Doctoral scholarship holder medical sciences

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Department: Vaccine & infectious disease institute
Regime Full-time

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20 000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Together we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

The Global Health Institute and the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at University of Antwerp (UAntwerp) is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of medical sciences.

The Global Health Institute's (GHI) mission is to conduct research aimed at improving the health of people worldwide, build capacity for global health research and engage in the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based interventions for health problems in low- and middle-income countries. Research activities cover different areas such as reproductive health, chronic disease management, (neglected) infectious diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases (www.uantwerpen.be/en/rg/global-health-institute).

The Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV) specialises in initiating and conducting clinical (vaccine) studies to contribute to science, prevention of infectious diseases, and adequate health policies for all (https://www.uantwerpen.be/nl/onderzoeksgroep/cev/).

Background

There is a great need for a vaccine that can prevent or mitigate Mpox outbreaks in vulnerable populations. Recently, an Mpox strain of clade 1, which is sexually transmissible, has led to a cluster of infections in regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a result, the DRC is facing the largest ever increase in Mpox cases. Since 1 January 2023, nearly 19,000 suspected cases of Mpox and more than 1,000 deaths have been reported in the DRC. While Mpox often leads to limited disease, it can cause severe complications, particularly in vulnerable populations such as infants/children and pregnant women. The effectiveness of current vaccines against clade 1 Mpox is uncertain, but data from animal trials are promising.

As part of the PIPoxVac consortium (where Antwerp University is coordinator), we will conduct a phase 3 randomised vaccine trial of a two-dose Mpox vaccine in healthy pregnant and postpartum women and children between 6 months and 2 years old. This study will assess the safety, immunogenicity, and (if possible) efficacy of the vaccine in these populations. We are also conducting a social science study on vaccine hesitancy and participation in vaccine research to inform research design and implementation approaches.

To perform this high quality research within the PIPoxVac project, the Global Health Institute and the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination are looking for a doctoral scholarship holder in the field of medical sciences to join and strengthen their team.

Position

  • You will work together with other team members to collect and analyse data from the PIPoxVac project. The study focuses on:
    • The safety and immunogenicity of the MVA-BN, MVA-BN vaccine regimen as pre-exposure prophylaxis in pregnant and postpartum women and their neonate/infant;
    • The safety and efficacy of the MVA-BN, MVA-BN vaccine regimen as post-exposure prophylaxis in pregnant and postpartum women and their neonate/infant;
    • The safety and immunogenicity of the MVA-BN, MVA-BN vaccine regimen as pre-exposure prophylaxis in infants/children 6 months to 2 years old.
  • You will be in charge of:
    • Collecting data in the DR Congo (and other potential study sites), in collaboration with the project team members;
    • Ensuring the quality of the data collected through data monitoring and quality control;
    • Analysing the data collected and discussing the analyses together with the other team members.
  • You will participate in the writing of the final reports of the project and of other academic papers, to be presented at (inter)national conferences;
  • You will actively participate in other activities of the PIPoxVac project;
  • You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis;
  • You will, as a doctoral student, receive opportunities for continuous education as part of your doctoral school trajectory (see Antwerp Doctoral School)
  • You will be supervised by Dr. Ynke Larivière and the PIPoxVac project coordinators, who have a direct functional link with the Principal Investigators of the ongoing Mpox vaccine trial in Boende, DR Congo, who are based at the University of Kinshasa.

Profile

  • You have a Master’s degree in (Bio)Medical or Health sciences (biomedical sciences, medicine, vaccinology, (clinical) epidemiology, pharmacology, or other relevant discipline);
  • You can demonstrate expertise and experience in implementing quantitative (and mixed-methods) research approaches in clinical trials or other relevant studies;
  • Knowledge of and experience with electronic data capturing tools (e.g. RedCap, etc.);
  • Knowledge of and experience with quantitative research;
  • Demonstrating expertise and experience in conducting quantitative data analysis in for example R, SAS, etc.;
  • Experience with computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (e.g. NVivo) is an asset;
  • You are available and willing to travel and conduct research in the DR Congo (and other potential sites in Africa), in contexts where essential services are often lacking;
  • You have experience and/or strong interest in the research topic;
  • You have advanced knowledge of English, (very) good knowledge of French, knowledge of Dutch is an asset;
  • You have excellent social and organizational skills;
  • You are flexible and have a strong sense of initiative and responsibility;
  • You work productively with minimal supervision and to be able to set and meet timelines;
  • You can work in a multicultural team environment;
  • You have good communication and written skills;
  • Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies;
  • You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation;
  • You are eager to learn, respect rules and arrangements, are punctual, and work independently;
  • You have a high proficiency with MS Office.

What we offer

  • We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of 12 months, starting November 1st 2024. The scholarship can be renewed following a positive evaluation;
  • Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
  • You will receive ecocheques, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting;
  • You will do most of your work at University of Antwerp (at GHI) in a dynamic and stimulating working environment with frequent travels (approx. 3-5 times per year) and short term (approx. 1-2 weeks) stays to the DR Congo or other African countries;
  • Flexible working hours;
  • An intellectually stimulating, international and socially committed environment and collaborative network, with room for personal initiative;
  • Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

  • You can apply for this job through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform until September 16th, 2024, 24h CET. Click on 'apply for job', complete the online application form and don’t forget to include the following document: motivation letter and your CV.
  • The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision has been made, we will inform you about the next step(s) in the selection procedure.
  • If you have any questions about the content of the job or the PIPoxVac project, please contact Dr. Ynke Larivière, ynke.lariviere@uantwerpen.be. Prof. Pierre Van Damme, pierre.vandamme@uantwerpen.be (head of CEV) or Prof. Jean-Pierre Van geertruyden, jean-pierre.vangeertruyden@uantwerpen.be (head of GHI). If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the Frequently Asked Questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerp.be.

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

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