Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a tick borne human pathogen of the utmost seriousness being both fast acting and highly lethal - "the Asian Ebola". The virus has repeatedly caused sporadic outbreaks with a fatality rate of up to 80% yet no effective vaccines or therapeutic measures exist. Recently a "MVA-GP", pox-vectored vaccine based on Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara encoding the envelope glycoprotein (GP) spikes of CCHFV has been developed. We are seeking to recruit a post-doctoral scientist with a background in epidemiology to support a newly funded project evaluating a novel vaccine for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in collaboration with Public Health England (PHE). The successful applicant will take a leading role in designing, implementing and analyzing the results of immunogenicity and field efficacy studies in sheep. These studies will validate the vaccine as a method to control the reservoir of infection that results in human disease, analogous to the control of rabies in wild foxes in Europe. Importantly, these studies in sheep, combined with immunogenicity studies in non-human primates, will validate the vaccine platform for use in humans.
The successful applicant will have a broad background in epidemiology with ideally a masters and PhD level training. Although not essential, experience of working in the field and a qualification in veterinary science would be an advantage.
Post-doctoral Scientist Job Spec.pdf
Closing date 9th September 2016
For more information please see http://www.pirbright.ac.uk/jobs/post-doctoral-scientist-veterinary-epidemiology