IDM-Africa fellow (3)

General Summary

1. About IDM-Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa needs more local infectious-disease modellers to generate evidence for outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance and other public-health priorities. IDM-Africa is a Strategic Training Hub that will build this capacity through Workshops for early- and mid-career researchers and one-year mentored Fellowships for advanced modellers. Fellows will develop locally relevant modelling projects and translate findings into scientific papers, policy briefs and practical recommendations. The programme combines hands-on learning, expert mentorship and sustained peer support to strengthen African modelling leadership and institutional capacity.

2. Fellowship Program Overview

IDM-Africa invites applications from early- and mid-career scientists in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for its annual Fellowship Programme in infectious-disease modelling. The Fellowship supports scientists who already have foundational training and practical experience in infectious-disease modelling to develop an applied, policy-relevant modelling project using their own data. Fellows will receive structured mentorship from leading modellers, infectious-disease experts and policy specialists at partner institutions. The partner sites are The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University; University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) and Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) with their corresponding training sites being The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Kampala-Uganda (ACE-Uganda); The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Bamako-Mali (ACE-B); and The Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD).

3. Fellowship Structure

Each Fellowship runs for 12 months:

  • One month of in-person placement at the selected host institution (ACE-Uganda or ACE-B), with intensive mentor-guided project development.
  • Eleven months of online mentorship, including at least one mentor-mentee session every two weeks, peer-learning activities, monthly progress reporting, and quarterly review meetings.

Fellows should be able to commit 100% FTE for month 1 and approximately 4 hours a day (50% FTE) to Fellowship activities during the online mentorship period.

During the Fellowship, participants will refine their research question; prepare and analyse data; develop, test and interpret infectious-disease models; strengthen reproducible research practice; receive code and data-review support; develop scientific-writing and policy-communication skills; and engage with public-health stakeholders where relevant.

For this round, we are recruiting three (3) fellows as follows:

  • Two (2) Positions at IDI / ACE-Uganda (Open to candidates who are fluent in English, including those from non-Anglophone SSA countries)
  • One (1) Position at ACE-Mali / USTTB (Open to candidates who are fluent in French, including those from non-Francophone SSA countries)

Key Responsibilities

Fellow Deliverables

By the end of the Fellowship, each Fellow will be expected to:

  • Complete a documented and validated infectious-disease model, including reproducible code in R, Python or equivalent software.
  • Submit a final project report to the IDM-Africa coordinating centre at IDI.
  • Submit a manuscript as lead author to a peer-reviewed open-access journal.
  • Produce a policy brief as lead author communicating the relevance of the modelling results to policymakers.
  • Submit regular bi-weekly progress updates and quarterly performance reports via the IDI iBRIDGE system / Virtual Communities of Learning (VCL) platform.
  • Attend the monthly peer-fellow meetings.
  • Present progress during quarterly Fellowship review meetings.
  • Present research findings at a workshop or regional scientific conference and at the annual IDM-Africa policy translation workshop.
  • Complete all agreed mentorship, reporting and deliverable requirements to receive a certificate of completion.

How to Apply

Applications to any host site (IDI/ACE-Uganda and ACE-Mali) MUST be submitted through the official IDI Recruitment Portal.

  1. Access the online portal at the IDI Careers page.
  2. Locate the advert titled: IDM-Africa Fellowship Programme in Infectious Disease Modelling
  3. Click Apply and upload your complete application package as a single PDF document including:
    • A current curriculum vitae.
    • Certified copies of academic certificates and transcripts.
    • A scanned copy of a national ID or passport.
    • Two letters of recommendation from current or previous supervisors or mentors.
    • A statement of career goals and motivation for pursuing a career in infectious-disease modelling.
    • Your preferred Fellowship host site; ACE-Uganda or ACE-B (Mali) and a brief explanation of why the placement is appropriate.
    • A description of the modelling project you intend to develop with mentors, including the proposed research question, methods and anticipated public-health relevance.
    • A statement describing the potential policy implications of the proposed work and how you intend to support uptake of findings.
    • A brief description of the data you will use to parameterise and validate the model.
    • A letter of commitment from your home institution confirming support for your participation, including providing at least 50% protected time during the 11-month online mentorship period and support for completion of the manuscript, policy brief and visualisation/dashboard outputs.

Academic Qualifications

  • Hold a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline—such as mathematics, physics, data science or statistics—or a health-related field, together with short-term training in infectious-disease modelling. Candidates holding or pursuing a PhD in these disciplines are also eligible to apply.

Person Specification

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all the following criteria:

  • Be affiliated with an institution located in sub-Saharan Africa and within the EDCTP Association.
  • Be resident in, or willing to relocate to, an eligible sub-Saharan African country for the Fellowship placement.
  • Hold a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline - such as mathematics, physics, data science or statistics or a health-related field, together with short-term training in infectious-disease modelling. Candidates holding or pursuing a PhD in these disciplines are also eligible to apply.
  • Have practical experience in infectious-disease modelling, including having led a substantial component of a modelling-related project, particularly the mathematical-modelling component.
  • Be proficient in at least one modelling platform or programming language, such as R, Python or MATLAB, and be able to manage datasets, formulate models, run simulations and interpret results.
  • Demonstrate a clear commitment to a career in infectious-disease modelling and its application to public-health challenges.
  • Be willing and able to work in interdisciplinary teams, including with epidemiologists, public-health officers, modellers and policymakers.
  • Be available for the full one-month in-person placement and the subsequent 11 months of online mentorship.
  • Commit to completing the agreed Fellowship outputs.
  • Applicants affiliated with partner institutions, including institutions at IDI/Makerere University in Uganda or ACE-B/USTTB in Mali, are NOT eligible.


More Details
IDMA003
3
Kampala-Uganda or Bamako-Mali
Scholar
12 Months
Research Scientist - Bioinformatician
2026-10-08 14:01:12.000







Research Scientist - Bioinformatician


Other Jobs

1. About IDM-Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa needs more local infectious-disease modellers to generate evidence for outbreaks, antimicrobial resistance and other public-health priorities. IDM-Africa is a Strategic Training Hub that will build this capacity through Workshops for early- and mid-career researchers and one-year mentored Fellowships for advanced modellers. Fellows will develop locally relevant modelling projects and translate findings into scientific papers, policy briefs and practical recommendations. The programme combines hands-on learning, expert mentorship and sustained peer support to strengthen African modelling leadership and institutional capacity.

2. Fellowship Program Overview

IDM-Africa invites applications from early- and mid-career scientists in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for its annual Fellowship Programme in infectious-disease modelling. The Fellowship supports scientists who already have foundational training and practical experience in infectious-disease modelling to develop an applied, policy-relevant modelling project using their own data. Fellows will receive structured mentorship from leading modellers, infectious-disease experts and policy specialists at partner institutions. The partner sites are The Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) at Makerere University; University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) and Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC) with their corresponding training sites being The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Kampala-Uganda (ACE-Uganda); The African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, Bamako-Mali (ACE-B); and The Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD).

3. Fellowship Structure

Each Fellowship runs for 12 months:

  • One month of in-person placement at the selected host institution (ACE-Uganda or ACE-B), with intensive mentor-guided project development.
  • Eleven months of online mentorship, including at least one mentor-mentee session every two weeks, peer-learning activities, monthly progress reporting, and quarterly review meetings.

Fellows should be able to commit 100% FTE for month 1 and approximately 4 hours a day (50% FTE) to Fellowship activities during the online mentorship period.

During the Fellowship, participants will refine their research question; prepare and analyse data; develop, test and interpret infectious-disease models; strengthen reproducible research practice; receive code and data-review support; develop scientific-writing and policy-communication skills; and engage with public-health stakeholders where relevant.

For this round, we are recruiting three (3) fellows as follows:

  • Two (2) Positions at IDI / ACE-Uganda (Open to candidates who are fluent in English, including those from non-Anglophone SSA countries)
  • One (1) Position at ACE-Mali / USTTB (Open to candidates who are fluent in French, including those from non-Francophone SSA countries)

The Epidemiologist leads disease surveillance, data analysis, and outbreak investigation activities within an assigned area, ensuring timely detection, verification, and response to public health events at Points of Entry (PoE) and border communities. The role provides technical leadership to district and PoE-level teams and ensures high-quality epidemiological data informs decision-making.

The  laboratory technical officer will support Laboratory Sample management, Testing and Biosafety Biosecurity measures, daily analysis for patient samples for differential diagnoses, process control, Corrective Action and Preventive Action, laboratory documentation and compile daily updates on laboratory performance.

The candicate will provide technical support to implement infection prevention and control at national, subnational and district level. The position involves strengthening IPC capacity related to routine service delivery and outbreaks responses at different levels

The technical case management officer will work closely with the response teams to provide technical and operational support for the delivery of safe, timely and high-quality case-management services during disease outbreaks and other public-health emergencies.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be support to design, implement and review of the project’s monitoring and evaluation interventions. She/he will ensure data-driven decision-making by producing high-quality evidence to support project planning, implementation, learning, and reporting. The role requires strong analytical and communication skills, experience with data systems, and a commitment to strengthening GHS outcomes.

The Lab Runner will provide day-to-day support to the study team by ensuring the safe, timely, and accurate movement of laboratory samples, documents, supplies, and other study materials between designated study areas, laboratories, and other authorised locations.

The position will support smooth laboratory operations while maintaining sample integrity, confidentiality, safety and compliance with study and laboratory procedures.

Job Description 2: Postdoctoral Fellow in Pathogen Genomics (One Health Focus)

  • Position Title:  Postdoctoral Fellow – Pathogen Genomics
  • Department: Global Health Security
  • Project: Professor Sewankambo Global Health Security Training Program in Africa
  • Reports To: Deputy Head of Department 
  • Duration: One year, renewable
  • Location: IDI-McKinnell MKC, Makerere University Campus
  • Application Deadline:  Two weeks after the advert date

Position Overview

We are seeking a dynamic Postdoctoral Fellow with expertise in pathogen genomics to strengthen our global health security program, with a particular emphasis on One Health approaches. The role integrates genomics applications with practical contributions to business development, scientific documentation, and program implementation to combat infectious diseases at the human-animal-environment interface.

ACCEPT-Africa Targeted Research Awards for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness

Background

The African Consortium for Clinical Evidence, Pharmacology and Translational Research (ACCEPT-Africa) is a multidisciplinary, multi-country research consortium under the Africa Pandemic Sciences Collaborative (EPSILON-1). Led by the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Makerere University, Uganda, ACCEPT-Africa brings together research institutions and investigators from Uganda, Tanzania (Kibong’oto Infectious Diseases Hospital), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Catholic University of Bukavu), South Africa (University of Cape Town), and Italy (University of Turin) to strengthen Africa's capacity to develop, evaluate, and deploy medical countermeasures for epidemic- and pandemic-prone diseases.

ACCEPT-Africa integrates expertise in early-phase clinical trials, clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), implementation science, infectious diseases, laboratory sciences, regulatory science, and epidemic preparedness.

The consortium is guided by three strategic objectives:

  1. Advance the clinical development of medical countermeasures targeting priority pathogens;
  2. Strengthen epidemic–pandemic research ecosystems; and
  3. Build sustainable capacity for early-phase clinical trials targeting priority pathogens.

To advance these objectives, ACCEPT-Africa invites applications from individual researchers for Targeted Research Awards addressing priority scientific and operational gaps relevant to medical countermeasure development and epidemic clinical research.

Purpose of the Call

The ACCEPT-Africa Targeted Research Awards will provide catalytic funding for focused, high-impact and implementation-oriented research projects that can generate preliminary evidence, address critical knowledge or methodological gaps, strengthen existing research platforms, and contribute to the development and evaluation of medical countermeasures for priority pathogens.

A total of three awards will be available, with funding of up to US$15,000 per project for an implementation period of up to 12 months.

The call is specifically intended to support research that can leverage existing ACCEPT-Africa platforms, cohorts, protocols, laboratory capabilities, partnerships and research infrastructure to achieve clearly defined outputs within the award period.

Applicants must submit a proposal addressing one of the three priority research areas below.

Priority Research Areas

Priority Area 1: Pharmacokinetics of drugs used for diseases of outbreak potential

Priority Area 2: Biomarkers and diagnostics for drug development which could be viral, immunological or other markers that can be used to assess treatment response or severity of highly infectious diseases of outbreak potential

Priority Area 3: Social and Behavioral Research on Epidemic Clinical Trials

Funding Available

ACCEPT-Africa intends to make three competitive research awards, subject to satisfactory scientific review and availability of funds.

Maximum Award

Each successful project may receive funding of up to US$15,000.

Applicants are expected to submit realistic and well-justified budgets directly linked to the proposed research activities and outputs.

Eligible costs may include research personnel support, laboratory reagents and consumables, sample processing and analysis, data collection, participant-related research costs, field activities, data management and analysis, stakeholder/community engagement directly related to the research, and dissemination of findings.

Major capital equipment and costs not directly attributable to delivery of the proposed research should generally not constitute a substantial proportion of the requested budget.

Application Requirements

Applicants should submit a concise application package containing:                  

  1. CV and personal statement (use the NIH template)
  2. 2 letters of recommendations (ACCEPT-Africa site PI and one proposed mentor)
  3. Proposal (download the template.docx)
  4. Budget (maximum US$15,000)

Key Timelines

Milestone

Date/Period

Call opens

September 2026

Application deadline

16th October 2026

Scientific and technical review

November 2026

Notification of successful applicants

Late November 2026

Anticipated project commencement

December 2026

Applications must be received by 16th October 2026. Late or substantially incomplete applications will not be considered.