PhD Studentship in the mathematical modelling of infectious disease transmission and control

This project provides an excellent opportunity to develop state-of-the-art mathematical models and computational tools of emerging respiratory pathogens, within a world-renowned research group. The focus will be on the development and analysis of a novel class of within-host models of respiratory viruses dynamics. The models will address the challenges of model parametrisation given the available data, improve the description of the dynamical changes of viral load in different risk groups, and generate insights into the impact of antivirals in combination with that of the immune response. The within-host model will be linked to i) a clinical trial simulation, an essential tool in drug development, to inform the clinical trial design of novel treatments, ii) an individual-based transmission model of disease dynamics that will be used to assess the potential impact of novel treatments on controlling the transmission of emerging respiratory infections in highly heterogeneous populations. As part of this, the impact of the heterogeneity in the structure of the individuals contact network on disease transmission will be investigated.

The candidate will gain experience in a range of mathematical and computational techniques that are useful for the modelling of many real-life systems. These include the development and analysis of stochastic models, computer simulations, differential equations, statistical inference, analysis of clinical and epidemiological data.

Funding

• Fully-paid tuition fees for three and a half years at the home fee status.A tax-free bursary for living costs for three and a half years (£19,237 per annum in 2024/25).
• Additional financial support is provided to cover short-term and long-term
  travel.If you are not a UK national, nor an EU national with UK settled/pre-settled
• status, you will need to apply for a student study visa before admission.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold, or expect to hold, at least a UK upper second-class degree (or non-UK equivalent qualification) in Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Epidemiology, or a closely-related area, or else a lower second-class degree followed by a relevant Master's degree. They must have a strong background in mathematical modelling and an interest in infectious disease epidemiology and mathematical modelling in Biology and Medicine. Experience in parameter estimation, knowledge of Bayesian methods and computer programming skills would be an advantage. Good communication skills are also essential.

This award is open to UK and International students.

Deadline: 31^st January 2025.

How to apply

Apply through the University of Sussex on-line system, by clicking the 'Apply' button, above.

Select the PhD in Mathematics, with an entry date of May 2025 or September 2025.

In the Finance & Fees section, state that you wish to be considered for studentship no MAB/2025/01.

We advise early application as the position will be filled as soon as a suitable applicant can be found.

Due to the high volume of applications received, you may only hear from us if your application is successful.

Contact us

If you have practical questions about the progress of your on-line application or your eligibility, contact mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk

For academic questions about the project, please contact:

Dr Chris Hadjichrysanthou at c.hadjichrysanthou@sussex.ac.uk.

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