Vector-borne Disease Modeller ID:3912
| Posting date: | 16 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £34,765 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 October 2025 |
| Location: | York |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 418685/1 |
Summary
APHA are seeking a numerate and highly computer literate person to join the modelling team in the Wildlife Department based at York, Sand Hutton, where you will primarily be specialising in vector-borne disease. APHA is an executive agency of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and our remit includes identifying, managing, and controlling incidents and outbreaks of endemic and exotic diseases and pests in animals, plants, and bees. We provide unique capabilities and an evidence base for UK government, together with international reference responsibilities. The APHA Wildlife Department is a nationally important centre for wildlife disease management with multidisciplinary skills in epidemiology, statistics, and field ecology. The successful applicant will bolster the department’s role supporting Defra’s policy making and disease outbreak response activities.
The primary responsibility of the role will be to build capability in modelling wildlife management issues involving arthropods, either regarding disease transmission or non-native incursion. Initially, the focus will be to support the continued development of a new vector-borne disease research program. This will involve developing simulation models to explore the hypothetical introduction and subsequent spread of vector-borne diseases within the UK. A key part of this process will be collating and implementing ecological data on vectors, wild host species (e.g. wild birds, deer, etc.), and disease transmission into these models.
In addition, the post holder will support the wider portfolio of the modelling team, which is the development and running of models for a range of disease systems in the UK that impact livestock or human health to understand large-scale disease spread and to optimise wildlife population and disease management strategies. Topics of current relevance include the investigation of control strategies for Bovine Tuberculosis and African Swine Fever, the epidemiology of zoonotic Lyssaviruses in bats and novel zoonotic diseases that may impact the UK.
- Applying technical expertise to develop modelling capability with specific focus on vector-borne disease
- Create, run and maintain bespoke computer simulation models to investigate diseases of concern for human and animal health
- Writing reports, including collating and interpreting model output
- Undertaking sensitivity analyses and error checking verification of models
- Collecting ecological/epidemiological data for use in model development through literature review and in liaison with colleagues across APHA and elsewhere
- The post holder will also be encouraged to communicate results and findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals and at national and international conferences
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