The Univeristy of Melbourne The Royal Melbourne Hopspital

A joint venture between The University of Melbourne and The Royal Melbourne Hospital

EDUCATION

Research Projects

Project: Bias in vaccine effectiveness studies

McVernon Group

Vaccines are one of the most practical means of controlling infectious diseases. It is therefore crucial that the methods used to evaluate vaccines be robust. Using influenza and COVID-19 as examples, this project will examine the strength and appropriateness of commonly-used vaccine effectiveness (VE) study designs to identify areas for potential improvement in evaluation of VE. This project will invole statistial simulations to model various study design and sampling scenarios and will therefore provide an opportunity for the student to develop skills in statistical analyses, including simulation modelling, as well as enhance their understanding of epidemiological bias and robust study design. 

Contact project supervisor for further
information and application enquiries

Project Supervisor

Associate Professor Sheena Sullivan

Project Co-supervisor

Mr Arseniy Khvorov

Project availability
Master of Biomedical Science

McVernon Group

j.mcvernon@unimelb.edu.au

5 vacancies

Themes
Immunology
Viral Infectious Diseases
Cross Cutting Disciplines

Professor Jodie McVernon is a physician with subspecialty qualifications in public health and vaccinology. She has extensive expertise in clinical vaccine trials, epidemiologic studies and mathematical modelling of infectious diseases, gained at the University of Oxford, Health Protection Agency London and the University of Melbourne. Her work focuses on the application of a range of cross-disciplinary methodological approaches, including mathematical and computational models, to synthesise insights from basic biology, epidemiological data and sociological research. These models advance understanding of the observed epidemiology of infectious diseases and inform understanding of optimal interventions for disease control.