Senior Malaria Researcher

Position Overview

• Location Type: Remote
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Salary: Not specified (Implied to be competitive)

GiveWell is a research organization that identifies and funds cost-effective giving opportunities, focusing on global health and well-being. Our work is funded by tens of thousands of donors who rely on our research to inform their giving. We’ve grown from raising $1.5 million annually in 2010 to raising over $300 million in 2023. GiveWell is seeking a Senior Malaria Researcher to help us direct hundreds of millions of dollars annually (we directed ~$250 million in 2024) to the most cost-effective malaria prevention programs that we can find. You will have an outsized influence on our funding decisions and help us save and improve lives on a global scale.

Our malaria grantmaking has previously consisted of vector control (distribution of insecticide-treated nets), seasonal and perennial malaria chemoprevention, and malaria vaccines. In the future, we may expand into new areas like case management and therapeutics.

As a Senior Malaria Researcher, you’ll create and lead ambitious research agendas related to our portfolios of work and answer complex questions that will inform GiveWell’s grantmaking decisions. The researchers on our team combine rigorous evidence review, cost-effectiveness modeling, and thoughtful judgment.

Responsibilities

• Create and lead ambitious research agendas related to GiveWell’s malaria portfolios.
• Answer complex questions that inform grantmaking decisions.
• Sift through countless questions and hone in on those that matter most.
• Combine empirical evidence review and critical synthesis.
• Conduct cost-effectiveness modeling.
• Discuss interventions with subject matter experts.
• Understand the broader context of malaria prevention programs.
• Apply judgment and critical thinking to research questions.
• Communicate externally about research findings.
• Mentor and advise other researchers on the team.
• Approach questions such as:
  • How should GiveWell’s portfolio of investments change in response to new technologies and shifts in government or funder priorities?
  • How does expanding the use of newly-developed insecticides in nets affect cost-effectiveness?
  • What is the potential cost-effectiveness of novel interventions such as attractive toxic sugar baits at scale across contexts?

Team Structure

• The research department has nearly 50 people.
• Organized into seven teams:
  • Water & Livelihoods
  • Nutrition
  • Malaria

Requirements

• Not specified in the provided text.