Postdoctoral Researcher

Role Description

A Postdoctoral position is available immediately in the team of Prof. Michael Edelstein, professor of public health and epidemiology at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel. 

Prof Michael Edelstein’s team focuses on improving the equitable delivery of immunization programmes, including optimizing approaches to data use to improve the delivery of these programmes. His international team currently comprises of a research coordinator, 8 PhD students and 1 Masters student. 

We are interested in recruiting a postdoctoral fellow, initially for a period of 12 months (extensible subject to approval), to focus on two distinct research projects:

1. A systematic evaluation of the suitability of large language models to assist in conducting systematic reviews in public health
2. To examine and investigate links between social identity and vaccination attitudes and behaviours

The first project will be conducted as a collaboration between Prof Edelstein’s team and Dr Kfir Bar, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Reichmann University. 

The second project will be conducted as a collaboration between Prof Edelstein’s team and Dr Rotem Kahalon,  from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel. 

The successful candidate will lead the development, execution and writing of these two projects, under the guidance of Prof Edelstein, Dr Bar and Dr Kahalon. The candidate will in parallel be allocated time and resources to develop his own research agenda in the field of public health, immunization and/or new methodological approaches applied to public health and epidemiology, preparing him for the next stage of his/her career

Eligibility Criteria

Worldwide applications are encouraged. The faculty will assist international candidates with visa applications where required. 

• The following are required:

- A PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Public health, Epidemiology, Data science, Psychology) 

- Experience in conducting and publishing research

- Knowledge and/or experience of quantitative methodologies and statistical packages (e.g., R, Python, Stata…)

-Fluency in English

The following a desirable:

-Experience in prompt engineering for Large language models

-Knowledge of Hebrew

-Experience in designing and running surveys/studies

 The position is based at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Safed, Northern Israel, with regular visits to Reichmann University, Herzlia, Israel. Working arrangements are flexible, and the candidate is expected to work on campus at least two days a week. Salary is commensurate with experience. Starting date is as soon as possible.

How to apply?

Applications should be made by email before Feb 15 2025 directly to [email protected] and include:

-A detailed CV (2 pages maximum) including publications

-A short covering letter in English (1 page maximum) highlighting your motivation for applying and your relevant research experience and capabilities

About the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University was established in the year 2011 in the heart of the Galilee. It has rapidly established itself as a leading institution in research and medical education with a global reputation for excellence. Today the faculty is home to over 25 principal investigators and their teams in a range of biomedical disciplines, including public health and epidemiology. The beautiful, modern campus provides a dynamic and stimulating working environment, in the quiet and beautiful city of Safed.