Background

The Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) is a World Bank-supported center of excellence for education and research at Addis Ababa University College of Health Sciences, Ethiopia. It was established to lead a high-quality regional capacity for the discovery and development of medicines (drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, and complex interventions) and bring about fair and sustainable development in Africa.

CDT-Africa, in partnership with its international collaborators, is in the process of implementing the SPARK project (SuPporting African communities to increase the Resilience and mental health of Kids with developmental disorders and their caregivers). SPARK is a cluster randomized controlled trial of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training programme for children with developmental disorders. SPARK will be working across the Gurage Zone and in Addis Ababa. As part of this initiative, the CDT-Africa will be able to offer two full-time postdoctoral fellowships.

Number of positions: Two

Area of work: Statistics and Clinical Trials

Place of work: CDT-Africa, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Employment term: 3 years. Candidates are expected to attract additional funding during the period

Required Qualification: 

PhD in Statistics applied to health; PhD in Mental Health Epidemiology; PhD in Public Health. Candidates must have completed the PhD or have submitted their thesis and a position would be conditional on a successful defence before mid-October 2021.

Deliverables

• Active engagement with mentors and supervisors to support skill development in statistics relevant to clinical trials and clinical trial methods.
• Effectively participate In training in transferable skills (e.g. research dissemination, public speaking, leadership, impact, data security).
• Lead on a nested area of research within the larger SPARK trial.
• Contribute to SPARK research activities, data analysis and write-up of publications.
• Participate actively in SPARK meetings with overseas collaborators and in-country.
• Contribute to CDT-Africa teaching and supervision activities for master’s and PhD level students.
• Publish papers on reputable journals as a first author.
• Develop a research proposal and apply for multiplier grant funding.
• Active contribution to research dissemination and uptake, including preparation of policy briefs.