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by Lin BL, Swan 🔸, C.K.
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BiosecurityOpportunities to take actionBuilding effective altruismExistential riskApplication announcementsAnnouncements and updatesAntimicrobial resistanceGlobal catastrophic biological riskPandemic preparednessResearch
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Apply Now

Applications are now open for the third cycle of Oxford Biosecurity Group (OBG), and will close on 26th April 2024 at 23:59 anywhere on earth.

The application consists of a 30 minute application form, followed by a 20 minute on-demand interview. The projects are remote so people from all over the world can take part. An overview of the projects running this cycle are given later in this post. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis so submit as early as you can.

Apply here!

About OBG

OBG is a team of researchers dedicated to addressing issues related to biosecurity. OBG runs multiple 8-week, remote-first projects, and we partner with relevant organisations in the space to drive progress on pressing issues and to help individuals test their fit, grow their network, and upskill in biosecurity. Researchers work in small teams, led by a project lead, to conduct impactful research culminating in one or more final deliverables. A key way that these projects lead to real-world impact is through partnerships - outputs are shared with key stakeholders, and many projects are run in collaboration with an existing organisation.

For more details, see our website, or our 2023 retrospective. Our retrospective from our last project cycle (January-March 2024) will be released soon.

The Projects

We will be running seven projects between 6 May 2024 and 28 June 2024:

  1. Vital Industry Backup Plans
    1. Collaborator: Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED)
  2. Biosecurity Considerations of Controlled Human Infection Model Studies
    1. Collaborator: 1Day Sooner
  3. Antimicrobial Resistance Compliance Assessment
    1. Collaborator: Alliance for Reducing Microbial Resistance (ARMoR)
  4. Policy Idea Submission for Improving Respirator Stockpiles in the UK
    1. Collaborator: Technologies for Pandemic Defense
  5. Antimicrobial Resistance Modelling
    1. Background/rationale: ongoing project from the first two cycles of OBG, see presentation 1 and presentation 2
  6. Antimicrobial Surfaces for Pandemic Prevention
    1. Background/rationale: see forum post on antimicrobial surfaces for pandemic prevention
  7. Eliciting Biological Knowledge of AI Models
    1. Background/rationale: building on the results of a recent paper

Outputs from each project include a final presentation and a final report, and some projects have additional outputs including co-authoring a peer reviewed publication, and publishing a whitepaper.

For more details, see the Projects section of the OBG website. 

Who Are We Looking For?

Researchers

We are primarily recruiting for researchers for the above projects - see the project briefs for what you would be working on in a given project. 

Researchers spend 5-10 hours a week on their project. People from any country or experience level can apply, although we are primarily interested in recruiting undergraduates, postgraduates and early career professionals. We are looking for motivated people with strong communication skills, who are willing and able to work independently, learn quickly and respond to feedback. Existing knowledge of biosecurity is helpful but not necessary. Some projects have their own specific requirements. 

For more details on what we are looking for, see the OBG website, and the ‘Researcher Requirements’ section of each project brief. This is a volunteer role. 

Apply here by the end of 26th April 2024. 

Project Leads

We are actively recruiting for a co-lead for the “Antimicrobial Surfaces for Pandemic Prevention” project. If you are interested, please indicate this when you apply, or email contact@oxfordbiosecuritygroup.com. This is a volunteer role. 

If you are interested in running a project in a future cycle of OBG, please indicate this when you apply, or fill in this interest form.  

Find Out More

To find out more details about OBG, please see our website. 

If you have any questions, please email us at contact@oxfordbiosecuritygroup.com.

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Executive summary: The Oxford Biosecurity Group (OBG) is accepting applications for its third cycle of remote-first research projects focused on addressing biosecurity issues, and is looking to recruit both researchers and project leads.

Key points:

  1. The OBG is running seven research projects from May 6 to June 28, 2024, in collaboration with various organizations, on topics like vital industry backup plans, biosecurity considerations of controlled human infection model studies, antimicrobial resistance, respirator stockpiles, and eliciting biological knowledge of AI models.
  2. Researchers will spend 5-10 hours per week on their projects, and the OBG is primarily interested in recruiting undergraduates, postgraduates, and early career professionals with strong communication skills, independent work abilities, and a willingness to learn.
  3. The OBG is also actively recruiting for a co-lead for the "Antimicrobial Surfaces for Pandemic Prevention" project, and is open to receiving proposals for future project cycles.
  4. The application process consists of a 30-minute form and a 20-minute on-demand interview, with applications assessed on a rolling basis.
  5. Outputs from each project include a final presentation, a final report, and in some cases, a co-authored peer-reviewed publication or a whitepaper.
  6. The OBG aims to drive real-world impact through its partnerships with relevant organizations in the biosecurity space.

 

 

This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.

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