Ref. No: DDG-R4D/EiA/PDF/SH/07/22)

Background: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of EiA – Post Doctoral Fellow, Soil Health.

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

IITA through the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) Initiative invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow position in soil health with a focus on soil microbiology. The postdoctoral fellow will work in close collaboration with colleagues from EiA across 10 CGIAR centers and more specifically the Soil Health working group and long-term trials team. A key task of this postdoctoral position will focus on research towards microbial indicators for soil health assessment.

Position Responsibilities

• Contribute towards the development of a framework to define indicators of soil health and multifunctionality in addition to the EiA’s KPIs for soil health and in general for Agronomic Gain.
• Propose standardized methods of selected microbial measures as novel indicators to assess the impact of agronomic interventions on soil health.
• Supervise and coordinate field technicians on trial management and data collection.
• Supervise and mentor postgraduate students.
• Coordinate data collection and analysis.
• Work closely with project monitoring and evaluation team and contribute to periodic monitoring and evaluation reports.
• Provide support to activities within the soil health working group of EiA.
• Write reports and make presentations on research accomplishments through appropriate fora such as international conferences and workshops.
• Publish research findings in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
• Actively engage in resource mobilization for the development and support of ongoing and new activities.

Educational Qualifications

• The candidate should have a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, Agronomy, Soil Microbiology, or any closely related field with at least two years of prior research work experience.

Core Competencies

• Knowledge and skill in crop production, management, and cropping systems.
• Knowledge of soil plant-microbe interactions.
• Knowledge of modern molecular techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish journal articles.
• Excellent spoken and written English, knowledge of Swahili is an added advantage.
• Working knowledge of Sub-Saharan Africa, especially East Africa.
• Able to work as part of an interdisciplinary and diverse team.

Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya

General information: The contract will be for an initial period of two years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars.

Applications:

Applications must include a covering letter which should address how the candidate’s background/experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, curriculum vitae, and names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor/Superior at his/her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service. Please complete our online application form using this link: http://www.iita.org/careers

Closing Date: 14th August 2022

IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce, particularly welcoming applications from women.

While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.