Starting date: September 2026
Funding: Annual tax-free stipend of €25,000. Tuition fees, training, travel, and equipment are also fully covered.
Skillset and interests required: Strong quantitative skills, potential interest in bovine tuberculosis epidemiology and in infectious disease modelling.
Supervisors: Dr. Miriam Casey (School of Veterinary Medicine) and Dr. Michael Fop (School of Mathematics and Statistics)
Project description:
Tuberculosis is responsible for the greatest number of infection related deaths and disabilities worldwide, and bovine tuberculosis has devastating impacts on the livestock industry and wildlife conservation in many countries. In cattle, tuberculosis exhibits variable disease progression and heterogeneity in individual infectiousness. Variation in the individual response to diagnostic testing is also recognised as a constraint to eradication. Lack of clear understanding about these heterogeneities in infectiousness and diagnosis can affect insights from epidemiological models and reduce the effectiveness of control policies.
The aims of the PhD are to apply statistical and mechanistic modelling in an inter-disciplinary context to better understand animal-level variation in transmission and diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis infection, and subsequently to inform targeting of interventions to control bovine tuberculosis.
The project offers an opportunity to advance understanding of the infection biology and diagnosis of a globally significant pathogen, capitalising on large and detailed data, diverse expertise and a direct interface with control programme managers and policy makers. During the PhD, inter-disciplinary skills will be developed to maximise the impact of quantitative expertise in infectious disease control.