Job Description

The Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Associate to join our team focused on emerging infectious diseases, public health, and policy research. The successful candidate will contribute to cross-cutting research at the intersection of infectious diseases, public health, data science, and policy development. The candidate will conduct this research under a primary mentor as well as a mentorship panel which can bring in varied experience.

Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID) is a university-wide center focused on global health security and linking technical knowledge to policy issues related to emerging pathogens and epidemic threats. CEID’s core mission is to improve resilience against threat of emerging & epidemic infectious diseases worldwide through public health and policy research, global and local capacity strengthening, training, evidence generation for policy support, and community engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct independent research on public health and policy related to infectious disease, which could include (but not limited) analysis of current policies and development of evidence-based recommendations, evaluation of disease dynamics through statistical and mathematical modelling on available data and databases, conduct of survey based studies, and/or development of methodological or policy frameworks to address current issues related to emerging infectious diseases or epidemic threats.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to address complex challenges in global health and infectious disease management
• Write scholarly articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals and present research findings at conferences
• Assist in grant writing and contribute to research proposals
• Participate in workshops, seminars, and working groups to foster scientific discourse and collaboration
• Engage on a routine basis with primary mentor and CEID faculty leadership to evaluate and support progress
• Contribute to the intellectual environment of CEID

Qualifications:

• A doctoral degree or equivalent (PhD, MD, ScD, DVM, DDS, etc.) in an appropriate field
• Strong background in infectious diseases, public health, data science, or policy research, with health systems implications
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills, which could include experience with data modeling and statistical analysis, use of qualitative or mixed methods, economic and/or policy analyses
• Demonstrated ability in scientific writing and track record of publishing research in peer-reviewed journals
• Experience in interdisciplinary research and collaboration preferred
• Strong motivation, work ethic, and collegiality are required.
• Excellent scientific writing ability and strong oral communication skills

Additional Information:

This position offers opportunities to work with leading experts in the field and contribute to impactful research that shapes infectious disease policy. The successful candidate will have access to extensive resources and networks within the institution and the broader scientific community. The post-doctoral year will include exposure to didactic and experiential opportunities across CEID’s four core research areas including Public Health and Medical Preparedness, Climate Change and One Health, Data Science and Surveillance, as well as Trust and Public Health Communications.

The appointment is for a duration of 1-2 years and the start date is September 2025.

Applicant Special Instructions

Interested candidates should send an application packet, including the following, to Anna Bakanova, bakanova@bu.edu.

• A brief cover letter indicating current/future academic interests and long-term plans. Expected starting date (September 2025 is preferred)
• Curriculum vitae
• Brief summary of previous research experience as well as how these could be applied to two or three ideas for future areas of inquiry during post-doctoral year (two pages)
• Three letters of recommendations which include the contact information for the recommenders (one letter should be from a prior research mentor)
• Submit by August 10, 2025.
• Promising applicants will be invited to interview virtually in early August.

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