The job duties of a research epidemiologist involve studying the transmission and treatment of diseases and viruses. Your responsibilities may include working in an academic or clinical setting to study diseases and perform experiments, tests, and research on medications, drugs, or other countermeasures. You may examine the spread of disease in the general population and look at the outcomes of past and current trials for treatments. You may conduct tests as well. Research epidemiologists work at universities and research institutions as well as public health departments and private hospitals.