A postdoctoral research position is available immediately at The Pennsylvania State University. The Postdoctoral Scholar will join the RISK lab led by Sagan Friant (saganfriant.com) in the Department of Anthropology (anth.la.psu.edu) and Center for Infection Disease Dynamics (cidd.psu.edu). The successful candidate will conduct research as part of an NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (EEID) funded project investigating the role of human behavior and ecology in altering risk of zoonotic spillover, focusing on Lassa Fever in Nigeria (see links below for more information). The Postdoctoral Scholar will lead the collection and analysis of ethnographic and epidemiological data on human-environment interactions and risk factors for Lassa virus infection.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will be expected to travel to and lead field research in rural Nigeria for extended periods of time, where they will work collaboratively with local communities, local government agencies, and interdisciplinary One Health teams to collect data and communicate findings.

The ideal candidate for this position should have a strong working knowledge of human and disease ecology and experience with current methods used to measure human behavior and human-environment interactions in field settings. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in mixed-methods ethnographic research, including participatory methods, human movement/activity space mapping, or epidemiologic surveys. Competitive candidates will also have strong skills in either (ideally both) quantitative (e.g., R) or qualitative (e.g., NVivo, Atlas.ti) data analysis. Research experience working in interdisciplinary (e.g., One Health) teams and in international and remote field settings is an advantage. Candidates are required to have a Ph.D. in a relevant field (such as anthropology, ecology, or epidemiology) or have completed all the requirements for a Ph.D. by the time of appointment, with demonstrated success in writing high-quality reports and publications.

In addition, successful candidates must either have demonstrated a commitment to building an inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus community, or describe one or more ways they would envision doing so, given the opportunity.

The Postdoctoral Scholar will work under the primary supervision of Sagan Friant and be co-mentored by a team of principal investigators from other disciplines and international institutions that are collaborating on this project.

This is a limited-term one year appointment from date of hire, with funding available for possible renewal.

Instructions: Please direct questions regarding this postdoctoral opportunity to Sagan Friant ([email protected]).

To apply for this position at https://psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic/job/University-Park-Campus/Postdoctoral-Scholar-in-Human-Ecology-of-Infectious-Disease_REQ_0000035400-1, submit 1) a cover letter describing your research and how it relates to this position, 2) your CV, 3) the names and contact information of three people who can be contacted for letters of references, and 4) references or pre-prints for up to three papers. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

System limitations allow for a total of 5 documents (5mb per document) as part of your application. Please combine materials to meet the 5-document limit.

More information about this project can be found at: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2208034&HistoricalAwards=false https://science.psu.edu/news/penn-state-research-team-will-study-lassa-virus-spread-nigeria

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