Application Deadline
2/17/2021 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Apply here.
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.
A research opportunity is currently available with the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch (WDPB), Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases (DFWED), in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
NCEZID aims to protect public health from a wide range of infectious diseases, focusing on diseases that have been around many years, emerging diseases, and zoonotic diseases. NCEZID’s work is guided in part by a holistic “One Health” strategy, which recognizes the vital interconnectedness of microbes and the environment. Part of this focus on environmental disease transmission involves laboratory investigations of the interactions between water (e.g., agricultural water, produce wash water) and food to prevent foodborne illness and control disease outbreaks.
Joining DFWED, the selected participant will train with the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch on laboratory research related to parasitic disease surveillance and outbreak investigations. Under the guidance of a mentor, specific training activities may include:
- Participate in the management of sequence and wgMLST data submitted to a national database for Cryptosporidium
- Detect and manage waterborne disease clusters based on sequence and wgMLST data
- Observe how to be a liaison between multiple state and federal stakeholders during outbreak investigations, including epidemiologists, microbiologists, and environmental scientists
- Perform ongoing QA/QC measures for data submissions and provide troubleshooting assistance for participating public health laboratories
- Maintain the internal laboratory database following quality standards
- Contribute to the coordination of the design and programming of the internal laboratory database and national sequence and wgMLST database
- Prepare reports for outbreak investigations and system performance
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: Winter 2020
This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. The initial appointment can be up to one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at CDC in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's or master's degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing one of the degrees and will reach completion by December 2020. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.
Preferred skills:
- Strong dry laboratory and analytical skills in the area of molecular microbiology, health informatics, and/or bioinformatics
- Strong quantitative skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Access or other relational database management systems; and other Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Strong programming skills in various computer languages, especially R and Python
- Strong communication skills, including experience developing communication tools such as newsletters, presentations, and other written products
- Excellent skills for preparing written documents and giving oral presentations
Eligibility Requirements
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2020 11:59:00 PM.
- Discipline(s):