Latest Vacancies at Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI)

Description

The candidate will work on a project that seeks to establish whether the phenotypic properties of transmitted/founder HIV-1 viruses such as the replication capacity, influence the reprogramming of glucose metabolism in CD4+ T cells as well as the magnitude of the HIV reservoir in individuals taking antiretroviral therapy. This project will entail generating patient-derived gag-protease chimeric viruses that will be used in in-vitro infectivity experiments. The work will also involve experiments to measure cellular metabolism and HIV reservoir measurements. The main goal of this research is to contribute to novel strategies for achieving an HIV cure.

The candidate will be based at Africa Health Research Institute’s state-of-the-art facility in Durban, South Africa. The successful candidate will benefit from an integrated network of innovative international and local research collaborations that combine unique clinical samples and cutting-edge technology. Incumbents will be based in a lab that is equipped with flow cytometers, microscopy and immunohistochemistry equipment, including laser capture micro-dissection and spatial omics Nanostring technology. The MSc student will be afforded numerous mentorship opportunities and support towards the attainment of fellowship funding.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Honours degree in any of the following areas: immunology, cell biology, systems biology, virology, molecular biology, biochemistry or any related biomedical sciences.

Advantageous

• Experience in one of the following technologies/techniques: ELISA, PCR, flow cytometry, or sequencing.
• Experience in HIV lab research including virus characterization and tissue culture.
• Experience in human immunology and working in BSL3 will be most desirable.

 Scholarship Duration

• This master's scholarship will be valid for a period of 2-years.

Applications Closing Date: 15 December 2023

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Description

• The purpose of the Information Technology Support Specialist is to ensure that end-users receive optimal IT support in a timely manner. This position will be responsible for the day-to-day technical support to the end-users at all levels. This position will work closely with the Senior IT Server Engineer and report to Head of IT to bridge the gap between back-end server support, network infrastructure, remote site support and desktop implementation. You will also be responsible for assembling, preparing and presenting all operational statistics on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to Head of IT. The successful candidate will be required to be on standby whenever required and travel between AHRI sites and clinics in uMkhanyakude and Hlabisa district. This position is based at our AHRI-Somkhele campus.

Overview of duties

• Provide technical support to all aspects of the organisation’s various technical resources
• Server, Network and Storage related support and maintenance.
• Manage Active Directory accounts, groups and related changes.
• R&D, projects and provide recommendations to the IT management.
• Maintain the patch management and software update server, ensuring that campus computers are up-to-date and protected from known vulnerabilities.
• Perform monthly backup and restore testing.
• Ensure CMDB is accurate and kept up to date.
• To ensure compliance with IT policies and SOP’s.
• Diagnose and solve problems with PC and Apple computer equipment and related devices
• Maintain standard images used to deploy and reinstall computers.
• Prepare new computers for delivery and fill out appropriate inventory sheets in a timely manner.
• Set-up and deliver new equipment
• Manage inventory in IT storerooms and perform bi-annual equipment audits.
• Ensure that electronic equipment at the AHRI sites are always safe and secure.
• Travel between AHRI sites will be required
• Work closely with the line manager and carry out duties as directed.

Requirements

• Professional information technology certificates (degree/diploma advantageous) such as MCSA, CCNA, ITILv3
• Valid driver’s license

Minimum Experience

• 4+ years’ strong experience in IT support
• Experience working with Microsoft on-premise and cloud technologies
• Knowledge of Active Directory and Group Policies
• Strong Microsoft Windows operating systems experience
• Strong Microsoft Server Operating systems 2016, 2019, 2022 experience
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Cloud Technologies e.g. M365, Exchange Online, etc.
• Linux administrator skills and experience with Ubuntu Server LTS will be advantageous
• Strong experience with DHCP, DNS and General Networking
• Experience with VMWare and Veeam will be advantageous
• Experience in installing and mounting network devices e.g. IP camera’s, AV equipment

Closing date for applications: 29 December 2023

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Description

• The AHRI Research Associate candidate will be based within the Population Science Department at AHRI and will work on the Health and Demographic Surveillance system (HDSS) under the guidance of the Principal Investigator of the platform – Prof Collins Iwuji. The incumbent will provide day-to-day scientific input to HDSS and will work closely with the HDSS operations team and the research data management department at AHRI. The candidate will be supported to develop research that maximises the use of the large longitudinal data generated within the HDSS through leading data analysis and contributing to developing manuscripts for publication. They will also be a point of contact for other researchers at AHRI whose research activities are embedded within the HDSS. They will be expected to contribute to the development of junior staff members and the strategic progress of the Population Science department. This position is primarily based at AHRI Somkhele.

Overview of duties

• Design data collection tools
• Analysis of longitudinal and environmental data
• Liaise with data collection and data management teams.
• Develop content for study specific training.
• Responsible for project documents (ethics, tools and SOPs)
• Present the findings of the study locally and internationally.
• Development of scientific manuscripts for publication
• Supervise/co-supervise (Masters, PhD)
• Contribute to development of grant proposals.

Requirements

• PhD in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Mathematical Modelling, computer science or a closely related quantitative field.
• Record of scholarly publication, including first-authored scientific journal articles.

Minimum Experience

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience analysing longitudinal data
• Expertise in research design and strong analytical skills
• Statistical modeling skills
• Experience working in or collaborating with researchers in health-related research.
• Prior supervision of a research team or coordination of research activities in low- and middle-income settings.

Closing date for applications: 12 January 2023

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Job Overview

The post-doctoral researcher will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Contributing to experimental design, training and working collaboratively, leading projects, and supporting the lab at all levels including data analysis requirements. 
• Coordinating and analysing the bioinformatics and omics datasets. Datasets will include mRNA/transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, metagenomics, clinical metadata and other data types. 
• Working with service providers and collaborators to assemble databases which describe infection response, analyse sequences and protein/metabolite level data, and assemble results into figures as well as manuscripts for publication.

Our Research

• The Sigal lab is interested in respiratory viruses and developing interest in arboviruses. We are looking at the correlates of protections for these viral infections with applicability to vaccine design. We are also interested in the mechanisms of pathogenicity and pathogen evolution during long-term infection.

Opportunities

• As a member of our dynamic and innovative team at AHRI, you will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities and new technologies through international collaborations.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in bioinformatics or related field

Minimum Experience

• 1 year experience in bioinformatics, metagenomics, or omics analysis
• 1 year experience with analysis of viral infections, including respiratory and arbovirus infections.

Advantageous

• A proven track record of published papers in international peer-reviewed journals.
• good written and oral communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team

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Description

AHRI is looking for the Study Coordinator who will be based at Somkhele in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for the implementation of evaluation of the role of tongue swabs to optimize TUTT implementation - an observational study (TUTTPlus). The candidate will develop, implement, and coordinate research and administrative procedures for the successful management of the TUTTPlus project.

The successful candidate will also, when required, provide care to research participants and ensure clinical governance standards are met in line with Good Clinical Practice guidelines. The role requires a professional with comprehensive technical knowledge related to clinical research, who has an efficient and systematic approach, with the capacity to grow, learn and multitask. 

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications 

• Degree in Nursing, Clinical Medical Practice or Social Science
• Computer Literacy
• Valid driver’s license. Must have been driving for longer than 2-years
• Written and spoken fluency in English and isiZulu

Minimum Experience

• Experience in clinical research
• A minimum of 2-3years’ experience coordinating a project and supervision of junior staff members. 
• Experience in clinical trials is an added advantage 
• Good Clinical Practice is an added advantage