Role Title: Improve analysis pipelines for malaria research: Research, Computer Science, Software Development, and Public Health Intern
Organisation: The Kids Research Institute Australia
Internship Period: Semester 1 (February - May)
Location: The Kids Research Institute Australia, Nedlands
Our team (https://www.thekids.org.au/our-research/early-environment/infection-and-vaccines/intervention-and-infectious-disease-modelling/) developed OpenMalaria (https://github.com/SwissTPH/openmalaria/wiki), an individual-based modelling and simulation software designed to study and predict the transmission dynamics of malaria, and the potential impact of various intervention strategies.
Individual-based models are where individual entities (humans, mosquitoes, and parasites) interact with each other and their environment based on a set of rules. This allows for a more detailed simulation of malaria dynamics compared to traditional compartmental models.
We use OpenMalaria to understand how different interventions, including malaria vaccines, might affect disease spread. It serves as a valuable tool for researchers and public health officials working to control and eventually eliminate malaria.
For this project, interns will be working on improving the existing analysis pipelines that support OpenMalaria. The goals are code efficiency balanced with user-friendliness. In other words, the intern will be programming code improvements whilst learning from us: a) research skills and b) best-practice software development skills.
The Kids Research Institute Australia is based within the Perth Children’s Hospital, and is one of the largest, and most successful medical research institutes in Australia, comprising a dedicated and diverse team of around 1,000 staff, students and honoraries. We've created a bold blueprint that brings together community, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and funders, who share our vision to improve the health and wellbeing of children through excellence in research.