IDM-Africa Fellow

Key Responsibilities

Fellow Deliverables

By the end of the Fellowship, each Fellow will be expected to:

• Complete a documented and validated infectious-disease model, including reproducible code in R, Python or equivalent software.
  
• Submit a final project report to the IDM-Africa coordinating centre at IDI.
  
• Submit a manuscript as lead author to a peer-reviewed open-access journal.
  
• Produce a policy brief as lead author communicating the relevance of the modelling results to policymakers.
  
• Submit regular bi-weekly progress updates and quarterly performance reports via the IDI iBRIDGE system / Virtual Communities of Learning (VCL) platform.
  
• Attend the monthly peer-fellow meetings.
  
• Present progress during quarterly Fellowship review meetings.
  
• Present research findings at a workshop or regional scientific conference and at the annual IDM-Africa policy translation workshop.
  
• Complete all agreed mentorship, reporting and deliverable requirements to receive a certificate of completion.
  

Academic Qualifications

• Hold a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline—such as mathematics, physics, data science or statistics—or a health-related field, together with short-term training in infectious-disease modelling. Candidates holding or pursuing a PhD in these disciplines are also eligible to apply.
  

Person Specification

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all the following criteria:

• Be affiliated with an institution located in sub-Saharan Africa and within the EDCTP Association.
  
• Be resident in, or willing to relocate to, an eligible sub-Saharan African country for the Fellowship placement.
  
• Hold a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline - such as mathematics, physics, data science or statistics or a health-related field, together with short-term training in infectious-disease modelling. Candidates holding or pursuing a PhD in these disciplines are also eligible to apply.
  
• Have practical experience in infectious-disease modelling, including having led a substantial component of a modelling-related project, particularly the mathematical-modelling component.
  
• Be proficient in at least one modelling platform or programming language, such as R, Python or MATLAB, and be able to manage datasets, formulate models, run simulations and interpret results.
  
• Demonstrate a clear commitment to a career in infectious-disease modelling and its application to public-health challenges.
  
• Be willing and able to work in interdisciplinary teams, including with epidemiologists, public-health officers, modellers and policymakers.
  
• Be available for the full one-month in-person placement and the subsequent 11 months of online mentorship.
  
• Commit to completing the agreed Fellowship outputs.
  
• Applicants affiliated with partner institutions, including institutions at IDI/Makerere University in Uganda or ACE-B/USTTB in Mali, are NOT eligible.