Schools are an important setting for infectious diseases and epidemic outbreaks, with illness contributing to absences and associated educational impacts, and epidemics within schools and subsequent inter-generational infections driving many epidemics within the wider community.

This project, in partnership with the UK government's Department for Education and the Unity Schools Partnership, aims to increase our understanding of how different interventions and guidance impacts infection within school settings, as well as attendance and educational outcomes. Three main research questions to address are:

(1) how do alternative term and holiday duration affect pupil and staff illness-related absences and infections in the community?

(2) how does social connectivity between schools contribute to the synchronisation of epidemics at the national scale and wider infections?

(3) with declining childhood vaccination coverage, should vaccination campaigns target specific schools to minimise future infectious disease burden and maximise school attendance?

This project will require close collaboration with DfE and Unity Schools Partnership, as well as local authorities, for data access and ensure research is policy-relevant.

This PhD would suit a candidate with a quantitative-based qualification (e.g. degree in mathematics or related discipline); experience of infectious disease modelling or epidemiology would be beneficial. Knowledge of a coding language (e.g., R or Python) and modern practices would be advantageous.

For informal discussions and queries, please contact Dr Jonathan Read, jonathan.read@lancaster.ac.uk.

To apply, please send your CV (max 2 pages) including the names of two referees and cover letter (outlining your interest in this PhD and qualifications) to Dr Jonathan Read, jonathan.read@lancaster.ac.uk.

Funding Notes
This fully funded PhD studentship includes Home (UK) tuition fees, a stipend paid at UKRI rates, and a bench fee allowance. Note, this funding is not available for overseas candidates - sorry.