Join our team to co-produce mathematical models of epidemics

UCL’s COMMET project is looking for two people to join our team and help co-produce mathematical models of epidemics. You don’t need to have a background in mathematical modelling or infectious diseases, just be passionate about, or have an interest in making a positive difference to, how epidemics affect diverse groups in society.

The COMMET project is exploring how we can co-produce complex mathematical models that track the spread of infections. It will also answer research questions that communities affected by epidemic threats see as a priority. We want to understand more about the context behind why and how models get made and share our learning and tools across different disciplines and sectors. Mpox infection, which has mostly affected gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM*) in the UK, is being used as a case study for this project.

About you

We are looking for men – or people assigned male at birth – who have sex with men to join our team as a co-producer. You may identify as Gay, Bi, Pan, Queer or Straight and you might identify as genderqueer or as cisgender.

We are also particularly looking for GBMSM who also identify with one of the following:

• An individual from a racially minoritised community.
• An individual who is based outside of London.
• A Trans or Non-binary person.
• Someone with some experience of working on co-produced projects.

What will you be doing?

If you join the project as a co-producer, you can expect to:

• Review and provide feedback on aspects of the project.
• Be an active part of COMMET core research team meetings by sharing your reflections, knowledge and experiences.
• Advise on the overall direction of the research programme with the rest of the team.
• Help to inform the methods, processes, and ways of working as a project team.

We expect to work with co-producers for up to 16 hours per month, although this will vary throughout the project. This will be made up of two, up-to-2- hour meetings per month plus preparation time, as well as time outside of meetings for you to review materials and provide any feedback you have. You might also participate in planning/delivering community workshops (online or in-person, depending on what is possible for you).

We will try our best to find a time for project meetings that works for everyone. Please let us know when you express an interest if there are any regular days or times you are not able to commit to.

The COMMET project will run until end of December 2026, and we hope that you would like to be involved for the entire project.

What we offer

As well as supporting the co-production of research to inform mathematical modelling for infectious diseases, joining our team as a co-producer has the following benefits:

• Remuneration (£25 per hour) for meetings and preparation**. We can also offer to cover the following costs if agreed in advance:
  • Travel (if meetings are in person)
  • £5 per 2-hour meeting to cover internet costs
  • Carer and childcare costs
  • Other access requirements
• Optional authorship and/or acknowledgment within project reports and publications to which you contributed  

You will also be supported by Co-Production Collective staff members (in advance and during meetings), to ensure that you can participate fully in the meetings.

More information about the project

Epidemics happen when we have an increasing spread of an infectious disease through a population. The scale and character of an epidemic depends on multiple factors, including biological, behavioural and social factors. Infectious disease models use mathematics to represent the relationships between these factors to understand how an epidemic might progress. These models can be used to inform health and social care activities, and policy choices made by governments around the world. They can also tell us how these choices might influence how the epidemic progresses. Infectious disease models are increasingly used to inform policymaking.

Risks from different infections can vary between different groups of people, and infectious diseases can often spread rapidly through one or several communities because of high levels of close contact people have with each other, or because people are not already immune to the disease. Examples of this include children and the flu virus, or healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is particularly important for us to involve people from such groups in research because we want the policies and activities that we propose to stop the spread of the disease to be acceptable to, and appropriate for the people most affected by them.

We are using Mpox, a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, as a demonstration model for this project. This is because it is one of the most recently identified “Public Health Emergencies of International Concern” by the World Health Organisation. It is a good example to pilot co-production and is of ongoing concern both in the UK and globally. We will bring together charities, public bodies, researchers from a range of different fields and people who have been affected by Mpox.

Co-Production Collective are supporting the COMMET team to co-produce mathematical epidemic models about Mpox and develop guidance that will enable broader co-production of epidemic modelling in future and that can be applied to other epidemics.

How to get involved:

To express your interest, please send an email to coproduction@ucl.ac.uk by Monday 10 March 10 am letting us know:

1. How you meet the criteria in the “about you” section above. As we are using Mpox infection as a case study for this project, we are now only looking for GBMSM* to make sure we are including expertise from the communities most affected.
2. What has motivated you to apply to be a co-producer on the COMMET project? [max 250 words]
3. Tell us about your experiences that you see as relevant to the project – what do you think you will bring to the project team?” [max 250 words].

In this email, please include your contact email address and your full name.

We will choose applications based on your answers to the questions and how they meet the experience required for the role.

We will be in touch as soon as possible after the Monday 10 March 10am. If you need assistance submitting your application, or have any queries about the role, please contact us on coproduction@ucl.ac.uk

If you would like any further information about Mpox and the latest public health advice, you can read more on this blog.

*GBMSM stands for ‘gay and bisexual men who have sex with men’ and includes non-binary people assigned male at birth who have sex with men.

** This rate is different to that of the updated Co-Production Collective Payment policy 2024 as it is the rate that was applied for when funding application budgets were submitted

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