Research Technical Specialist, School of Medicine - Microbiology & Immunology
About The Position
The Zarnitsyna lab in Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology is recruiting for a multidisciplinary project on respiratory virus transmission. The project combines video-recorded ferret transmission experiments, machine learning–based behavioral tracking, and mechanistic mathematical modeling to study how contact behavior, contact duration, fomite sharing, and viral shedding shape infection risk. Its long-term goal is to translate this framework to human challenge studies and household cohorts to inform evidence-based mitigation strategies. This position focuses on the mathematical modeling component. Working with Dr. Zarnitsyna, the Research Technical Specialist will design and develop mechanistic models of influenza transmission in ferret experiments, including within-host viral dynamics and stochastic transmission-kernel models, and fit them to behavioral tracking data, infection outcomes, and viral load measurements using Bayesian and likelihood-based inference. The position can start immediately. Tasks are generally performed in person at an Emory University location; remote work-from-home days may be granted at department discretion, and remote-work status may be changed with notice.
Requirements
- A bachelor's degree in a scientific field.
- Seven years of professional research experience.
Nice To Haves
- An advanced degree, such as an M.S. or M.P.H., in a quantitative discipline, life science, or public health field, such as biostatistics or epidemiology.
- Programming experience in R, Julia, or Python, including reproducible workflows.
- Ability to work effectively across experimental and computational teams.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and conduct large and/or complex research experiments.
- Design and develop mechanistic models of influenza transmission in ferret experiments, including within-host viral dynamics and stochastic transmission-kernel models.
- Fit models to behavioral tracking data, infection outcomes, and viral load measurements using Bayesian and likelihood-based inference.
- Review research progress and evaluate results.
- Interpret research results and follow relevant literature.
- Maintain documentation and quality standards for data and code.
- Share expertise and train others in relevant tools, equipment operation, and laboratory techniques.
- Refine or adapt methodologies to fit specific experiment requirements and collaborate in developing new techniques.
- Prepare figures for publications and presentations.
- Co-author publications and may co-present findings with the Principal Investigator at meetings and conferences.
- Perform related responsibilities as required.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
