The University of York, Scotland’s Rural College(SRUC)
Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS)
PhD Studentship
Mathematical and statistical methods to quantify behavioural responses to disease
Applications are sought from exceptional candidates with backgrounds in mathematical or related disciplines, for the above PhD position jointly offered by the University of York, SRUC and Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS). The studentship, based at BioSS in Edinburgh, provides the opportunity to acquire highly transferrable skills in state-of-the-art methods for stochastic and statistical modelling, and will carry out research into the interaction between disease dynamics and behavioural responses to disease.
Observed patterns of disease are the result of epidemiological processes including pathogen transmission in structured host populations and disease progression within hosts, combined with the behavioural responses of hosts to perceptions about the disease. However, most modelling studies of disease dynamics fail to account for individual behaviour. The aim of this project is to develop tools and theory to quantify and understand the effect of behaviour on the dynamics, persistence and prevalence of disease.
This project will apply cutting-edge statistical approaches (e.g. data augmentation MCMC)to fit a range of computational models, and develop theory based on simulation and analysis of stochastic processes. It will focus on two contrasting examples, the response of urban populations to changes in the incidence of dengue fever, such as through taking preventative measures, and farmer response to livestock disease, in particular Bovine Tuberculosis and the perceived risks associated with it. The project will use the tools thus developed to look at the relationships between disease control strategies, such as the application of diagnostic tests in the case of TB or management of disease carriers in the case of dengue fever, and individual behaviour. This will increase our understanding of risk factors associated with disease and will provide important information to help design and assess control strategies for this disease of national and international importance.
In addition to mathematical abilities (with a 2:1 or higher in mathematics or a related discipline), candidates should be in possession of strong IT skills and be able to demonstrate the ability to communicate research both at a general level and to scientists from a range of disciplines. It is anticipated that the successful candidates will foster strong links across all of the research groups involved as well as more broadly with other partner organisations and beyond. Experience with any of stochastic processes, dynamical systems, Bayesian statistics, MCMC, R and C++, as well as experience working with and understanding research literature will all be highly beneficial. It is expected that the students will present their work at national and international conferences, as well as attending workshops and summer schools.
The stipend for this studentship is £14,057 pa (subject to revision in 2016) over three years, with an anticipated start date of 1stSeptember 2016 (although the position is available from January 2016 and a different start date is negotiable depending on circumstances). The successful applicants will be based at BioSS in Edinburgh, registered for a PhD at the University of York, and will be expected to make frequent visits to all partner institutions.
To discuss the position informally, potential candidates are invited to contact Prof.Glenn Marion () or Dr Ross Davidson ().To apply please fill out the online application form available at including a CV and covering letter explaining why you are suited to the post. Alternatively application packs can be requested from l 0131 535 4028 quoting reference SRUC/1030402/Davidson
The closing date for the return of applications is31st January 2016. We expect to hold interviews on Friday 5th of February.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF STUDENTSHIP
PhD Studentship - Mathematical and statistical methods to quantify behavioural responses to disease
SRUCSRUC – A Higher Education Institute for the Rural Sector
SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) is a widely respected higher education institute dedicated to producing specialist research, delivering high quality education and providing comprehensive consultancy services in the rural sector within the UK and beyond. An organisation unique in Scotland and one of the largest organisations of its kind in Europe; we aim to lead the way in innovation and sustainable development in the agriculture and rural sectors at local, national and international levels.
A cornerstone of SRUC is our internationally respected research, which seeks to address the major challenges of growing global demand for food, climate change and dwindling natural resources. Drawing on this foundation of cutting edge research, much of SRUC’s emphasis is on knowledge transfer and exchange.
A large part of the business is devoted to the education of over 8000 students, and by combining high quality relevant courses and excellence in teaching and support we are able to offer our students the opportunity to progress in their studies from access level right up to PhD.
Working closely with both education and research SRUC Consulting is a division of SRUC which delivers leading edge advice and consultancy to over 12,000 clients in Scotland and the North of England. Our consultancy services for farm and rural business include diversification, crops, livestock, business management, food and drink and veterinary services.
We have approximately 1500 members of staff working in over 50 locations across Scotland, and the organisation’s annual turnover is around £78m.
Our Ambitions
- Develop within SRUC academic resources which have national impact and global influence.
- Become a global leader in land-based research and consultancy services.
- Operate as a sustainable, well-resourced organisation with exemplary environmental credentials and real ownership amongst students, staff and stakeholders.
- Build on our assets and reputation.
Our research
SRUC receives Grant-in-Aid from the Scottish Government. For research, this is about £8m per annum. Total research income, including Grant-in-Aid and funds won competitively from other sources, is around £19m per annum. In SRUC Research there are about 260 staff, of which around 100 are Project Scientists.
The vision for SRUC Research is to be a lead institution, nationally and internationally, conducting applied research to enhance the rural economy and environment. SRUC is distinct from many other organisations in the close integration of its three functions. Consultancy services and knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) underpinned by rigorous R & D is at the centre of our business
In addition to normal expectations of research quality, we expect our research to be relevant to a problem area where there is a real stakeholder need. The programme is tailored to emphasise, as the dominant theme, end-user pull whilst maintaining a strong spirit of innovation. The programme of SRUC Research is established through discussion and interaction with end-users and stakeholders and the route to application is planned on a reasonable timescale. We expect our researchers, in their interactions with stakeholders, not only to be responsive to current stakeholder interests but also to have the imagination and capability to be proactive in identifying opportunities and potential longer-term benefits for end-users and stakeholders. This includes recognising and helping to deliver into practice the potential of new technological developments.
We put a strong emphasis on economics and socio-economics work as a core area of research in its own right but also as a contextual driver for the whole of the research programme. The evolution of national, EU and World trade policies and their impacts on agriculture, the land-based sector and the development of rural policy is a strong driving force for the kinds of research endeavour in which we are involved. It is becoming increasingly important that we are capable of addressing issues, through research, that arise out of policies at these various levels, but also that we play a significant part in considering potential future scenarios that are likely to impinge on future developments of policy. There is therefore a growing emphasis on horizon scanning as part of the process through which SRUC develops its activities to be consistent, not only with current needs, but also to help anticipate future ones.
Our research is organised in 4 research areas:
oLand Economy, Environment and Society
oCrop and Soil Systems
oAnimal and Veterinary Science
oFuture Farming Systems
We collaborate widely with other research institutes and research groups, nationally and internationally, to add depth and breadth to our research activities. Of particular importance here are the other ‘Main Research Providers’ that, like SRUC, are funded by Scottish Government to do research. We have close collaborations with the James Hutton Institute (Aberdeen and Dundee) in environmental, plant and crop research, the Moredun Research Institute (Edinburgh) in animal health research and Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland. The Scottish Government’s new research strategy is forging yet stronger links between SRUC’s research and that in the MRPs. This provides exciting opportunities for further research developments. SRUC is also a partner in the Easter Bush Research Consortium (see - one of the largest groups focussed on the biology of companion and production animals in the world. Most SRUC animal and veterinary science researchers recently transferred to a new purpose-built building together with research staff from the Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
Many applied problems facing end-users are multi-dimensional. Research to find solutions to such issues needs to take multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches. The SRUC Research programme is being developed progressively to build multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to research as the core of the programme, strengthening systems research and modelling, with the Land Economy research area informing research prioritisation through its analysis of policy and context. The conceptual structure of our research programme and the way it links to knowledge transfer services can be pictured as follows:
The real measure of success in our research programme is not simply knowledge generation and publication in learned journals, although that is as important to us as to any other modern research institution. Rather we plan to see the outcomes of our research developed with and transferred to end-users and beneficiaries as effectively as possible, combining the strengths of our researchers, teachers and trainers and consultants to do this.
Disease Systems Team
The Disease Systems Research Team, part of the Animal and Veterinary Science group, works in a number of research areas relating toidentifying, characterising and quantifying the key biological processes that drive disease persistence and spread in livestock systems of production. In particular those that are sensitive to manipulation for the purpose of disease control. Within Disease Systems many of our projects involve modelling and statistics. Often these models use large scale data sets to parameterise the underlying population models and/or the infection process which runs on that population. The fully parameterised models are then important tools for making predictions about the impact of various changes to the system, such as management and control.
The University of YorkThe University of York is ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world and is ranked second in the UK for research in environment and ecology. The Environment Department is an interdisciplinary department of around 70 staff and 500 students, and hosts the Directorate for the NERC Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BESS) programme. Our guiding principle is that issues of sustainable development demand interdisciplinary research across the interface between natural, physical and social sciences. This interdisciplinary ethos is unique among university departments in the UK and the Department has established an international reputation for excellence and innovation at the forefront of environmental research. Our strength has recently been augmented by the transfer of the Stockholm Environment Institute at York into the Department and the establishment of the York Environmental Sustainability Institute to bring all environment-facing research at York under a single umbrella. The Department will be moving into a new purpose-built building in autumn 2015.
The Department conducts world-leading research on topics of global environmental importance. The impact of our research in ecology and environmental science is ranked 2nd in the UK and 17th in the world (THE). All research themes have major impacts on national and international environmental policy, helping to shape the debate in a diversity of policy arenas. Our staff advise global policymakers including UNEP, FAO and WHO, support international NGOs such as WWF, and sit on national and international expert committees.
The interdisciplinary mission of the Department is founded on a mix of ecology, environmental science, human and physical geography, and environmental economics. You will also be a member of our graduate school, which, in addition to the PhD programme, includes MSc programmes in Environmental Science, Ecology and Environmental Management, Environmental Economics and Environmental Management, Marine Environmental Management, and Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management.
Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS)Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS), is one of the Main Research Providers for strategic research in environmental, agricultural and biological science funded by the Scottish Government. BioSS has an international reputation for its research and consultancy activities, bridging the gap between the development and application of biomathematics and statistics. It is committed to the dissemination of quantitative methods to the scientific community, government and the bio-industries. The BioSS vision is to improve science & society through an understanding of variation, uncertainty and risk. It undertakes research, consultancy and training (including PhD supervision) in mathematics and statistics as applied to agriculture, the environment, food and health. BioSS has extensive experience in the analysis of data and development of statistical tools for predictive modelling and quantitative risk and impact assessment. Dynamic systems models incorporating understanding of key processes are also employed to qualitatively and quantitatively assess risk and deliver actionable insights e.g. to mitigate risk. BioSS is formally part of The James Hutton Institute (JHI), a registered Scottish charity No. SC041796 and a company limited by guarantee No. SC374831.
BRIEF STATEMENT OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE STUDENTSHIPLEAD SUPERVISOR
Prof Glenn Marion
STIPEND
£14,057
This studentship is funded to pay the tuition fees of UK/European Union nationals only. Candidates from countries outside the EU will be liable for the difference between ’home student fees’ and ’international student fees’ which was £12,554 in 2014/15 but is likely to increase slightly each year. Non-EU students who wish to be considered for this studentship must confirm their ability to pay the international portion of the fee. If selected, financial assurances will be required.
DURATION OF STUDENTSHIP
3 years
ANY ADDITIONAL STIPEND:
Funding will be available for travel to conferences including at least one international conference.
STUDENTSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Postgraduate Student development is of major importance to all partner institutions and accordingly, we try to provide every opportunity for appropriate training. A wide variety of academic and personal development courses are available through each of the partner institutions. Students will discuss training needs with their supervisors and appropriate courses will be selected from those available. It is also expected that students will attend and present at a number of academic conferences and workshops.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Competencies / Essential / DesirableEducation / Qualifications / 2:1 or higher Degree in mathematics or similar discipline / Use of research literature e.g. during project/dissertation
Skills / Abilities / Good IT and communication skills / Experience with any of stochastic processes, dynamical systems, complex systems, Bayesian statistics, MCMC, R and C++, as well as experience working with and understanding research literature will all be highly beneficial.
Experience / Work experience demonstrating organisational skills
Knowledge / Mathematics consistent with qualification requirements.
Other Requirements
ADDITIONAL
DRIVING LICENCE
Not required
NO SMOKING POLICY
SRUC operates a ‘No Smoking’ policy.
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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIESEQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY STATEMENT
It is the policy of SRUC to provide equality of opportunity for all applicants for postgraduate studentships.
This policy of equal opportunity will apply regardless of a person’s gender, age, marital status, parental status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender reassignment, transexualism or physical or mental disability, or any other inappropriate distinction.
SRUC is committed to the development and use of procedures and practices, which do not discriminate and which will provide genuine equality of opportunity for all students.
DISABILITY POLICY STATEMENT
SRUC is committed to a positive and pro-active approach to people who have a disability. SRUC would seek to enable students with any such disability to pursue their work in equality with all other employees, through recognition of the additional support they may need to achieve this.
Please inform the Main Supervisor if any adjustments or support are required for interview, or whether any adjustments or adaptations may help you overcome operational difficulties presented by the studentship.
When recruiting new students we are required to ensure that the character and background of applicants are thoroughly assessed. to maintain and implement an effective risk assessment and recruitment policy. We therefore ask that references from your application form are taken up as part of the selection process. We also ask applicants to fill in the following:
- SELF DISCLOSURE (CHARACTER ENQUIRY)
All applicants are required to complete the Self Disclosure (Character Enquiry) Form.
The purpose of the Self Disclosure (Character Enquiry) Form is to allow applicants to disclose their convictions in full to ensure that SRUC can assess the disclosed information fairly and to make informed decisions as to whether or not the convictions are relevant to the studentship applied for.