Temple University's College of Science & Technology is searching for a Research Assistant.

Become a part of the Temple family and you will have access to the following:

• A hybrid work schedule

• Full medical, dental, vision coverage 

• Paid time off

• 11 Paid Holidays (including the day after Thanksgiving & winter break)

• Tuition remission - eligible employees and their dependents can obtain a degree TUITION FREE

• A generous retirement plan and so much more!

Salary Grade: T23

Salary Range: $32,000 - $45,000

Position Summary:

The Research Assistant in the College of Science & Technology’s Biology division will perform research in collaboration with the Boni Lab focused on mathematical modeling of response strategies to the current urgent problem in Africa of responding to the recent (2020-2021) emergence of artemisinin resistance on the continent. These mathematical models are used to evaluate different response strategies when drug resistance levels are too high.

The Research Assistant will also support advanced evolutionary modeling efforts to refine estimates of drug-resistance mutation rates in Plasmodium falciparum. This includes working with whole-genome sequencing data, identifying non-recombinant genomic regions, and contributing to the development of time-calibrated phylogenetic analyses to improve parameterization of mutation rates under selective (non-neutral) conditions. These efforts will directly inform model accuracy for forecasting artemisinin resistance emergence, particularly in African settings.  Performs other duties as assigned.

Our research group is currently building national-level mathematical models of malaria transmission for several African countries to forecast their drug-resistance situations several years into the future. 

Our research group is currently building national-level mathematical models of malaria transmission for several African countries to forecast their drug-resistance situations several years into the future. 

Required Education & Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in biology or any computational field like statistics, applied math, data science, or engineering (or other relevant field) and six months of related research experience. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Essential Functions of Position:

• Data management, coding, statistics, data visualization, scientific computation
• Reading global health literature
• Assembling data sets on current global state of malaria drug resistance
• Assembling national-level data sets on current antimalarial drug use
• Geospatial parameterization of malaria data using ArcGIS
• Mathematical modeling of infectious disease spread
• Web development for visualization of modeling results

Temple University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all in every aspect of its operations, including employment, service, and educational programs. The University has pledged not to discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, marital status, national origin or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or veteran status.

Compliance Statement: In the performance of their functions as detailed in the position description employees have an obligation to avoid ethical, legal, financial and other conflicts of interest to ensure that their actions and outside activities do not conflict with their primary employment responsibilities at the institution. Employees are also expected to understand and be in compliance with applicable laws, University and employment policies and regulations, including NCAA regulations for areas and departments which their essential functions cause them to interact.

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