Overview

This position is funded off our 2022 NSF grant “Converging on the rules of emergence for preventing land-use-induced spillover”, and internal Cornell seed grants. This position requires strong interests in system dynamics approaches to understanding drivers and causes of disease emergence, and deep interest  in understanding zoonotic systems from the ecological, epidemiological, and biological mechanisms driving spillover to understanding distal anthropogenic  drivers such as land use change and climate variation. Successful applicants will have a PhD in systems science, systems biology, infectious disease ecology, epidemiology or similar fields.

This postdoc position will focus on advancing research into interactions among environmental, ecological, sociological, and economic drivers of land use decisions, and the effects of such decisions on pathogen shedding from bats and zoonotic contacts between bats and spillover hosts. Our lab will develop risk communication strategies needed to change human responses from reactive to proactive to disrupt the negative cascades of land use-induced spillover networks and prevent future spillover events.

Postdoc position responsibilities will include:

  • Leading system mapping for multiple zoonotic systems, including Hendra virus in Australia and Nipah virus in Bangladesh
  • Helping organize, and participate in, Participatory Model Building with local communities and experts
  • Developing at least one peer-reviewed manuscript comparing system dynamics across multiple zoonotic systems.

Requirements:

  • PhD in systems science, systems biology, infectious disease ecology, epidemiology or similar fields.
  • The candidate must be highly organized, curious, a creative critical thinker, a good communicator, and have strong interdisciplinary skills spanning biology, ecology, One Health, computer science, and disease ecology.

For more information and to apply: Visit https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31900 and submit a resume with references and their contact information, as well as a paragraph on your unique experiences that would make you suitable for the position (can be formatted as a cover letter).

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About Cornell University

Department Website: Public & Ecosystem Health

Lab Website: Plowright Lab

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