Job Purpose

The successful candidate will make a leading contribution to this NIHR-funded project centred on the application of agent-based modelling (ABM) to four critical areas of policy linked to the implementation of a Wellbeing Economy in Scotland.  Modelling outcomes will enable policymakers to investigate the wide-ranging impacts of policy changes in areas such as Minimum Income Guarantees, social care delivery and receipt, and developing resilience against future global pandemics.  The post holder will work with Dr Eric Silverman, alongside other colleagues within the University of Glasgow, and partners in the NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) based in Glasgow City Council and the HealthMod collaboration run by Prof Petra Meier.

The project will be informed by patient and public involvement (PPI) focus groups, which will help our team to develop decision-making rules for our simulated agents.  Each of the four policy workstreams will focus on the development of policy modules in the Julia programming language, which will plug in seamlessly to Dr Silverman’s existing ABM framework which simulates the social, economic and health behaviours of UK households.  The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the conceptual development of these modules, delivery of the PPI focus-group sessions, and code the modules themselves in Julia.  The post holder will also help manage this ambitious and multi-faceted programme of modelling research, as well as contribute to the submission of research publications and research funding proposals.  While Julia programming skills are an essential requirement, on-the-job and formal training will be available in policy exchange and PPI.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Take a leading role in the planning and conduct of the ABM project, sometimes individually and sometimes jointly with the wider team, in accordance with the project deliverables and project/group/School/College research strategy.

2. Document research output including analysis and interpretation of simulation outcomes, thoroughly documenting module code, and drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.

3. Establish and maintain your research profile and reputation and that of The University of Glasgow/ School/ Research Group, including establishing and sustaining a track record of independent and joint publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed publications, enhancing the research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit, and gathering indicators of esteem.

4. Survey the research literature and environment, understand the research challenges associated with the development of a wellbeing economy, and develop/implement a suitable research strategy.

5. Presentation of work at international and national conferences (e.g. the Society for Social Medicine conference, Lancet Public Health Conference, the Social Simulation Conference (ESSA), Artificial Life, etc.), at internal and external seminars (e.g. with colleagues and to local and national decision makers), colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance the research and our research profile.

6. Take a leading role in the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research. For example, there will be opportunities to apply for funding to extend the work into important new areas as they arise and to support the career development of the candidate.

7. Take a leading role in developing and maintaining collaborations with colleagues across the research group/School/College/University and wider community (e.g. stakeholders from Public Health Scotland, Glasgow HDRC/Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government and our other policy and PPI partners).

8. Take a leading role in team/group meetings/seminars/workshops and School research group activities to enhance the wider knowledge, outputs and culture of the School/College.

9. Take the lead in the organisation, supervision, and mentoring of postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.

10. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including Budgets/Expenditure.

11. Make a leading contribution to Teaching activities (e.g. demonstrating etc) and associated admin as assigned by the Head of School and in consultation with Principal Investigator.

12. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.

13. Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.

14. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Head of School/Director of Research Institute.

15. Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University Strategy.

Knowledge/Qualifications

A1. Normally Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 12 (PhD) with at least 2 years’ post-doctoral experience in a similar or related role(s), or alternatively possess the equivalent in professional qualifications and experience.

A2. Extensive knowledge of developing and maintaining agent-based models in the Julia programming language.

A3. Knowledge of evolutionary simulations and their application.

A4. Sufficient depth of relevant research experience, normally including sufficient postdoctoral experience in a related field, appropriate to an early career researcher.

Desirable:

B1. Knowledge of PPI approaches relevant to this project, such as systems mapping methods.

B2. An understanding of the current major challenges in public health and wellbeing and the policy environment surrounding these challenges.

B3. Knowledge of calibration and uncertainty quantification methods for the enhancement of ABM accuracy (e.g., Gaussian process emulation, Bayesian calibration methods, etc.).

B4. Knowledge of epidemiological, statistical and microsimulation methods, and their strengths and weaknesses relative to ABM, as well as their potential to be linked to ABM in hybrid modelling approaches.

Skills

Essential:

C1. Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner.

C2. Ability to demonstrate a degree of independence as illustrated by identification of project objectives from assessment of the literature, design and analysis of policy modules, and drafting of papers.

C3. Highly proficient in the use of the Julia programming language.

C4. Appropriate workload/time/project/budget/people management skills.

C5. Research creativity and cross-discipline collaborative ability, including being able to work with colleagues from across different disciplines and sectors.

Desirable:

D1. Proficient in the use of Python and/or R for analysis of simulation outputs.

D2. Ability to develop scalable simulations for use on high-performance computing clusters.

Experience

Essential:

E1. A track record of presentation and publication of research results in quality journals/conferences.

E2. Experience in undertaking independent research.

E3. Experience of developing agent-based models in the Julia programming language.

E4. Commitment to open research, as appropriate to the discipline, through open data, open code, open educational resources and practices that support replication.

E5. Proven commitment to supporting the career development of colleagues and to other forms of collegiality appropriate to the career stage.

Desirable:

F1. Experience of public engagement – for example designing and running activities to engage focus groups directly in research design and feedback.

F2. Track record of creating and maintaining working relationships with non-academic partners.

F3. Experience of stakeholder engagement – for example, arranging stakeholder workshops, and writing up results in a manner accessible to stakeholders outside academia.

F4. Experience of applying ABM to population health challenges.

F5. Experience of successfully publishing papers within population health, epidemiology, or related areas.

Please note that as part of your application you must address and demonstrate how you meet EACH of the essential/desirable criteria.

If you are interested in discussing this post informally, please contact Eric.Silverman@glasgow.ac.uk

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £40,497-£45,413

This post is full-time and has funding up to 28 June 2030. 

Closing date: 27 May 2025 at 23:45

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community

 As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension , benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing.

 We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/benefits-salary-and-flexible-working for more information.

 Choosing to relocate to Glasgow is a big decision. The University of Glasgow welcomes applicants from outside the UK, and can support you with the expense of relocating to Glasgow and/or visa costs. Further information on the scope of this is available in our relocation policy.  The University is a highly diverse, global workplace, with academic connections around the world and very high international esteem, Glasgow itself is a dynamic and vibrant multicultural city, summed up in its famous motto: ‘People Make Glasgow’.  The city also has extensive transport links to the rest of Scotland and the UK.