ASSOCIATE IN RESEARCH

School of Medicine

Established in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine is the youngest of the nation's top medical schools. Ranked sixth among medical schools in the nation, the School takes pride in being an inclusive community of outstanding learners, investigators, clinicians, and staff where interdisciplinary collaboration is embraced and great ideas accelerate translation of fundamental scientific discoveries to improve human health locally and around the globe. Composed of more than 2,600 faculty physicians and researchers, nearly 2,000 students, and more than 6,200 staff, the Duke University School of Medicine along with the Duke University School of Nursing, and Duke University Health System comprise Duke Health, a world-class academic medical center. The Health System encompasses Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Health Integrated Practice, Duke Primary Care, Duke Home Care and Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness, and multiple affiliations.

Duke Global Health Institute & Nicholas School of Environment

Malaria is a vector borne disease causing over 200 million infections and 400,000 deaths annually.  For the past decade, malaria in the Americas has been a neglected disease. Cases in the Amazon have increased more rapidly than any region in the world, while cases in Central America have increased 10-fold since the end of the Pandemic.  Although there is no single underlying cause for this increase, climate change, land use change (deforestation), mining, logging, internal/international migration, vector ecology, and lack of political and economic commitments all contribute to this growing epidemic. 

To address these challenges, we have ongoing research in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Honduras to better understand the relationship between human and vector behavior impacting malaria risk. Our research is supported by NIH, NASA, and the Duke Climate-Health Initiative, and we pursue the following types of research questions: (1) how does migration contribute to malaria transmission; (2) how can we continue improving and effectively implementing  malaria early warning systems; (3) what malaria interventions are the most effective at slowing malaria transmission in different socio-environmental contexts; (4) what types of climate-health visualizations are most effective at communicating forecasted malaria risk to program managers and community-based health care workers; and (5) how can we better characterize malaria ecology (vector density, human risk) across different spatial and temporal scales (climate and land cover scales).  Our research team is highly interdisciplinary, representing epidemiology, demography, climate and atmospheric sciences, biostatistics, economics, geography, entomology, and international development. However, we also represent scientists and policymakers from over ten institutions and speak 4 primary languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian). 

We are seeking a full-time data analyst to support three large-scale studies in Latin America. One is an NIH-supported project in the Amazon that is expanding and implementing a malaria early warning system (MEWS) in Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil. This project includes an analysis for social networks along international borders to understand how social or economic connectivity between remote communities contributes to malaria incidence.  The second analysis is a NASA-supported study to evaluate modification of our MEWS to an elimination context in Panama and Honduras. This project (similarly to the Amazon) works on developing a platform for integrating climate, land, health surveillance, infrastructure, and other covariates to produce malaria forecasts up to 12 weeks in advance to support improved resource deployment to create a more rapid movement toward malaria elimination.  The third project is supported by the Duke Climate Commitment and is testing the main hypothesis that international migration is altering fundamental malaria ecology in Panama, leading to novel malaria genotypes, introduction of new malaria vectors, and increased transmission risk to local, indigenous populations. 

A detailed description of functional areas and tasks follows:

• Coordinate with the PI (William Pan), project coordinator, and local PIs to implement data management protocols for each project, including the set-up of multiple datasets, documentation, data cleaning, creation of codebooks, and quality checks.
• Develop detailed data access documentation that will be used for subsequent data dissemination in coordination with field partners in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, and Honduras.
• Coordinate with Duke OIT and supporting research team members in accessing and using the data; and train and support research team members in using the virtual machine and network data storage as the team composition evolves over the period of the study.
• Analyze data (STATA, R, or SAS expertise required; familiarity with Python ArcGIS or other programs is a plus).
• Work with other team members to support the generation of data summaries, including data visualizations for planned policy briefs, reports, as well as websites.
• Collaborate with the study team and contribute to research manuscripts as needed.

Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Work requires a master’s degree in Computer Science, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, land use science, climate science or equivalent technical training or quantitative Bachelor degree.

The following skills are required for this position:

• STATA, R, or SAS expertise
• Excellent data analysis and data visualization skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to work on multiple consecutive projects
• Good time management and ability to shift tasks during the time
• Strong teamwork and team communication skills
• Excellent writing skills

Preferred:

• Familiarity with Python ArcGIS or other programs
• Experience working with international collaborative teams

EXPERIENCE

Work requires 2 years of data management, research, or data visualization experience.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE (I.e., A related two-year master's degree in biostatistics, epidemiology, land use or climate science, computer science, or a related discipline may offset the required two years of experience)

See job description for education requirements.

See job description for requirements.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Ourcollective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at DukeUniversity and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.