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A Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Ghafari Research Group in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford. The group focuses on studying the mode and tempo of pathogen molecular evolution, particularly in viruses with epidemic and pandemic potential, as well as those with significant implications for plant and animal health.
This post is part of a Wellcome Trust-funded project to develop a systematic framework for reconstructing the evolutionary histories of pathogens. The role involves using viral sequence data and models of sequence evolution to investigate both methodological and biological factors—such as the choice of substitution models, site saturation, and the role of selection, mutation, and recombination—that shape evolutionary rate estimates.
A key goal is to understand how these factors influence the accuracy of outbreak origin dating, patterns of virus-host associations, and the evolutionary signals underlying the emergence of novel pathogen variants. Structural analyses of viral proteins using AI-based prediction tools will also be integrated to support evolutionary inference.
This work lies at the intersection of evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, and data science, with applications to public and veterinary health, therapeutic development, and pandemic preparedness. You will contribute to method development, data analysis, and collaborative projects, and will have opportunities to supervise and mentor junior researchers.
Where Covid-19 has resulted in substantial disruption to your work or research outputs, please explain this by providing an additional paragraph in your supporting statement. The University of Oxford is committed to equality and valuing diversity. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria. This post is full time and available immediately.
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