Postdoctoral Research Fellow

We are recruiting for an exceptional individual to join us as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Division of Population Health & Genomics. The role offers the opportunity to work on an exciting and novel CSO-funded project exploring the association between antidepressants and antibiotic resistance, using routine health data.

This is a fixed-term appointment for 2 years.

About The Project

Antibiotic resistance and depression are both leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. Depression is associated with significant individual, societal and economic burden. More than one fifth (21.6%) of the Scottish population received at least one antidepressant prescription in 2019120. Antibiotic resistance had an estimated 1.27 million attributable deaths, and 4.95 million associated deaths, worldwide in 2019. There is established evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies that antibiotic use is a key driver of antibiotic resistance in clinical infections in individual people and at population levels. There is emerging evidence from laboratory studies that antidepressants have several antibiotic properties, but to date there are no published studies on the effect of antidepressant medication use on antibiotic resistance in clinical infections.

It is important to know if commonly prescribed antidepressants increase antibiotic-resistance in common infections. Antibiotic resistant infections are associated with delays in appropriate antibiotic therapy and increased morbidity and mortality compared to infections which are susceptible to more antibiotics. This means it is important that the right antibiotic is prescribed to make sure patients receive the best care.

This project will use anonymised Scottish population data to look at possible links between antidepressant prescriptions and antibiotic resistance in people with E.coli urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections. E.coli is the most common cause of these infections, in Scotland and globally. These findings could have real-world influence on prescribing guidelines and patient care.

Location

You will be based at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, one of Europe's largest teaching hospitals where the School of Medicine provides outstanding opportunities in medical education and training supported by world class research facilities. The University of Dundee enjoys an international reputation for excellence that attracts top-class students and academics from across the world - with over 140 countries represented in the University community. You will be based at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, one of Europe's largest teaching hospitals where the School of Medicine provides outstanding opportunities in medical education and training supported by world class research facilities.

The Division of Population Health & Genomics (PH&G) has electronic medical records and population health at its core. It combines established expertise in epidemiology, genomics, clinical medicine, health screening and lifestyle interventions to improve health at the population level. Several division research themes arise from using health data, pioneering the linkage of genomic data to electronic medical records.

PH&G has an active and supportive research environment, and the successful candidate will benefit from participation in the divisional Progress in Research seminars and PhD/PORA group, as well as the School of Medicine Research Staff Association. You will also be eligible to participate in PH&G's mentoring scheme and be assigned an appropriate mentor on your appointment. We can offer extensive training opportunities - for specific methods and generic research skills - which is available through the university's Talent and Development's All-Staff Professional Development Programme. These will support your career development in addition to project delivery.

Your priorities will include:

• Data cleaning, management and analysis - involving complex categorisation and statistical analysis
• Project management, e.g., co-ordinating and planning (as well as presenting at) meetings/events with PPIE partners and study collaborators, supported by the Principal Investigators and wider research team
• Contributing to research outputs including publications, reports, conference presentations, and undertake training for project delivery and career development

Who we're looking for:

• PhD or equivalent higher degree in a relevant subject
• Excellent organisational skills
• Effective interpersonal skills with the ability to interact constructively in a diverse team including patients, clinicians and scientists
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Ability to work independently, and as part of a team

The calibre of research at Dundee is high, with 95 per cent of staff working in areas of national or international excellence. Dundee benefits from a developed network of inter-disciplinary researchers collaborating across various Schools across our community. We are one of the UK's leading universities, internationally recognised for our expertise across a range of disciplines and research breakthroughs in multiple areas, including science, medicine and engineering, amongst many others. Our purpose is to transform lives, locally and globally, which we do as a community of staff (Professional Services and academic Schools), students and alumni. Professional Services directorates are key to delivering the University strategy and driving change across the University.

Contract type: Fixed Term, 2 years