Postdoctoral Position in Human Behavior & Epidemiology

[Katherine Lacasse]

Postdoctoral Position in Human Behavior & Epidemiology

University of Vermont, USA

We are seeking a postdoctoral associate with training in mathematical biology, computational social science, or some other related field.  The postdoc would join an NSF supported interdisciplinary team composed of mathematicians, ecologists, computer scientists, epidemiologists, economists, and psychologists working together to develop mathematical and computational models of human behavior and to incorporate these models into traditional epidemiological models. The postdoc would be based at the University of Vermont and would be directly supervised by Brian Beckage (https://brianbeckage.github.io/) but would work closely with all members of the research team. Arrangements for working remotely can be discussed. We require candidates to have a Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g., mathematics, epidemiology, social science, system dynamics, data science, etc) with evidence of research productivity and quantitative or computational skills. The position is initially for one year but is renewable for up to an additional two years contingent upon performance.

Review of applications will begin on 1 March  2025  and will continue until the position is filled. The position is available immediately and we would prefer the successful candidate to begin prior to 1 July 2025. To apply, please submit a cover letter, research statement, CV, a copy of your transcript(s) (unofficial is fine) and contact information for two references. These may be submitted to Prof. Brian Beckage at brian....@uvm.edu. The salary is determined by the University of Vermont salary scales and is currently approximately $61,000 per year plus benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance.  

Project Abstract

An epidemic arises from interactions between pathogens and humans, where the pathogen influences human behavior and human behavior influences the spread of the pathogen. The models used to predict disease spread do not include the complexity of interactions between disease and human behavior but instead focus on biological processes and policy interventions. However, disease transmission depends on people’s behaviors, which are shaped by their perceptions of risk from the disease and from health interventions, as well as by the opinions and behaviors of the other people around them. This project will contribute to the development of mathematical epidemiological models that better represent the complexities of the human response to disease and that can be used to evaluate the relative impacts of public health policies on disease dynamics. Our project will be focused on understanding respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, seasonal flu, and bird flu, but can be readily modified to be broadly applicable to other infectious diseases such as HIV or Ebola. We will contribute to existing national COVID-19 and Flu Scenario Modeling Hubs that are working to better predict and understand the dynamics of infectious disease and to contribute to policy interventions. We will disseminate our results and foster connections with the disease modeling community through a workshop for public health professionals and will engage the public through production of educational music videos targeted at the broader community.

---------------------------------

Katherine Lacasse, Ph.D.

Professor | Department of Psychology, College of Arts & Sciences

Rhode Island College | Providence, RI 02910

Office: 367 Craig-Lee Hall

Email: klac...@ric.edu

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Treasurer, APA Division 34: Society for Environmental, Population, & Conservation Psychology