Postdoctoral Fellow – Epidemic Intelligence

About the Company

The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) is a national non-profit organisation wholly owned by Makerere University, established over 20 years ago in response to Africa's HIV crisis. Today IDI is a leading partner of the Ugandan Ministry of Health, responsible for about 20% of all people on antiretroviral therapy in Uganda, operating in 92% of Uganda's districts with partnerships in 23 African countries and nine others worldwide. IDI's work spans six core programmes – Prevention Care and Treatment, Training and Capacity Development, Research, Laboratory Services, Health Systems Strengthening and Global Health Security – plus the African Centre of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Science.

Relevant to this role, IDI's Global Health Security (GHS) programme strengthens health systems to prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks and emerging health threats (including COVID-19, Ebola, and antimicrobial resistance). Its focus areas include Epidemic Intelligence and Surveillance, Health Policy & Advocacy, Case Management and Infection Prevention & Control, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Vaccines and Medical Countermeasures, Laboratory Biosafety & Biosecurity, and Planetary Health/WASH. The programme supports the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) and International Health Regulations (IHR), hosts the Professor Sewankambo Global Health Security Training Program in Africa, and recently launched the Sewankambo Program to Strengthen Africa's Health Security – making it an ideal environment for cutting-edge research in epidemic intelligence, outbreak modelling, virology and vaccinology.

Job Details

Position Overview: We are seeking a highly motivated and recently graduated Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in epidemics intelligence to join our global health security program under the Professor Sewankambo Global Health Security Training Program in Africa. The successful candidate will apply advanced scientific approaches to address critical challenges in emerging infectious disease outbreaks, neglected tropical diseases, vaccinology, and/or virology. This role combines cutting-edge science and innovation with practical contributions to program delivery, business development, and scientific documentation in the global health domain.

• Job Code: PDF - X002
• Department: Global Health Security
• Project: Professor Sewankambo Global Health Security Training Program in Africa
• Reports To: Program Area Lead, Epidemic Intelligence, Surveillance & Community Health / Deputy Head of Department
• Classification: Scholar
• Duration: One year, renewable
• Duty Station: IDI-McKinnell Knowledge Centre, Makerere University Main Campus (Station: MKC)
• Location: Kampala, Uganda 📍
• Employment Type: Full-time
• No. of Positions: 1
• Date Posted: 2026-09-08
• Closing Date / Deadline: 2026-09-18 23:59:00
• Application Link: Apply

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of high-quality business and funding proposals, including concept notes, grant applications, and partnership pitches targeting donors, governments, and international organizations (Business Development).
• Support the preparation of scientific manuscripts, technical reports, policy briefs, protocols, and other documentation for internal and external stakeholders; support presentation of findings at conferences, workshops, and with partners (Scientific Documentation).
• Actively participate in the implementation of ongoing and new Global Health Security initiatives, including data analysis, modeling, stakeholder engagement, and capacity-building activities (Program Delivery).
• Conduct independent and collaborative research using computational simulations or data-driven methods focused on AMR, outbreak dynamics, virological and vaccinology systems (Science & Innovation).
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (including clinicians, epidemiologists, and policymakers) to translate computational insights into actionable public health strategies.
• Engage in disease transmission modeling, early warning forecasts, and health informatics to inform epidemic intelligence and rapid outbreak response.

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

• Education: PhD in Outbreaks Modelling, Epidemics Science, Pandemics Intelligence, Advanced Data Analytics, Nanotechnology, Applied Mathematics, Computational Statistics, Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, or a closely related quantitative discipline, completed within the last 2 years (or soon to be completed). Candidates who have submitted or will submit PhD thesis within six months / awaiting thesis defense are eligible.
• Technical Expertise: Strong background in predictive sciences, analytics, disease transmission and patterns, early warning forecasts and health informatics. Experience applying these to antimicrobial resistance, infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics, virology or vaccinology is highly desirable.
• Experience: Demonstrated research productivity (e.g., peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations). Fresh PhD graduates or near-graduates are encouraged to apply.
• Skills: Proficiency in relevant programming languages (Python, R, etc.), machine learning frameworks, and data analysis tools; excellent scientific writing and communication skills; ability to work in multidisciplinary, international teams.
• Personal Attributes: Self-motivated, detail-oriented, with a passion for global health impact and strong organizational skills.

Application Procedure

• Visit the official IDI opportunities portal and open the advert: Apply
• Review the full job description and person specification to confirm you meet the PhD and technical requirements.
• Prepare an updated CV, cover letter, academic certificates/transcripts, and evidence of research productivity (publications/presentations) as required in the portal.
• Click Apply on the job page Apply and complete the online application form before the deadline.
• Submit before 2026-09-18 23:59:00 (EAT) – applications submitted after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment/interview.

Job Summary

• Job Category: Healthcare, Research, Science & Engineering
• Job Type: Full-time
• Deadline of this Job: 2026-09-18
• Duty Station: IDI-McKinnell Knowledge Centre, Makerere University Main Campus (MKC)
• Date Posted: 2026-09-08
• No of Positions: 1
• Application Link: Apply
• Location pin: 📍 Kampala, Uganda – IDI-McKinnell Knowledge Centre, Makerere University Main Campus