The Anses is recruiting Epidemiology and Modeling for One Health - Research Chair (M/W)

Position based in Ploufragan (22440), Britany, France
- 48-months fixed-term contract -

Date of taking office :
April 2025

Remuneration : 
According to the experience and the level of training by reference to the indexed grids of the health agencies or according to particular statute if civil servant.

Specific conditions :
Position based in Ploufragan with frequent travel to Rennes

Employment category :
Category 1 contractual agent

Plus d’information sur notre page recrutement. 

Your missions

Under the authority of the Head of the Epidemiology, Health, and Welfare Unit (EpiSABE) and in close collaboration with the Institute for Research in Health, Environment, and Work (IRSET). The future holder of the chair will work with his or her counterpart at IRSET to develop the teaching content and direct the associated research projects. The aim is to promote interdisciplinary research carried out within the framework of the "One Health" approach. These chairs of excellence will focus on better understanding the interdependence between animal, human, and environmental health, as well as addressing and analyzing the governance of health risks "that threaten the sustainability of human civilization, the environment, and the planet." The goal of this chair of excellence in modeling of infectious diseases in the context of global health is to integrate approaches developed in human health on the exposome and the epidemiology of health factors associated with this exposome with the infectious dynamics originating from animal populations, through strong interactions that enhance the development of the two associated chairs.

More specifically, you will aim to (i) develop research in modeling of infectious diseases within a One Health framework through the establishment of doctoral projects and the recruitment of PhD students and post-doctoral researchers; and (ii) co-develop a Master's level teaching program in epidemiology and modeling of infectious diseases at the Human/Animal/Environment interface.

Your team 

The Anses laboratory in Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort comprises over 200 people, organized into 8 research units and 2 experimental services. Through its research activities, the laboratory contributes to improving animal health and well-being, ensuring the sanitary quality of animal-derived products, and studying the safety of working conditions in livestock farming. This work is closely aligned with its supervising authorities, including the Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment, and Labor, as well as with production sectors (poultry, rabbits, fish, ruminants, and swine). The interdisciplinary approaches conducted at the laboratory, combining experimental infectiology, observational epidemiology, and epidemiological modeling, help assess health risks and management options through a One Health approach that integrates animal, human, and environmental compartments. The work carried out by the EpiSaBE unit of the laboratory is part of this dynamic, developing modeling tools with explanatory and predictive aims to better understand the conditions for the spread of pathogens within and between these different compartments and the potential control measures. You will work in a team that brings together on the same site epidemiologists specialized in diseases and the relevant animal sectors, modelers and biostatisticians, as well as infectiologists specialized in pathogens.

Working with us means :
Contribute on a daily basis to our collective and our commitments.

And can benefit from: 

• A dynamic skills development policy
• 10 days of telework per month (subject to conditions)
• Various benefits (company restaurant/tickets, RTT, activities offered through the staff association)

Practical info : 
The position is based in Ploufragan

Your work

In close collaboration with your counterpart at IRSET, within the EpiSaBE unit and in interaction with the laboratory's other units, you will focus on developing the content of this chair of excellence, which aims to develop tools for assessing the risk of pathogen transfer from the animal compartment to the human compartment and vice versa. The research project of the candidate will thus focus on:

• Producing the necessary data through the implementation of surveys and/or the exploitation of available data to parameterize the models, specifically including (i) the frequency of human exposure to exposome generated by animals in farming situations, whether in close proximity or at a greater distance (exposure distance between the source and the exposed); (ii) the frequency of cases of infections by the considered zoonotic pathogens; (iii) consultation with stakeholders in the sectors and managers on current prevention and control practices as well as (iv) the feasibility of alternative prevention and control scenarios and the associated technical and socio-economic constraints.
• Developing the necessary methodologies to be able to represent in a single model different organizations (human and animal) that interact directly or indirectly through the environment (multi-agent models). The integration of an SHS (Social Sciences and Humanities) component into the models also requires methodological developments to incorporate socio-economic factors into epidemiological modeling in the form of variables and feedback mechanisms that alter the dynamic behavior of the model.
• Co-developing a Master's level teaching program with your counterpart at IRSET on the themes of One Health / exposomics / epidemiology / modeling.

Your profile

Required Education and Experience :

• With an initial background as an engineer, agronomist, veterinarian, or academic, you hold a Ph.D. with, depending on your initial training, a specialization during your doctoral studies in dynamic modeling or in the biology of infectious agents. 
• Experience in modeling the spread of infectious agents during your Ph.D. is required. 
• One or more postdoctoral experiences abroad in the field of epidemiological modeling will be highly valued.

Skills :

• Dynamic modeling skills: Knowledge of deterministic/stochastic models, individual-based models, and matrix models.
• Programming skills: Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., Java, VB, C++, Python...) and programming software (e.g., MATLAB, Scilab, R...).
• Biostatistics skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with scientists from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to formulate a biological problem into a mathematical representation.
• General knowledge in bacteriology, virology, and immunology.
• Proficiency in English: writing and oral communication skills.

To apply :

Nicolas Rose nicolas.rose@anses.fr 

Send by 06/12/2024 at the latest to recrutement@anses.fr, letter of motivation + CV indicating the reference 2024-177 

www.anses.fr 

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