ICRISAT seeks applications from dynamic and highly innovative Cereal Breeders to work in Sorghum improvement in a multi-disciplinary team comprising both biological and social scientists. The pioneering Scientist will be based at ICRISAT-HQ Patancheru, Hyderabad, India.  The person hired for this position will be responsible for Sorghum breeding for Asia region and will report to the Regional Breeding Lead – Asia.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in the drylands of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid or dryland tropics is home to over 2 billion people, and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor.

ICRISAT, established in 1972, is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these poor people to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agriculture. ICRISAT is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana State, in India, with two regional hubs (Nairobi, Kenya and Bamako, Mali) and country offices in Niger, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia and Mozambique.

ICRISAT conducts research on six highly nutritious drought-tolerant crops: chickpea, pigeonpea, pearl millet, finger millet, sorghum and groundnut. ICRISAT envisions prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics by reducing poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics through partnership-based international agricultural research for development that embodies Science with a Human Face. For more details, see www.icrisat.org

Job Description and Responsibilities:

• Lead ICRISAT’s research on sorghum breeding targeting Asian countries, to improve sorghum productivity and income generation for smallholders in the region.
• Optimize the breeding program to deliver higher rates of genetic gain by use of effective breeding methods, tools and technologies.
• Apply contemporary plant breeding techniques to create a solid and sound sorghum breeding pipeline. Improvement plans should include but not limited to development of product profiles, breeding scheme optimization, use of genotyping, automation, mechanization, use of appropriate breeding software.
• Participate in a cross-functional multi-disciplinary design team to create product profiles that deliver added value based on customer demands, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders and key players in seed systems to ensure impact.
• Deliver strategic direction and substantially contribute to the strategic thinking and planning of the research agenda, future directions and seed delivery systems.
• Work with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, including molecular geneticists, genomics, physiologist, pathologists, entomologists, agronomists, data scientist socio-economists, seed systems specialists and technology transfer experts from ICRISAT both at Headquarter and in the other regions to develop world class breeding program.
• Engage with National Agricultural Research Institutes in Asia and private sector partners to deliver desired breeding material with required product profile features.
• Analyse, summarize and interpret the data of the experiments conducted.
• Prepare reports and research papers for publication in the reputed journals.
• Lead project development, control the budget, time management and resource mobilization for ICRISAT and partners involved in sorghum improvement and associated crop management in Asia.
• Contribute to the sorghum R4D agenda and the development of strategic partnerships.
• Enhance capacity building of partners in the region through demonstrations, degree and non-degree training. 

Requirements:

• PhD degree in genetics and/or plant breeding with a minimum of 6 years and above of international experience in crop breeding research in public or private sectors with strong interest in both, hands-on applications and development-oriented research.
• Experience with variety development and release of improved products, including sound knowledge of recurrent population improvement, hybrid breeding procedures and effective seed dissemination.
• Applied knowledge of quantitative genetics for optimizing selection programs, refining heterotic grouping and performing combining ability analyses is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of molecular marker applications for improving selection efficiency and enhancing targeted use of genetic diversity in the breeding program
• Statistical skills, knowledge of computer applications and software for data collection, management and analysis
• Experience in working with a wide range of Stakeholders and interest to work in interdisciplinary team
• Strong project management ability and interpersonal skills
• Fluency in spoken and written English

Desirable:

• Working experience with sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet or other cereals
• Aptitude to work collegially and collaboratively in diverse, multicultural environments.

General:

This is an internationally recruited staff (IRS) cadre position with an attractive and competitive salary and benefits package payable in US dollars. The position is initially for a period of 36 months. A new contract may be offered at the end of the present tenure based on the performance of the incumbent, funding availability and the Institute’s continuing need for the position.

How to apply:

Applicants should apply on or before 26 April 2021, with the latest Curriculum Vitae, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about your professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged, however only short listed candidates will be contacted 

Please “CLICK HERE” to submit your application. 

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining a progressive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether they have a disability.