POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST

Our Client, The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. The Center is Africa-based and African-led, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and a West Africa Regional Office (WARO), in Dakar, Senegal. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan Africa.

APHRC seeks to recruit a highly motivated and talented Post-Doctoral Research Scientist to work within the West Africa Regional Office (WARO) in Dakar. The candidate will join a team looking at the impact of climate change and air pollution on non-communicable diseases in Senegal and adaptation and mitigation related to land use. It is an exciting opportunity to join this collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Ministry of Health and Social Action in Senegal. The ideal candidate should have strong quantitative skills ideally in environmental epidemiology, geospatial analysis, and seeking experience in the use of land use/landcover and data and novel statistical methods in health impact assessment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct epidemiological research to examine the effects of temperature, air pollution and other environmental exposures and health.


• Lead or contribute to study conceptualization and design and project management.


• Conduct data cleaning and processing, and take responsibility for data quality checks.


• Conduct statistical analyses with quantitative statistical packages (e.g. STATA or R)


• Collaborate with scientists with diverse backgrounds in the execution of various tasks.


• Support ethical approval process from national ethics committees for research projects.


• Contribute to research grant proposal development.


• Lead and contribute to peer-reviewed publication


• Prepare periodic activities and project reports.


• Participate in disseminating research and lay summaries tailored for wide-ranging audiences.


• Prepare policy briefs and fact sheets based on project results.


• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications, skills and experience:

• PhD in Environmental epidemiology, Environmental health, Climate Change and Health or other related fields.


• At least 1 to 2 years of professional experience following completion of the PhD degree, preferably in a research setting.


• Strong quantitative skills (managing, analysing and interpreting data), with extensive expertise in epidemiology, medical statistics, health burden, exposure modelling and projections.


• A good record of publications on relevant areas in sub-Saharan Africa.


• Ability to work on concurrent projects, prioritize and balance multiple tasks.


• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team with people from diverse cultures.


• Ability to work collaboratively with national and international partners in research, health and other sectors.


• Excellent interpersonal, organizational and time management skills with ability to meet tight deadlines.


• Strong work ethic and ability to work under pressure.


• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. French language skill is considered a strong asset for this position.

Desirable

• Experience with work on climate change and health intersection including linking heat impact on health, and ambition to contribute to scientific progress as well as to performing societal relevant research.


• Knowledge of climate change adaptation and mitigation policies in sub-Sahara Africa.


• Experience with geospatial analysis, GIS, and data science.


• Experience with advanced statistical methods used in environmental health


• Experience with high-performance computing cluster environments.


• Disposition to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.


• Work experience in Francophone West Africa or good command of the French language.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application in English and include:

-A letter of application

-A statement of research interests and goals (1-2 pages); and

-CV with contact details of three referees

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  Shortlisted candidates will be required to have a Police Clearance Certificate.

APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the protection of vulnerable persons