Research Officer – Health Statistics / Epidemiology / Geospatial Modeller at KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP)

JOB PURPOSE: 

The job's primary purpose is for a Research Officer to join the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit at KWTRP in Nairobi. This role is critical in researching the health impacts of climate change and involves detailed work such as developing a climate vulnerability index (CVI) through literature review and data analysis. The Research Officer will gather and process multiple data layers to assess climate vulnerability, focusing on the linkage between high-resolution climatic indicators and known exposure pathways in Kenya. Additionally, the position entails exploring spatial and temporal trends in disease ecology and the impact of climatic factors on health outcomes.

The successful candidate will work under the guidance of Prof. E. Okiro and collaborate with the NEWRISK project team to aid Kenya's health system in adapting to changing climate conditions. The role is an opportunity to enhance skills in geospatial analysis and its applications in health system planning, aiming for a significant contribution to healthcare in Africa. The position is part of a wider research initiative at KWTRP, renowned for its scientific contributions and commitment to developing local research leadership in Africa.

Description: 

REPORTS TO: Study Co- PI and Study Supervisor.

BUDGET AND RESOURCE RESPONSIBILITY:  Responsible for allocated hardware and software

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

For the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit and under the direction of the supervisors to:

• Conduct a scoping review to characterise features of Climate health vulnerability in Africa
• Collate, clean and fully characterise data and associated contextual meta-data from across SSA that would enable multiple attributes of climate vulnerability (based on the scoping review) to be mapped across Kenya
• Undertake geospatial analysis of data to understand the geographic distribution of climate vulnerability, their overlap, and the size of populations living in vulnerable areas
• Develop written reports on the analyses conducted and their interpretation
• Develop peer-reviewed manuscript quality reports for submission for publication
• Contribute to the wider scientific activities of the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit, the Health Services Unit and the Nairobi Programme of KEMRI-Wellcome in Kenya
• Support consultations and collaboration with researchers within the NEWRISK partnership and stakeholders in local, regional and national governments and key donors
• And any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The successful applicant will have:

• Recognised Postgraduate qualification (Masters) relevant to the field of epidemiological research, statistics, or geostatistics – those with broader global health and/or public health training at Masters level with a strong quantitative analytic component may also be considered
• Evidence of academic excellence based on performance in primary degree and/or Masters’ level training
• At least 3 years’ experience in research
• Demonstrated experience in collecting, analysing and interpreting a range of quantitative data.
• Experience in the analysis and interpretation of complex and/or large data sets
• Proficiency in one or more statistical packages or programming languages
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills
• Experience in undertaking research in a cross-cultural context
• A record of publishing and presenting research results relative to opportunity.
• Demonstrated interest in public health and demonstrated knowledge and working experience of Kenyan Health system, added advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to act with sound judgement, sensitivity, and flexibility, and to exercise initiative in adapting preferred approaches when and where required
• Demonstrated experience in undertaking systematic literature reviews (preferable)

COMPETENCIES:

• Prior experience of geospatial analyses with recognised software (eg. ArcGIS) is highly desirable.
• Experience in use of STATA and / or ‘R’ for analysis of health data and/or experience of computer programming languages.
• Have high energy, clear goal orientation and a strong work ethic.
• Strong organisation/programme management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads and work within tight deadlines
• Ability to write clearly for a scientific audience and to present clearly to non-academic audiences
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment and to multi-task