Post-Doctoral Fellowship ; Prepare Epsilon – Wits EViTOH Jobs in Johannesburg, South Africa at AJ Personnel

Position: Post-Doctoral Fellowship Opportunity (Prepare Epsilon – Wits EViTOH)
Background:

Wits Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI) a division of our client Wits Health Consortium has a great Post-Doctoral Fellowship opportunity (PREPARE EPSILON) – Establishment of multipathogen molecular and serological assays and Pathogen discovery pipelines to solve outbreaks and describe the epidemiology of emerging and reemerging vectorbrone and zoonotic viral infections in Africa
Wits Emerging Viral Threats, One Health Surveillance, and Vaccines (EViTOH) division focuses on emerging and re-emerging pathogens, particularly vector-borne and respiratory viruses, aiming to enhance South Africa’s capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to novel diseases
Through multidisciplinary One Health research, the division strengthens epidemic and pandemic preparedness both locally and globally
Its vision is to lead syndromic and genomic surveillance across human, animal, and environmental sectors, achieved through innovative diagnostics, genomic studies, and the development of One Health vaccines
The Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) is dedicated to advancing health science through transdisciplinary collaboration in infectious diseases and cancer research
Wits IDORI aims to foster an ecosystem of research excellence, drive innovation, and translate scientific discoveries into clinical and societal impact

Project background:

Special focus on emerging and re-emerging zoonotic arboviruses associated with febrile and neurological infections within a One Health surveillance framework Timely detection of emerging infectious diseases is critical for effective outbreak response and epidemic and pandemic preparedness
The incumbent will be involved in establishment of rapid diagnostics and multipathogen serological assays to solve the causes of febrile and neurological infections in humans and animals in Africa, defining animal reservoirs and protective immune responses
The project will further focus on defining the clinical epidemiology and modelling the impact of emerging and reemerging viruses to inform public-health decision-making for epidemic and pandemic preparedness
This project aims to integrate diagnoses, pathogen discovery with the epidemiology of detected pathogens in hospitalised patients, ICUs and fatalities to improve early detection, surveillance of outbreaks of priority pathogens
The work bridges laboratory science, data analysis, and public-health research, offering a multidisciplinary training experience
Work will include BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratory environments, primarily involving vector borne, and zoonotic viruses and liaising with clinical sites to establish surveillance in South Africa and other African partner sites as part of the Epidemic and pandemic preparedness network (EPSILON) program

Main purpose of the job:

Establishment of multipathogen molecular and serological assays and Pathogen discovery pipelines to solve outbreaks and describe the epidemiology of emerging and reemerging vector borne and zoonotic viral infections in Africa

Duration:

2 years contract with renewal dependent on achievement and project milestones with a 3 month probation

Location:

Wits EViTOH chair in the Infectious disease and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) – Johannesburg

Key performance areas:

To design and implement multiplex sero-diagnostic assays for use in surveillance studies to investigate the Epidemiological of emerging vector borne and zoonotic diseases
To support the establishment and coordinate clinical surveillance sites in collaboration with surveillance officer and clinical staff or collection of samples
To conduct statistical and epidemiological analysis of laboratory and clinical data to define the epidemiology of detected diseases
Design and manage databases for data collection across surveillance site
To investigate trends in evolution of detected pathogens
To work with senior investigators to communicate findings to health authorities and policymakers and, to report findings as high-impact publications and at national and international conferences
The position will also entail post-graduate supervision and training, grant writing to develop your research independence within EViTOH and ensure long-term sustainability
The candidate will be involved in project management, work in a BSL2 and BSL3 lab, be involved in administrative responsibilities (Ethics applications for field and lab research activities and other regulatory requirements

Required minimum education and training:

PhD in Medical Virology, Molecular Biology, Immunology or a related field, as well as a background in Epidemiology or Data Analysis with an understanding of Infectious Diseases
South African citizens or permanent residents will be prioritised

Required minimum work experience:

The candidate must have strong laboratory skills with experience in nucleic acid extraction, PCR, realtime PCR, cloning, protein expression,…

Title: Post-Doctoral Fellowship ; Prepare Epsilon – Wits EViTOH

Company: AJ Personnel

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Category:

ZA Hired