The position
At the National Centre for Disease Control & Public Health (NCDC), a full-time position as Postdoctoral Fellow is available for a period of three (3) years.

The project
The Postdoctoral Fellow will be associated with the research project «Georgia – A Global Health Capacity”. The main objective of the project is to use data from the Georgian Birth Registry (GBR) to do research in the field of perinatal health/antenatal health. Register- based population studies with high attendance rates and mapping are needed to gain knowledge of more effective public health interventions.

We will use data from the GBR for analyses and quality control/quality assurance, including audit-type data. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be part of a multidisciplinary team including colleagues in computer science, epidemiology, medicine and molecular biology, not only in Georgia, but in Norway, specifically at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, in addition to other international partners.

Qualifications
It is a condition of employment that the applicant holds an internationally-approved PhD or an equivalent degree in epidemiology.

Since the focus of the project is epidemiological studies linked with birth registry data and the possible importance for public health interventions, candidates must be able to document competence and experience in epidemiology, statistics and perinatal health research. The candidate must have experience in analyzing large datasets using programmable software. Knowledge of and interest in learning novel statistical methods are prerequisites.

Experience in communication of research results to various audiences and international collaboration will be emphasized. The candidate must be able to document proficient spoken and written English and Georgian. Skills in writing scientific publications in English are essential.  

Personal skills and project-compatibility will be emphasized. We are seeking a highly motivated and responsible candidate who should be able to work independently and interactively in a team setting. The candidate should have excellent analytical skills, and also have a great work capacity and enthusiasm for research. It would be a great asset if the candidate has experience in implementation of health registries in developing countries.

The candidate should be prepared for frequent travels to Norway and involvement in some teaching activities in the EU- project: “Building Academic Capacity in Global Health in the Eastern Europe - Central Asia Region – BACE”

Application
Your application must include:

-          Cover letter explaining your motivation and research interests

-          CV - containing a complete overview of education, experience, professional work and references 2-3 references with contact details

-          List of academic works up to 10 academic works. The doctoral thesis is here counted as one work.

-          Description of the attached works, and a short description of other works to show breadth of output.

-          Diplomas and transcripts from completed degrees: diploma and transcript of Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (in original language and translated) diploma and transcript of Master’s degree or equivalent (in original language and translated) Diploma and transcript of PhD

You must also submit a project proposal, that describe of how you scientifically can contribute to (the project/described field of research). The proposal must include a progress plan.

Documentation has to be in English.

We offer
Exciting work tasks in an interdisciplinary research field Involvement in an interesting research project
A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues
A large degree of independence in work
Flexible working hours

The appointment is for a period of 3 years. The employee will work 75% of the time on the project and 25% on relevant tasks at NCDC in Tbilisi.  

Brief information on National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC)

National Center for Disease Control and Public Health is designated as a central agency for public health in Georgia. The NCDC is a legal entity of Public Law accountable to the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs with a dedicated line in the State budget. The NCDC provides national leadership in preventing and controlling communicable and non-communicable diseases through developing national standards and guidelines, health promotion, disease surveillance, immunization, laboratory work, research, providing expert advice, and responding to public health emergencies. The NCDC provides health statistics to monitor population health and guide policy actions. NCDC has been a principal recipient of grants from the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. The Lugar Center for Public Health Research of NCDC is a top-tiered institution of the country’s laboratory network and serves as a reference laboratory for Georgia’s public health system.

Vision: “Our Knowledge - for Public Health”

Mission: Protection and improvement of health of the Georgian population through scientific, evidence-based prevention, preparedness and timely response to public health threats.

In response to the current challenges and the country’s development goals, to pursue NCDC vision, the Center has identified seven key directions.

NCDC seven major strategic priorities:

·         Decrease morbidity, disability, and mortality caused by communicable diseases;

·         Decrease morbidity, disability, and mortality caused by non-communicable diseases;

·         Prevent morbidity, disability and mortality caused by climate change and environmental factors;

·         Strengthen preparedness capacities for rapid and effective response to public health threats;

·         Develop applied and fundamental biomedical and biotechnological scientific research potential;

·         Develop electronic information systems;

·         Promote development of public health care system management.

Mandate:

·         Early detection and prevention of diseases;

·         Monitoring, evaluation and analysis of the health status of the population and risks;

·         Health promotion, education and awareness raising of the population;

·         Assessment of environmental hazards affecting human health;

·         Science and education promotion in public health;

·         Promotion of development of state rules, standards and regulations for public health, biosecurity and laboratory activity;

·         Preparing for and responding to public health emergencies and disasters.

A precondition of implementation of the Center’s mandate is strong infrastructure, modern laboratories and highly trained human resources.

The NCDC collaborates with European and American leading universities (Universities of Florida, Maryland, Emory, Johns Hopkins, North Arizona, Oslo, as well as Northern Arctic University UiT, Cardiff University), IANPHI. In the framework of a biological safety program is an intense partnership relationship with the Bundeswehr Microbiology institute. The NCDC has partner collaboration with WHO, US CDC, NIH, IHME, PHE, ECDC, The Mediterranean and Black Sea Regional Intervention Epidemiological Training Program  - MediPIET; MediLabSecure. The NCDC collaborates with Norwegian leading institutions, including the NIPH with its subordinate offices in Global Health: HQs on Cancer Registry (Oslo) and Birth Registry (Bergen). Moreover, it is implementing a joint project GeNoC-PH with the North Arctic University UiT. From a  scientific potential perspective the Center has long-term partnership relations with ISTC and STCU. In terms of technical assistance the NCDC cooperates with almost all UN and EU acting organizations in Georgia: UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, USAID, FAO, GAVI, WB.  It is also notable that it runs cooperation with leading pharmaceutical companies: Novartis Biotech, Abbott Diagnostics, Cepheid, FIND, other private labs and clinics. These collaborations covers scientific as well as public health important directions.

Employment

PostDoc will be employed by the NCDC. Postdoc will ensure distribution of working time accordingly: 75% scientific research and 25% NCDC related tasks.  

The employee will perform 25% tasks as follows:

·         PostDoc will be involved in Continuous Quality Monitoring and Improvement of the Registries at Population Registries Division of Medical Statistics Department;

·         At the end of the first and second year PostDoc is committed to submit a report on the activities performed over the year to the NCDC top management, Medical Statistics Department, Population Registries Division, Non-communicable Diseases Department and Maternal and Child Health and Reproductive Health Division;

·                     After three years PostDoc is committed to make a public presentation/report on the postdoctoral scientific work performed over the three years.