Background:
The International Institute of
Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the position of a Visiting
Scientist – Maize.
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.
The successful candidate will be part of the HarvestPlus
project team and assist in the development, testing and dissemination of maize
germplasm with enhanced levels of pro-vitamin A and zinc to partners. In
addition, she/he will help identify sources of novel alleles associated with
enhanced concentrations of pro-vitamin A from adapted and introduced maize
germplasm and utilize molecular markers to introduce the alleles into maize
germplasm with different genetic backgrounds and adaptive traits.
Position/Responsibilities:
The primary
responsibilities of the Visiting Scientist will include:
- Apply
molecular tools to identify and transfer favorable alleles associated with
high pro-vitamin A content from introduced and existing germplasm into
inbred lines with diverse genetic backgrounds and adaptive traits.
- Contribute
to the development of new pro-vitamin A enriched maize varieties and
hybrids with desirable adaptive traits for the lowlands.
- Assist
in organizing and conducting pro-vitamin A enriched maize hybrid and
variety trials in IITA’s testing sites and in multiple locations in
collaboration with partners.
- Lead
production of seeds of parents of hybrids and synthetic varieties to
supply to partners for further multiplication.
- Run
analyses of data recorded in multiple locations using appropriate software
package, prepare reports and draft manuscripts for publication in
scientific journals.
- Assist
in the preparation of project proposals for funding.
- Perform
any other duties assigned by the supervisor as required.
Educational Qualifications
The candidate should have obtained a PhD in plant breeding
with considerable field experience and working knowledge of molecular tools as
well as analyses of QTL and association studies.
Core Competencies:
- Experience
in planning and conducting field trials using appropriate designs as well
as collecting and analyzing experimental data with relevant statistical
software required.
- A
proven track record in publishing research results in peer-reviewed
journals.
- Fluency
in English and knowledge of a second language such as French would be an
advantage.
- Good
inter-personal skills and ability to work with multi-disciplinary and
multicultural teams.
Duty Station: IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria.
General Information: Initial appointment is for
a period of two-year with a possible extension to the third year. IITA offers a
competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.
Applications: Applications including covering
letter, 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: The position will remain open
until a suitable candidate is found.
IITA is an equal opportunity employer and particularly
welcomes applications from women candidates.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be
contacted.
