Jobs at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Uganda

 Job Title: Postdoctoral Fellow - Cassava Breeder (Ref: DDG-R4D/BMGF/PDF/06/12)

Background: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Postdoctoral Fellow – Cassava Breeder.

IITA is an international non-profit research-for-development (R4D) organization created in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Our R4D is anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty by reducing producer and consumer risks, enhancing crop quality and productivity, and generating wealth from agriculture. We have more than 100 internationally recruited scientists from about 35 countries and 900 nationally recruited staff based in various stations across Africa. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

Position/Responsibilities
The postdoctoral fellow in the Cassava Unit of IITA will support cassava breeding and regional testing of elite cultivars across several sites in Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda under the BMGF project on new cassava varieties and clean seed (5CP).

    Assist the Project Manager in day to day management of the project
    Liaise closely with all project sub-grantees
    Manage the implementation of the regional germplasm evaluation trial, working closely with the NARS Principal Investigators
    Contribute to the training and capacity building of partners in cassava germplasm development and testing as well as in the preparation of training materials.
    Analyze data recorded in multiple locations across seasons using appropriate statistical software packages, prepare reports and draft manuscripts for publication in scientific journals.
    Contribute to the preparation of project reports and new proposals for funding.
    Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Educational Qualifications and experience
The candidate should have a PhD in Plant Breeding or related fields, preferably with at least two years of experience in cassava/root and tuber crops research and development.

Core Competencies:

    Experience in collecting, processing, and analyzing experimental data recorded in field trials with relevant statistical software packages is required.
    Experience in conducting field trials using standard and incomplete block designs
    Experience in managing large datasets recorded from field trials
    A proven track record in publishing research results in peer-reviewed journals
    Proficient in spoken and written English
    Good inter-personal skills and ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multicultural settings

Duty station: IITA-Tanzania

General information: Initial appointment is for two years. Subsequent renewal of the contract will be decided based on research outputs and productivity, and continued need for the position. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.

How to Apply:
Applications: Applications including curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three referees should be addressed to the Human Resources Manager. Please complete our online application form using this link: http://www.iita.org/irs-online-application

Closing Date: 20th July 2012