Research Scientist, Disease Modeling

The Foundation

We are the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally.

The Team

As part of the Gates Foundation (GF), the Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) mission is to support global efforts to eradicate infectious diseases and achieve permanent improvements in health by developing, using, and sharing computational modeling tools and promoting quantitative decision-making. The IDM team is composed of research scientists and software developers who create advanced models of disease transmission, develop computational tools to inform global disease eradication policy, conduct analysis of epidemiologically- and policy-relevant data, and identify and address critical knowledge gaps. IDM is a highly dynamic organization with a work environment that is defined by innovation and collaboration. As part of our work, we routinely collaborate with international health agencies, ministries of health in the developing world, as well as universities and research institutes across the globe.

Within IDM, the goals of the Product Discovery and Development (PDD) team are to advance disease control by integrating data and developing novel tools across pathogens to enable more targeted, efficient, and equitable public health decision-making. We develop and apply rigorous modeling to understand and capture the drivers of heterogeneous disease risk and intervention impact. PDD aims to improve understanding of how products and interventions will perform in heterogeneous populations and to generate evidence on synergies across pathogens and within individuals and populations.

Application Deadline: September 12, 2025

Your Role

We seek a Research Scientist to join the PDD team within IDM to lead efforts characterizing the relationship between nutrition and vulnerability to infection and poor health outcomes. This role is particularly focused on how these factors shape risk for and impact of interventions to prevent and treat tuberculosis (TB) as well as maternal and newborn health. In relation to maternal and newborn health, this candidate will focus on the role of nutrition and the gut microbiome in shaping healthy pregnancies and resilient immune systems. This candidate will conduct statistical and dynamic modeling analyses while applying a mechanistic understanding of the role of nutrition and microbiome on product and intervention impact. The candidate will adapt knowledge, ideas, and research methodology from different disciplines to develop innovative approaches to longstanding challenges in the field of global health and clearly communicate sophisticated research methods to diverse audiences.

What You’ll Do

• Integrate diverse multi-level data into statistical models, applying a mechanistic lens
• Develop models to test the synergistic relationship between nutrition, gut microbiome, and TB
• Incorporate new insights from nutrition, immunology and microbiome research into mechanistic modeling frameworks.
• Develop scenarios to forecast product performance across varied settings and populations.
• Lead or co-author high-impact research publications, reports, and presentations relevant to nutrition and microbiome product development and strategy.
• Partner with internal teams and external collaborators (e.g., academic groups, global health organizations, product developers) to align modeling work with real-world data and R&D pipelines.
• Engage with global health stakeholders to communicate model findings and inform policy, product positioning, and implementation strategies.

Your Experience

• PhD in epidemiology, biostatistics, computational biology, mathematical modeling, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in infectious disease modeling, with a strong preference for candidates with nutrition, microbiome, and immunology modeling expertise.
• Proven track record of publishing in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presenting research at conferences.
• Strong programming skills in Python and R.
• Ability to translate complex scientific results into actionable insights for non-technical audiences.
• Experience linking discovery-oriented research to policy applications.
• Demonstrated ability to work productively independently and as part of a team.
• Attention to detail and high standard for quality of work product.
• Experience working on collaborative projects, with significant software components.
• Ability to initiate, organize, and manage research projects and clearly communicate analysis results to diverse audiences.
• Must be highly inquisitive, self-motivated and results oriented.

Please apply with CV and cover letter.

*Must be able to legally work in the country where this position is located without visa sponsorship.

The salary range for this role is $169,700 to $254,500 USD. We recognize high-wage market differences in Seattle and Washington D.C., where our offices are located. The range for this role in these locations is $185,000 to $277,400 USD. As a mission-driven organization, we strive to balance competitive pay with our mission. New hires salaries are typically between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint. Actual placement in the range will depend on a candidate’s job-related skills, experience, and expertise, as evaluated during the interview process.

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Hiring Requirements

As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Candidate Accommodations

If you require assistance due to a disability in the application or recruitment process, please submit a request here.

Inclusion Statement

We are dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We strive for a global and cultural workplace that supports ever greater diversity, equity, and inclusion — of voices, ideas, and approaches — and we support this diversity through all our employment practices.

All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve our mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.