Health Study aims to establish key epidemiological parameters and increase understanding of the dynamics of infection and transmission in the Nigerian context. Both studies are underpinned by a laboratory component to support implementation. The position requires technical training and/or experience in at least one of the research study disciplines and the ability to rapidly gain an overview and understanding of the study requirements in the others.

The candidate will require experience of implementing and supervising multi-disciplinary field-based research in ODA-eligible countries, a good knowledge of project management and expertise in supporting multiple teams to deliver a complex study to time. They must have a collaborative approach and the ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders and partners in the UK and Nigeria.

The role is employed by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) but the research will be carried out in selected locations across Nigeria and the postholder will be enerexpected to be in Abuja, Nigeria for up to 80% of the time with travel to all study locations, with at least 20% of essential time at the LSHTM/UK[1]PHRST office in London, UK.

General Information

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is one of the world’s leading public health universities. 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. Staff and students are committed to helping create a more healthy, sustainable and equitable world for everyone, because we believe our shared future depends on our shared health. We embrace and value the diversity of our staff and student population and seek to promote equity, diversity and inclusion as essential elements to improve 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. To find out more please visit our Introducing LSHTM g. Our Values Our values establish how we aspire to achieve our mission both now and in the future – demonstrating what it means to work and study at LSHTM. Please visit our LSHTM Values page for further information.

Assistant-Professor-

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 & Dynamics (IDED) The Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Dynamics 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 three groups:

• The infectious disease modelling group, which is linked to the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases (CMMID).

• The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, a specialist multidisciplinary team across LSHTM and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that offers low and middle income countries around the world support to prepare for and respond to disease outbreaks, through field collaboration, research and capacity-strengthening activities.

• The Vaccine Confidence Project, which conducts global research, investigating the roots, trends over time and impacts of vaccine confidence at regional, national and sub-national levels. The Department works closely with the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology & International Health. 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.

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The portfolio of duties outlined below will vary in accordance with the academic expectations of the role, which may be varied from time to time, and 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 LSHTM policies;

4. To support the development of early-career researchers;

5. To work with Study leads to ensure implementation of work packages conforms to study protocols, SOPs and other study documentation, is delivered to time and at high quality

6. To supervise study field teams and study sites troubleshoot technical and operational challenges

7. Lead on recruitment of field staff in study sites in Nigeria

1. Ensure that all necessary research and ethics clearances have been obtained and that all necessary reports are submitted to relevant research and ethics authorities as required.
2. Contribute to technical discussion within scope of expertise

10.To develop key relationships with a wide range of stakeholders

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 LSHTM’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 1 Good research funders are: Research Councils; Government Departments; NIHR; National and overseas charities recognised by HEFCE for QR; Overseas research councils or equivalent including NIH; EU; other agencies (eg NGOs, commercial companies) supporting commissioned research that is consistent with LSHTM’s mission and meets LSHTM’s cost recovery targets Assistant-Professor-Job-Description-Template – v16 administrative processes;
4. Support development and organisation of study-specific training programmes for field teams across all study sites

Internal Contribution

1. To undertake activities that support the Department, Faculty or MRC Unit or LSHTM, 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 use their experience in this research study to support others starting out on their research career in LSHTM

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 contribute to the dissemination of the research results to policy makers and affected communities, and support the translation of the results into practice 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 LSHTM and more generally;

2. To undertake and successfully complete the mandatory training required by LSHTM appropriate to the role;

3. To commit to integrating the UK-PHRST operational principles of co-creation of research and respectful partnership into all aspects of the role, and to supporting others in this.

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 LSHTM 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 LSHTM’s best interests;

2. Treat staff, students and visitors with courtesy and respect at all times;

3. Comply fully with LSHTM policies, procedures and administrative processes relevant to the role including when acting as Principal Investigator, accepting academic, managerial, financing and ethical responsibility for a project;

4. Uphold and support LSHTM’s values (as set out in the LSHTM Strategy);

5. Act as ambassadors for LSHTM when hosting visitors or attending external events;