Research Technician Mycology- BecA

Vacancy Number: RT/BecA/05/14
Department: Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA)
Duration: 6 months

ILRI seeks to recruit a Research Technician. The specific responsibilities for this position are in the area of mycology. This is a national appointment reporting to the food safety and nutrition platform leader.

ILRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Consortium, a global research partnership of 15 centres working with many partners for a food-secure future. ILRI has two main campuses in East Africa and other hubs in West and southern Africa and South and Southeast Asia. www.ilri.org.

The Centre’s headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, and research is conducted in 31 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and receive funding from over 50 different donors.

CGIAR is a global agricultural research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 research centres that are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. www.cgiar.org.

ILRI also manages the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub at ILRI, the centre for excellence in modern plant and animal biology in Africa. BecA is an initiative developed within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)/ African Union African Biosciences initiative. It consists of a Hub based on the ILRI campus in Nairobi, Kenya and a network of regional nodes and other affiliated laboratories and organizations throughout the region. The BecA Hub facilities are world class, including a range of molecular, plant transformation, and genomics laboratories and equipment (e.g. 454 and Illumina next generation sequencing, Biosafety level 3 laboratory, plant growth facilities). The Hub hosts and conducts research in crop, microbe and livestock areas where new developments in science offer promise to address previously intractable problems constraining Africa’s development.  Capacity building is a major goal of all activities. The scope covers agriculture and food security and their intersections with human health and nutrition, and the sustainable use of Africa’s natural resources.  Further information is available at http://hub.africabiosciences.org

Responsibilities

• Work as part of a team conducting capacity building and research with scientists from universities and National Agricultural Research Institutes from Eastern and Central Africa, and beyond. Specific responsibilities are in the area of mycology;

• Conduct research and implement laboratory operations at a logistical level (including development of standard operating procedures, managing consumables stocks and procurement, drafting risk assessments and obtaining permits) under the supervision of the mycology/mycotoxins project leader and in consultation with other team members;
• Incorporate information from sample collections into project database;
• Ensure observation of good laboratory practice including drafting risk assessments and surveillance of laboratory users’ activity;
• Operate laboratory equipment including microscopy, BSL2 cabinet, ELISA, fluorometer;
• Prepare laboratory chemical reagents and media;
• Carry out routine tasks such as sampling and sample testing, contribute to the development of laboratory protocols within the mycology/mycotoxins platform, conduct data analysis and interpretation;
• Conduct induction and periodical training of lab members and other partners.

Requirements

• MSc degree in mycology or related field with at least two years working experience;
• Expertise in mycology, including: isolating and culturing fungi, morphological identification;

• Good knowledge in the preparation of solutions, media and sample extraction procedures ;
• Experience with experimental design and sampling procedures;
• Experience developing and following detailed SOPs;
• Knowledge of MS Office; and with statistical analyses and database usage;
• Knowledge of Quality Assurance and control procedures;
• Ability to communicate effectively, work independently and work productively in a multidisciplinary, multicultural team;
• Ability to adapt new technology and methods to enhance program effectiveness;
• Strong English language skills, both written and spoken;

Experience in any of the following will be considered an asset:

• Experience with molecular biology and genetics;
• Experience developing databases;
• Experience conducting teaching and training.

Terms of Appointment

This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position, for the period June-December 2014.

Job level and salary

This short term position is in job Grade 2C with a starting gross salary of KES 93,134 per month. In addition ILRI currently offers medical insurance for staff, Life insurance, Annual holiday entitlement of 2.5 days per month+ public holidays and any other benefits within ILRI’s National Recruited Staff Scheme for Temporary staffs.

How to apply:

Applicants should send a cover letter and CV explaining their interest in the position, what they can bring to the job and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to the Human Resources Director through our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com/ before 23 May 2014. The position title and reference number REF: RT/BecA/05/14 should be clearly marked on the subject line of the online application.

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer