Research Manager, Epidemics and Epidemiology

Salary: £44,000 - £55,000

Closing date: Tuesday, 23 June 2026

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract – End date: Early July 2027

Interview dates: 1st stage (W/c 27th July) online/Remote; 2nd stage: face to face: TBC

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships. We are committed to spend £16bn in the ten years to 2032, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

Wellcome’s Infectious Disease team is dedicated to tackling some of the world’s most pressing health challenges. Infectious diseases cause millions of deaths annually, disproportionately affecting the poorest communities. Our mission is to accelerate the discovery, development and optimisation of interventions that prevent and control these diseases. We focus on two critical threats: drug-resistant infections and diseases impacted by environmental change, such as arboviruses and waterborne illnesses. Through partnerships, advocacy and evidence-based action, we aim to ensure that research translates into equitable, accessible solutions for those who need them most.

You will be working with the Research Lead within the Infectious Disease Strategic Programme. The Epidemics & Epidemiology team works to understand how and why infectious diseases emerge, spread and who is affected. The team advances research across disease surveillance, epidemic preparedness, and outbreak response, strengthening the evidence base to inform intervention strategies and policy.

This fixed-term role provides continuity across existing projects within the Epidemics & Epidemiology portfolio. A significant focus will also include contributing to Wellcome’s outbreak response work, including coordination with international partners, tracking research progress, and contributing to evidence synthesis. You will join a multidisciplinary team working at the intersection of research funding, outbreak response, and global health policy.

In this role, you will deliver and manage projects aligned to the Epidemics & Epidemiology team’s work across funding, convening, and knowledge sharing within the Infectious Disease strategy. You will lead day-to-day project management for a portfolio of existing awards and activities, with a particular focus on outbreak response. You will work closely with colleagues across the Infectious Disease programme and external partners to ensure research is well coordinated, effectively delivered, and achieves impact.

As a Research Manager, you will:

• Manage a portfolio of Epidemics & Epidemiology awards, acting as a key contact for grantees and overseeing delivery from setup through to completion.
• Drive outbreak research activities by tracking progress across funded and partner-led studies and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to funding decisions through technical assessment of applications and participation in review processes.
• Build and maintain relationships with researchers, international organisations, partner funders and external advisers to enable collaboration.
• Monitor project progress, risks and budgets, and provide clear updates to senior colleagues on delivery and outcomes.
• Produce briefings, situation updates and summaries, and collaborate across teams to share knowledge and deliver work to agreed standards.

This role is well suited to someone with a strong background in infectious disease epidemiology or outbreak response who is looking to apply their expertise in a research funding and strategy environment. You may have gained experience in academia, public health agencies, international organisations, NGOs, or clinical settings. You will be comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously, synthesising complex scientific evidence for different audiences, and building credibility with researchers and partners.

Minimum Criteria:

• Have a strong background in infectious disease epidemiology, public health, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience in infectious disease research, surveillance, or outbreak response, gained through work in academia, public health, international organisations, clinical settings, or non-governmental organisations. Experience in epidemic or emergency response settings is particularly relevant.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outputs to tight deadlines with limited supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesise complex scientific information clearly and concisely for different audiences.

We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best. At Wellcome we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.