Dear all,
There is a PhD studentship available at Roslin, Edinburgh University, in machine learning and veterinary epidemiology. If you know of any talented statistics or computer scientist student with an interest
in infectious disease, or a veterinarian or biology student with an interest and talent for quantitative methods, please forward the below information. The phd will be supervised by Drs Sam Lycett, Thibaud Porphyre, Gustaf Rydevik, and Mark Bronsvoort. The
deadline for applications is the 18th of April, and the starting date is flexible.
Best regards,
Gustaf
A PhD studentship is available at Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, funded by the Scottish Government Centre of Expertise in animal disease outbreaks and investigation - EPIC 3 (http://epicscotland.org).
This studentship will be focused on applying machine learning approaches to animal disease surveillance, identifying farms at high risk for outbreaks as a stepping-stone towards risk based surveillance.
Accurate, rapid disease diagnosis underpins the surveillance and control of infectious diseases. Machine learning offers the opportunity to enhance the interpretation of diagnostic tests. In previous work, we have identified preliminary risk factors for bovine
Tuberculosis (bTB) cases in Scottish Cattle. In this project, you will extend this approach by using probabilistic and optimisation techniques to identify and automatically extract the underlying patterns of such risk factors and combine them with other sources
of information to inform where to target interventions and surveillance efforts. One major challenge is that information on such risk factors is often incomplete, and a standard statistical approach would mean that incomplete observations are excluded from
analysis. More flexible Bayesian and/or machine learning methodologies could circumvent this issue.
As the project develops, there may be opportunities to expand into syndromic surveillance for incursions of exotic diseases, using unsupervised learning to identifying patterns in semi-structured animal autopsy data from surveillance centres across Scotland.
Applicants should have a strong quantitative background, with at least a 2:1 and/or masters degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, physics, economics or similar. Previous experience in data science, machine learning and/or statistics, and computer
languages R / Python / C / Java, would be an advantage but there will be the opportunity to receive training on our masters programmes. An interest and knowledge of the livestock industry, or of infectious diseases would also be of benefit. The position is
based at the world leading animal biosciences centre, The Roslin Institute (http://www.roslin.ed.ac.uk),
which is part of the University of Edinburgh Veterinary School, and the student will be part of the dynamic and expanding multidisciplinary EERA group (www.eeragroup.org).
All applicants must have evidence of their English language ability, please see http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/international/english/postgraduate for
details.
For more information, contact Dr. Mark Bronsvoort at [log in to unmask]" style="box-sizing: border-box; word-break: break-all; -webkit-hyphens: auto;">[log in to unmask] or
Dr. Gustaf Rydevik at [log in to unmask]" style="box-sizing: border-box; word-break: break-all; -webkit-hyphens: auto;">[log in to unmask]
Applications including a statement of interest and full CV with names and addresses (including email addresses) of two academic referees, should be sent to: Liz Archibald, The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG
or emailed to [log in to unmask]" style="box-sizing: border-box; word-break: break-all; -webkit-hyphens: auto;">[log in to unmask].
When applying for the studentship please state clearly the title of the studentship and the supervisor/s in your covering letter.
Funding Notes
The studentship will be funded for three years, covering student fees and a stipend of £14,296, tax free, per annum. Funding is available to cover
fees at the ’home’ fee status level charged to UK and EU citizens – if the student is outside the EU, they may have to pay some additional fees. For information on fee status please see View
Website .
Statistician & EPIC Research Fellow
Roslin Institute, Edinburgh University
Phone: +44(0) 74 253 760 42
