Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Eco-social dynamics of tick-borne pathogens along urbanization gradients

Columbia University

Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology (E3B)

The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B) at Columbia University invites applications a Postdoctoral Research Scientist position to contribute to transdisciplinary research on OneHealth and tick-borne diseases in the United States. The successful candidates will join the Eco-Epidemiology lab led by Dr. Maria Diuk-Wasser (https://ecoepidemiologylab.e3b.columbia.edu) to support a newly-funded NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease program award.

The position will focus on basic and applied eco-epidemiological questions about the role of landscape, wildlife communities and human behavior in predicting risk and exposure to Lyme disease and other tick-borne pathogens across urban-to-rural human populations. The candidate will harness existing data and collaborate with the research team to design model-fieldwork and lead efforts to collect ecological (e.g., wildlife, ticks, pathogens), environmental (land use, landscape structure, weather), and human (e.g. human knowledge, attitudes, behavior and movement) data. The position is highly collaborative, including a network of vector biology and control experts, public health, social and behavioral scientists, economists, and infectious disease modelers in the US and UK. The research will address longstanding ecological questions as well as enhance response capacity for vector-borne disease management.

The candidate(s) will also interact with active projects on emerging zoonotic pathogens including various projects focusing on urban wildlife health, sociobehavioral studies and tick-borne disease surveillance and control and will harness existing datasets from projects supported by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The initial appointment is for one year with the possibility of renewal for two additional years contingent on satisfactory performance and funding.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The position requires a Ph.D. in wildlife biology, population or community ecology, conservation, or epidemiology. The position requires strong quantitative background, a high-degree of self-motivation and independence, effective communication and teamwork, meticulous data handling, and excellent organizational and time-management skills. Previous experience with wildlife ecology, behavior and movement and tick-borne disease ecology is highly desirable. A track record of research excellence is essential, as are excellent written and oral communication skills.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.