Overview

Job Title: Research Officer – Intern in Biostatistics

Work location: Ifakara, Morogoro

Answers to (reports to): Project Leader/ Principal Investigator

Application deadline: June 16, 2025

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI)

 

 

 

The Institute Overview:

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is Africa’s foremost research organization, having a track record of inventing, testing, and verifying health-related technologies. Driven by a core strategic mandate for research, training, and services, the Institute’s work has expanded to include biological and ecological sciences, intervention studies, health-systems research, service delivery, and policy translation.

 

The Position Summary:

The Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) is recruiting for highly motivated and qualified graduates to work as Research Officer Interns and train in biostatistics. Selected individuals will receive specialized training while working on a cutting-edge research project called Molecular Surveillance of Malaria in Mainland Tanzania (MSMT2). The project’s goal is to develop malaria molecular surveillance capabilities in Tanzania and abroad.

 

The MSMT2 project is being carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), the President’s Office for Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), and the National Institute for Medical Research. The project is now in the second phase of implementation.

The MSMT2 team, in close collaboration with diverse researchers, public health experts, and local and international stakeholders, will provide adequate training to the successful candidates. The training will be part of ongoing efforts to build and scale up local capacity for molecular, genetic, genomic, and serological laboratory and data analytics to support malaria molecular monitoring and other project-specific requirements. The initiative aims to promote policy reform and informed decision-making for malaria control and elimination in Tanzania.

 

 

The duties and responsibilities:

The Intern will be trained and become a member of the team responsible for completing routine and specialized duties in the implementation of the MSMT2 project. In general, he or she will have the opportunity to receive training and participate to the project’s data analysis.

The internship will provide hands-on experience in data management, analysis, interpretation, and presenting of findings from various research undertaken by the project. A successful candidate’s duties and responsibilities will involve theoretical and practical instruction in the following areas:

  • To familiarize with the MSMT2 project’s data management strategies and procedures.
  • To support the project’s data management (cleaning, processing, and analysis), as well as proper storage.
  • To familiarize with data analytics to help the MSMT2 project meet its milestones.
  • Preparing and cleaning raw data for statistical analysis.
  • Analyze real-world biological data with a focus on malaria molecular surveillance.
  • To develope statistical computing abilities using one of the computer languages (R, STATA, Python, or SAS).
  • Improve your oral and writing presentation skills.
  • To understand and discovering opportunities for furthering education or pursuing a job in biostatistics.
  • Getting trained in and using statistical models (such as linear regression, logistic regression, and survival analysis) to answer research issues.
  • Create statistical reports and presentations for research teams.
  • To attend and participating in research meetings, discussions, and journal clubs.
  • Improve your skills in manuscript preparation for scientific publications.
  • The any other areas as chosen by the Project Leader, Principal Investigator, or other superiors.

 

 

Job Qualifications and Experience:

  • A bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics, Biostatistics, Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science, or a similar field earned within the last 24 months.
  • A Pass the first degree with a minimum GPA of 3.8 and remarkable skills in science leadership growth.
  • The experience with bioinformatics and practical skills in mathematical/statistical modeling will be advantageous.

 

 

The skills and competencies:

  • This position demands some practical and technical capabilities, as well as the possibility of training to obtain critical skills that are very relevant to the MSMT2 project.
  • The applicants should be able to solve complicated problems, make decisions, be independent, think critically, manage their time, and work well in groups.
  • The applicant must be able to operate well under partial supervision.
  • Possess strong verbal and written communication abilities, as well as fluency in Kiswahili and English.
  • To adhere to the IHI fundamental values (integrity, initiative, equity, excellence, accountability).

 

The Remuneration:

  • Successful candidates will be offered an excellent and competitive remuneration package based on the IHI salary scale.

 

 

An Equal Opportunity:

The IHI is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit intentional prejudices or discrimination and harassment of any type at the work place and during recruitment. All hiring decisions are based exclusively on work needs and individual credentials, and our recruitment procedure is controlled by the labor laws of Tanzania.

 

The mode of application:

All candidates who satisfy the above job requirements should send their application letters, full curriculum vitae (CVs), contact information (email, phone/cell phone numbers), and copies of academic and professional credentials to the email address listed below.

 

The deadline for this application is 17:00 hrs (EAT) on Monday, June 16th, 2025. All e-mail applications should include the following subject line: RESEARCH OFFICER (INTERN IN BIOSTATISTICS) – MSMT2 Project. Only shortlisted applicants will be called for interview.

 

The Senior Human Resources and Administration Manager,

The IFAKARA Health Institute,

Plot 463 Mikocheni.

P.O. Box: 78,373.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Email address: recruitment@ihi.or.tz.