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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The members of the national SARS-CoV-2/cervid Targeted Surveillance Team are seeking a complementary set of skilled Post-Doctoral Researchers and PhD students to join our collaboration over the next six months. The Team’s overarching objective is to uncover the ecological conditions that generate spatial hotspots of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and persistence in free ranging wildlife. We are particularly excited about recruiting individuals with strong interests in interdisciplinary disease ecology and specific skills in at least one related research area, such as epidemiological modeling, movement ecology, phylodynamics, statistical inference, machine learning, or software development. The task of these new team members will be to develop, refine, and implement methods to analyze data emerging from 12 intensive monitoring sites and widespread opportunistic SARS-CoV-2/cervid surveillance across the USA (available data include longitudinal data on individual health and SARS-CoV-2 infection status, high-resolution GPS data documenting movement, as well as genomics and transcriptomics data, passive surveillance data from cameras, and direct observational data at some sites; data collection is currently underway at all sites).

Post-docs will interface with the national group through biweekly all-hands meetings and more frequent in-depth discussions (including, for example, a topics lab exploring emerging techniques at the movement-disease interface). We will foster collaborative relationships between the post-docs and affiliated faculty through team retreats, co-led papers, and a strong collaborative culture.

This full-time position is located at the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania. This is a term position funded for one-year from date of hire with a good possibility of re-funding pending performance. Start date is flexible but likely not until late-summer 2023 to early fall 2023.

Qualifications: Competitive candidates should be highly motivated and possess a PhD in spatial ecology of mammalian species and disease epidemiology or a related discipline with a strong quantitative emphasis. The selected candidate must provide evidence all requirements have been met for the completion of the Ph.D. prior to the effective date of hire. Specific experience with Bayesian hierarchical modeling, INLA, and movement models is preferred but not required. The ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment is essential. Submission to or publishing in peer-reviewed journals is required and mandatory prior to any potential renewal beyond the one-year appointment.  Experience with Program R and Bayesian methodologies is required.

Application Requirements: Please provide: (1) a cover letter detailing your experiences for the qualifications above and how they have prepared you for this position, (2) a CV, (3) names and contact information of three professional references, and (4) two relevant publications. Please submit these materials to Dr. W. David Walter via email (wdw12@psu.edu) as a single pdf. To be considered, qualified applicants will need to also submit application materials to Penn State’s employment website at https://hr.psu.edu/careers .

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusive excellence as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.  

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Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here .

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. 

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