Assistant or Associate Professor in Modeling, Statistics, and Analytics of Infectious Diseases

Position Summary

The University of Georgia ( UGA ) is hiring a cluster of eight tenure-track or tenured faculty in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Infectious Disease Dynamics through a Presidential Faculty Hiring Initiative over two years, five with target start date in August 2022 and three with target start date in August 2023.

As part of this hire, the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics seeks to fill a position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in Modeling, statistics, and analytics of infectious diseases. The position is scheduled to start on August 1, 2022 and is an academic year appointment (9 months) with an opportunity to supplement salary during the summer.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop a strong and productive research program with extramural funding. Teaching of both undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the department is expected. Service and outreach activities in the form of commitment to student mentoring and supervision of projects and dissertation research, service to the department, college, and university, as well as the scientific profession are also expected.

This cluster will strengthen and expand UGA’s position as a global leader in infectious disease dynamics. Recognized globally for its contributions to disease ecology, epidemiology, and evolution, UGA is seeking to build on its existing core strengths in modeling pathogen spillover, transmission, interventions, and spatial spread by expanding its capabilities in epidemic forecasting, biosurveillance, applications of artificial intelligence to infectious disease research and infectious disease dynamics, and nonparametric, agent-based, and multi-scale modeling of disease transmission.

UGA seeks to expand research at the cutting edge of infectious disease science, and build scientific capacity for pandemic prevention and preparedness. This hiring cluster is aimed at developing an integrated basic and translational scientific paradigm for understanding epidemics. In line with these goals and new national priorities pertaining to pandemic prediction and preparedness, UGA is seeking data scientists cross-trained in epidemiology, ecology and informatics. UGA is currently hiring for five faculty positions in one of four schools or colleges:

The Department of Statistics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
The Odum School of Ecology
The School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
The Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, College of Public Health (2 positions)

To facilitate interaction among these researchers, each faculty member will have membership in the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases ( CEID ) and/or the I nstitute of Bioinformatics ( IOB ) . Collectively, these new faculty members will help position UGA to contribute to anticipated national networks of centers for molecular epidemiology, predictive intelligence for infectious diseases, and infectious disease forecasting, modeling, and analytics.

In the coming years, the University of Georgia will hire a total of 50 faculty in eight clusters through the Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence ( https://t.uga.edu/7hW ).

For more information on the cluster hiring initiative and all the open positions, visit ceid.uga.edu/idd .

Special Instructions to Applicants

Review of applications begins November 15, 2021 and continues until filled. All applications received by November 15th, 2021 will receive full consideration. Applications should include: 1) cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) research statement highlighting interest in and contributions to infectious disease modeling and forecasting, 4) teaching statement, and 5) statement on commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Applicants should also provide names and contact information for at least 3 references using the online system.

For questions, contact the chair of the search committee, Andreas Handel ( ahandel@uga.edu )

Posting Details

Posting Number

F1028P

Working Title

Assistant or Associate Professor in Modeling, Statistics, and Analytics of Infectious Diseases

Department

Public Health-Epidem & Biostat

About the University of Georgia

The University of Georgia ( UGA ), a land-grant and sea-grant university with statewide commitments and responsibilities, is the state’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education ( https://www.uga.edu/ ). UGA is currently ranked among the top 15 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA was founded in 1785 by the Georgia General Assembly as the first state-chartered University in the country. UGA employs approximately 1,800 full-time instructional faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 39,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 9,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

About the College/Unit/Department

College/Unit/Department website

publichealth.uga.edu

Posting Type

External

Retirement Plan

TRS or ORP

Employment Type

Employee

Benefits Eligibility

Benefits Eligible

Underutilization

Advertised Salary

Anticipated Start Date

08/01/2022

Effective End Date (for Limited-Term postings)

Job Posting Date

10/14/2021

Job Closing Date

Open until filled

Yes

Location of Vacancy

Athens Area

EEO Statement

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).

UGA Statement

PLEASE NOTE : On December 7, 2021, the federal District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a preliminary injunction against enforcing the vaccine requirement for
Federal Contractors pending further review. As a result, the requirements of the Executive Order and associated guidance, including the vaccination requirement for covered contractor employees, are currently not in effect.

The University of Georgia is a Federal Contractor as defined by Presidential Executive Order 14042 and subject to the requirement that Federal Contractors must ensure that all covered employees, including those working remotely, are fully vaccinated by January 4, 2022. You may be required to show proof of your fully vaccinated status at the time of your start date, or have received a medical or religious exemption from the fully vaccinated requirement at the time of your start date. For more information regarding the Federal Contractor fully vaccinated employment requirement please visit https://coronavirus.uga.edu/executive-order/ or call (706) 542-2222.

Position Details

Position Information

Classification Title

Open Rank

FLSA

Faculty Rank

Open Rank

Contract Type

Academic (9 mo.)

Tenure Status

Tenure Track or Tenured

Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must have a PhD in Biostatistics, Statistics, or a related field; candidates with an equivalent terminal degree (e.g. MD, DSc, DrPH) will also be considered.

Additional Requirements

Please see the requirements for Assistant and Associate Professors in the Unit Criteria for Promotion and Tenure in the College of Public Health .

To be eligible for tenure upon appointment, candidates must be appointed as an Associate Professor, have been tenured at a prior institution, and bring a demonstrably national reputation to the institution. Candidates must be approved for tenure upon appointment before hire.

Relevant/Preferred Education, Experience, Licensure, and/or Certification

Candidates should be working in an area related to biostatistics, data analytics, machine learning, AI, or mathematical and computational modeling of infectious diseases. Specific areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, multi-scale modeling of vaccines and immunology, forecasting of infectious diseases and interventions, and data analytics or modeling applied to infectious diseases at the individual patient or population levels. Candidates should demonstrate a track record or the promise of excellence in research productivity commensurate with appointment to the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies

Physical Demands

Is this a Position of Trust?

No

Does this position have operation, access, or control of financial resources?

No

Does this position require a P-Card?

No

Is having a P-Card an essential function of this position?

No

Is driving a responsibility of this position?

No

Does this position have direct interaction or care of children under the age of 18 or direct patient care?

No

Does this position have Security Access (e.g., public safety, IT security, personnel records, patient records, or access to chemicals and medications)

No

Credit and P-Card policy

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.

Duties/Responsibilities

Posting Specific Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents
Required Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Resume/CV
3. Research Portfolio/Philosophy
4. Teaching Portfolio/Philosophy
5. Other Documents #1

Optional Documents