Post Doctoral Fellow, IHD Office at Aga Khan University Hospital

Job Summary

The Aga Khan University’s Institute for Human Development has recently been funded to implement phase II of Tungiasis in East Africa, an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the interaction between parasites and host.

The main objectives of Tungiasis in East African- Phase 11 study are to : -

• Investigate environmental and behavioral determinants for the heterogeneous distribution of tungiasis in space and time.
• Investigate host-seeking behavior of Tunga penetrans.
• Assess mechanisms of neurocognitive impacts
• Assess effect of environmental stress and exposure to insect growth regulators on gene expression in larvae and adult Tunga penetrans
• Mentor and train young investigators
• Engage policymakers, national, international NTD programs.

To meet its objectives, the IHD seeks to recruit and train One (1) PHD fellow for 36 months (3 years). We are looking for highly motivated individual who is willing and able to work full-time on their PhD with a focus on neurocognitive and mental health impacts of Tunga Infection.  The PhD studentship will be hosted at the Institute for Human Development, Aga Khan University, and University of Berlin in Germany.  The studentship will provide monthly stipend, tuition fees, conference attendance costs, and any other opportunities for capacity building as agreed upon with the supervisor.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the implementation of the research project.
• Contribute to conducting a literature review, and proposal development.
• Support with planning and supervising data collection activities.
• Support with data management and analysis.
• Support the project team in community engagement and dissemination activities.
• Support the scientific communication of research findings through mainstream journals, policy briefs, reports and conference presentation, media appearances and engagement of different stakeholders; and
• Complete a doctoral thesis within three years.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in, epidemiology, public health, psychology or any other allied field.
• Strong statistical background.
• Working knowledge of quantitative statistical software.
• Strong written and oral communication skills that can be demonstrated through published peer-reviewed journal articles, conference presentations and community engagement.
• Strong scientific writing skills.
• Background and experience in neurocognitive assessments will be an added advantage.