Placement

Population Health (Acute Respiratory Infections Forecasting) Project Assistant

By 1st July 2025 No Comments

Key Placement Information

Closing Date: Thursday 31st July 17:00 GMT

Start Date: Flexible

Duration: 3 months (or part-time equivalent)

Full-time or Part-time: Full-time is preferred, but there is some flexibility

In Person, Online or Hybrid: Online

Host Location: London

Job Sector: Public

Project Areas: Research and Analysis

How to Apply: Send your CV and cover letter (max 1000 words) to Kat Paes, CDO Partnerships Manager, CDOPartnerships@ukhsa.gov.uk with the subject line “WRDTP – ARI forecasts project”.

Project Description

Infections caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi cause substantial burden on hospitals, particularly over winter. Human behaviour, meteorological conditions and population immunity can change patterns of infection each winter, making planning challenging for hospital administrators.

The numbers of patients attending emergency department (ED) with acute respiratory infections (ARI), a form of syndromic surveillance, is a key metric monitored by UKHSA and of key interest to the NHS. UKHSA currently delivers disease specific forecasts of hospital admissions, delivered to hospitals each week. By understanding the ED ARI data better and developing models to forecast expected burden, NHS colleagues will be able to prepare and respond over the winter period more effectively.

This project will provide experience working in a modelling and data science team in a public health context. The work will be focused on the use of data, analysis and statistics used in operational contexts. 

View further details: UKHSA - ARI Forecasting - Placement Opportunity