Postdoctoral Research Associate- Sundaram

Postdoctoral Research Associate
- Sundaram

The Sundaram Laboratory within the Precision One Health Initiative in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to investigate the ecology of animal reservoirs and wildlife infectious disease outbreaks, and how these processes shape the emergence of zoonotic diseases in humans.

Research in the laboratory seeks to answer fundamental questions such as:
Which wildlife species serve as reservoirs for emerging pathogens? What ecological conditions promote wildlife disease outbreaks? Why do some wildlife outbreaks spill over into humans while others do not? Can zoonotic outbreaks be anticipated from ecological patterns before human transmission occurs?

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to pursue these and related questions while contributing to a growing research program integrating disease ecology, macroecology, epidemiology, machine learning, and spatial modeling.

Research Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will contribute to the following research activities:
Develop and curate global databases of wildlife reservoirs, pathogen occurrence, and infectious disease outbreaks. Create, process, and integrate environmental, ecological, and socioeconomic GIS layers relevant to pathogen transmission and reservoir ecology. Conduct spatial, statistical, and machine learning analyses to identify ecological drivers of pathogen persistence, wildlife outbreaks, and zoonotic spillover. Develop predictive models linking wildlife disease dynamics with human zoonotic outbreaks.

Publish findings in leading scientific journals.

Projects span a broad range of pathogens and host systems, providing considerable flexibility for the successful candidate to pursue their own scientific interests while contributing to a larger research program focused on understanding and predicting zoonotic disease emergence. The position offers extensive opportunities to develop expertise in GIS, spatial statistics, machine learning, macroecology, and large-scale ecological databases.

Funding is currently available for five years. The position will be based at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where the Principal Investigator is located.

About the Laboratory:
The successful candidate will be mentored by Dr. Mekala Sundaram, Assistant Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, with a joint appointment at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Research in the Sundaram Laboratory integrates ecology, epidemiology, spatial analysis, machine learning, and statistical modeling to understand pathogen reservoirs, wildlife disease outbreaks, and zoonotic disease emergence.

Current projects span wildlife reservoir forecasting, outbreak prediction, infectious disease ecology, and spatial epidemiology.

Our laboratory values scientific curiosity, collaboration, independence, and mentorship. We strive to provide postdoctoral scholars with the freedom to develop their own research ideas while receiving close mentorship in publishing, grant writing, scientific communication, and career development.

Applications should be submitted through the University of Georgia Jobs website. Applicants should upload:
1. Cover letter (maximum two pages) 2. Curriculum vitae
3. Contact information for three professional references 4. One representative publication Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The ideal candidate will have experience with one or more of the following:
Programming and statistical analyses in R. Developing and managing large ecological or epidemiological datasets. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), including creation and manipulation of spatial environmental layers. Statistical, spatial, or machine learning analyses using ecological, epidemiological, or environmental data. Developing reproducible analytical workflows and managing large datasets. Experience in disease ecology, macroecology, wildlife ecology, epidemiology, spatial ecology, biogeography, or related quantitative disciplines is desirable.

Experience working with large georeferenced datasets is particularly advantageous.