Research Assistant

Job Purpose You will contribute to a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship grant entitled “Date-driven Approaches to Accelerate Rabies Elimination (DARE)”, working with Professor Katie Hampson and an international team of scientists. The post holder will work with public health and veterinary government officials and research scientists from collaborating institutions to develop a targeted mass dog vaccination intervention aimed at improving mass dog vaccination coverage. The intervention will be evaluated through analysis of data directly related to process and implementation as well as resulting epidemiological and public health outcomes. The approach will be developed and documented to enable comparison across multiple countries to leverage learning from different settings and for tailoring interventions to fit context. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow. Main Duties and Responsibilities Perform the following activities in conjunction with and under the guidance of the Principal Investigator: 1. Plan and conduct assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and project/group/School/College research strategy. 2. Compile and review data from dog-mediated rabies and mass vaccination interventions in the Philippines and work with local government partners to describe the historical and contemporary context for the planned intervention and the baseline for its evaluation. 3. With stakeholders and international partners develop a theory of change for the intervention and a protocol for implementation in the Philippines 4. Work with other project members to plan a pilot implementation and evaluation of the intervention. 5. Liaise with national and international partners to ensure data quality and equitable intellectual engagement opportunities. 6. Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.
7. Develop and enhance your research profile and reputation and that of The University of Glasgow and the School of Biodiversity One Health and Veterinary Medicine, including contributing to publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed journals, enhancing the research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit, and gathering indicators of esteem. 8. Contribute to the presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile. 9. Contribute to the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research. 10. Collaborate with colleagues and participate in team/group meetings/seminars/workshops across the research Group/School/College/University and wider community. 11. Contribute to the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development. 12. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including Budgets/Expenditure. 13. Carry out modest Teaching activities (e.g., demonstrating etc.) and associated admin as assigned by the Head of School and in consultation with Principal Investigator. 14. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in implementation science, dog rabies control and epidemiology. 15. Engage in continuing professional development activities as appropriate. 16. Undertake any other duties of equivalent standing as assigned by the Head of School/Director of Research Institute. Knowledge/Qualifications Essential: A1 SCQF Level 10 (Honours degree) in veterinary medicine. A2 Specialist theoretical and practical knowledge of veterinary interventions and One Health. A3 A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of the wider subject area or subject specialism A4 Quantitative epidemiology training to postgraduate level Desirable: B1 An awarded (or recently submitted or near completion) MSc in One Health or epidemiology Skills Essential: C1 Good understanding of veterinary epidemiology C2 Knowledge in implementation research for carrying out intervention studies in communities C3 Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentations and ability to communicate complex data/concepts clearly and concisely C4 Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach
C5 Appropriate workload/time/project/budget/people management skills C6 Data management skills sufficient to organize data from different sources and enable sharing among international partners C7 A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of current issues and future directions within the wider subject areas of One Health or animal vaccination programmes C8 Sufficient depth of relevant research experience, normally including some field experience in a related field, appropriate to an early career researcher Desirable: D1 A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of dog-mediated rabies control and epidemiology Experience Essential: E1 Sufficient relevant research experience (or equivalent) appropriate to an early career researcher E2 Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner E3 Evidence of an emerging track record of publications in a relevant field E4 Experience in coordinating and implementing mass dog vaccination activities and in rabies surveillance in communities in low and middle-income countries E5 Experience working with local governments in low and middle-income countries E6 Sufficient depth of relevant research experience, normally including sufficient postdoctoral experience in a related field, appropriate to an early career researcher E7 Ability to demonstrate a degree of independence as illustrated by identification of project objectives from assessment of the literature, design & analysis of interventions & drafting of papers. Please note that as part of your application you must address and demonstrate how you meet EACH of the essential/desirable criteria, point by point. Additional Information The Hampson lab is part of the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine, with collaborations within the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research and the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, providing a unique, cross-cutting interdisciplinary environment for research on rabies. The institution holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, demonstrating commitment to best practice in recruiting and supporting the career development and progression of female scientists, addressing gender inequalities in higher education. Work in the Hampson lab focuses on the elimination of dog-mediated rabies by developing and applying cutting-edge tools and technologies to transform the implementation of rabies surveillance, control and prevention. Our approach is underpinned by developing a mechanistic understanding of transmission dynamics and iteratively combining methodological development with implementation science. The work spans multiple low- and middle-income countries with long-term studies ongoing in Tanzania and the Philippines, collaborations with governments and research institutions across Latin America, Southeast Asia and Eastern Africa as well as with international organizations and non-governmental organizations. Our School is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. As we are a merging of two Athena Swan Silver award winning bodies (the School of Veterinary Medicine and the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine) we aim to achieve an Athena Swan award for the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine The award demonstrates our commitment to best practice in recruiting and supporting the career development and progression of female scientists, addressing gender inequalities in higher education. The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) employment in academia. https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/bohvm/athenaswan/ The College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences was re-shaped last year to create 8 new Schools that bring staff together around thematic strengths, across the strategic pillars of education, research and innovation. More information on the College re-shape can be accessed here: MVLS 2025. The new College shape took effect from August 2022 and this post will be based in the School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine. http://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvls/mvls2025/ Terms and Conditions Salary will be Grade 6, £30,502 - £34,308 per annum pro rata. This post is part-time (20 hours per week), and has funding up to 30 April 2026. As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity. As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared. 2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages. 3 A flexible approach to working. 4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/. We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/. We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University. We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.