CDC Vector-Borne Bacterial Diseases Entomology and Ecology Fellowship

Organization
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Reference Code
CDC-NCEZID-2022-0143
How to Apply

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A complete application consists of:
  • An application
  • A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
  • One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

Application Deadline
5/25/2022 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

CDC Office and Location: A fellowship opportunity is available with the Entomology and Ecology team in the Bacterial Diseases Branch within the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the major operation components of the Department of Health and Human Services. CDC works to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

Research Project: The Entomology and Ecology Team is responsible for public health and research activities aimed at understanding when and where people are at risk for exposure to vectors and vector-borne pathogens and developing and evaluating prevention strategies for vector-borne bacterial diseases, including Lyme disease, relapsing fever, plague, and tularemia. The selected fellowship participant will participate primarily in laboratory studies related to tick and tick-borne pathogen biology, surveillance and control. 

Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor (Entomology and Ecology Team personnel), the selected participant will gain experience in pathogen detection in ticks using established protocols (DNA extraction, real-time PCR, sequencing) and one or more of the following:
  • Tick identification using published taxonomic keys and molecular assays designed to differential morphologically similar species
  • Field collection of ticks
  • Maintaining records in electronic databases 
  • Mapping and modeling tick distributions within a GIS framework.  
  • Assay development, research on tick/pathogen control methods, enzootic maintenance of Lyme disease spirochetes, laboratory-based vector competency/transmission efficiency studies, and/or flea identification and associated fieldwork. 
Mentor(s)The mentor(s) for this opportunity is Andrias Hojgaard (fth3@cdc.gov). Please contact them if you have questions about the nature of this research.
 
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 2022.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
 
Appointment LengthThe appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of CDC and is contingent on the availability of funds.
 
Level of ParticipationThe appointment is full-time.
 
Participant StipendThe participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. 
 
Citizenship RequirementsThis opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
 
ORISE InformationThis program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and CDC. Participants do not become employees of CDC, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
 
The successful applicant(s) will be required to comply with Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) requirements of the hosting facility, including but not limited to, COVID-19 requirements (e.g. facial covering, physical distancing, testing, vaccination).
 
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.CDC.NCEZID@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's or master's degree in one of the relevant fields, or be currently pursuing the degree with completion by June 2022. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Previous experience working with arthropods (ticks, mosquitoes or fleas) or training in molecular methods is preferred. The selected individual will learn all procedures involved in the research.

Eligibility Requirements
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 6/1/2022 12:00:00 AM.
  • Discipline(s):
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (5 )
  • Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 month(s).