PhD Position in Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Prevention Institute PhD Candidate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics 80 % Start of employment March 1 or as agreed, temporary

The Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology (USZ/UZH) is seeking a PhD candidate for an SNSF funded project entitled, “Looking beyond borders: Disentangling international transmission dynamics towards ending the national HIV/AIDS epidemic in Switzerland”. The PhD will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Katharina Kusejko and join the structured EBPhD program at the Life Science Zurich Graduate School.

Project overview

The research focuses on developing mathematical and phylogenetic models to address pressing public health challenges in infectious disease control. The project aims to optimize prevention strategies for the ongoing HIV epidemic in Switzerland and Europe by integrating various modeling approaches and data sources from international collaborations. Key topics include understanding cross-border transmission dynamics using phylogenetic methods and incorporating transmission parameters into compartmental models to simulate the complex interplay between migration, travel, human behavior, medical advances, and public health interventions.

Your responsibilities:

As part of this exciting project, your key responsibilities will include:

• Handling and processing large datasets (e.g. clinical, longitudinal cohort, HIV sequence, and surveillance data)

• Developing and applying phylogenetic methods to large HIV sequence data bases using maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches

• Integrating diverse data sources into large compartmental models (e.g., SIR-type models)

• Collaborating with a multidisciplinary team and contributing to high-impact publications

• Presenting research findings at internal and external meetings, seminars and conferences

• Fulfilling curriculum and teaching requirements as part of the EBPhD program

Your profile

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated candidate with:

• A Master's degree in Mathematics, Physics, Computational Biology, Epidemiology, Data Science, or a related field

• Proven experience with data analyses and software, preferably R or Python

• Demonstrated ability and interest in handling and analysing large datasets, including medical data (sequence data is a plus!)

• A strong interest in learning and applying phylogenetic and mathematical modelling techniques

• A passion for understanding infectious disease dynamics and evaluating the impact of public health interventions

• Excellent English language skills and the ability to communicate ideas effectively

• Ability to work both independently and in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team

What we offer

• Highly motivated, interdisciplinary research team eager to push forward our understanding of international infectious disease transmission dynamics

• Close collaboration with clinicians, data scientists and basic researchers

• Opportunities to attend conferences, workshops, and summer schools

• A supportive, inclusive workplace

Information on your application

Please apply through the online application of the structured EBPhD program.

Salaries are internationally competitive. You can find information about salary ranges here . We take gender balance and diversity seriously in our hiring decisions.