King's College London

About us 

The Department of Global Health & Social Medicine is a unique interdisciplinary community of students, teachers and researchers. Together, we explore the complex social determinants of health, illness and ageing.

Founded in 2012 (and formerly known as the Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine), we are now ranked within the top 10 sociology departments in the UK. Our internationally-recognised expertise, consultancy work and contributions to policy development are utilised by a myriad of organisations and networks.

By connecting social scientists, biomedical researchers and clinicians, we deliver research-led teaching that investigates the ways in which advances in biomedicine and biotechnology are changing expectations on life and health, as well as the nature of medical practice.

About the role 

From 1920 to 1975, Brazil was pitted against an unprecedent phenomenon: the wild diseases. Plague and yellow fever, two urban diseases, progressively advanced towards the Brazilian hinterland, where they infected rural populations and wild animals, such as rodents, marsupials, and primates. The history of diseases moving from cities to wild spaces complexifies current mainstream interpretations about emerging infectious diseases. Exploring this difference, the Wellcome Trust-funded project “How Did Infectious Diseases Become Wild?: Plague, Yellow Fever, and Disease Ecology in the Brazilian Hinterland (1920-1975)” asks three main questions: which knowledge about wild diseases emerged in Brazil? How did Brazilian health authorities control wild diseases? What were the social and environmental consequences of anti-wild disease measures in Brazil? In reconstructing the epistemological, political, social, and environmental dimensions of wild diseases in Brazil, the project will advance empirical knowledge on the history of disease ecology from a Global South perspective.

The Department of Global Health & Social Medicine invites candidates interested in developing a ground-breaking postdoctoral research project within Dr Matheus Alves Duarte da Silva Wellcome Career Development project “How Did Infectious Diseases Become Wild?: Plague, Yellow Fever, and Disease Ecology in the Brazilian Hinterland (1920-1975)” for 36 months, with a focus on Brazil, infectious diseases, zoonosis, rural communities, environmental and animal history. The two successful candidates will assist Dr Duarte da Silva on answering his project’s main questions and will develop their own research projects and agendas, helping to provide new empirical frameworks critically engaging with cutting-edge research on zoonosis and emerging infectious diseases.

This is not an applied research project.

The successful candidates will be expected to spend considerable time in Brazil carrying out research.

The successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine and actively participate in Department meetings and research groups. Contribution expectations are outlined in the GHSM Departmental research staff policy. 

This is a full-time post and you will be offered a fixed term contract until September 2029

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you 

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD Degree in a relevant area of the social sciences or humanities (e.g., history, sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, science & technology studies, development studies);
2. Strong research profile for career stage, as demonstrated through lead authorship of well-placed publications;
3. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
4. Openness to multidisciplinary department and collegiality
5. Capability to contribute to the department’s administration
6. Ability to use own initiative and think critically
7. Fluent in English 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of archival research in Brazil  
2. Commitment to develop their own research agenda  
3. Potential for impact beyond the academy, through reaching broader audiences and/or influencing public policy. 
4. Experience of organising scientific events  

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities. 

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.