Vacancy Number: PD/PMB/BECA/12/12
Department: Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Department: Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Base salary from USD 35,000 per annum plus benefits. Total salary & benefits package circa USD65, 000 (tax free*)
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to enhance the roles livestock play in pathways out of poverty in developing countries. ILRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. ILRI has two main campuses in East Africa and other hubs in East, West and southern Africa and South, Southeast and East Asia. www.ilri.org.
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, a 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 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/.
As part of a new research project entitled Modelling and manipulation of plant-aphid interactions: A new avenue for sustainable disease management of an important crop in Africa, we are hiring a postdoctoral research fellow. The project is funded by the Sustainable Crop Production Research for International Development (SCPRID) programme. We aim to recruit an outstanding candidate from sub-Saharan Africa as an opportunity to augment the Capacity Building impact of the project and to add to the strength of our research effort.
The successful candidate is expected to spend periods of time at the University of Cambridge to receive training and carry out research. The project provides significant scope for research for a postdoc in an unusually wide range of disciplines including bioinformatics, molecular biology, next-generation sequencing, plant transformation and plant virology. The postdoctoral research project will focus on characterizing the basis of plant virus silencing suppressor-based manipulation of plant-aphid interactions.
Key responsibilities
- Conducting research activities on the basis of plant virus silencing suppressor-mediated manipulation of plant-aphid interactions;
- Devising and executing genetic screens;
- Using gene expression analyses (including immunoprecipetation, deep sequencing, qPCR) and mutants to characterize the genetic regulation of this phenomenon;
- Developing transformation systems for common bean and transforming bean, Nicotiana spp and arabidopsis;
- Data analysis including some statistics and bioinformatics;
- Working with collaborators in the UK and Uganda;
- Contributing to capacity strengthening in crop research at the BecA-ILRI Hub;
- Supervising junior staff, students and visiting scientists;
- Contributing to resource mobilization efforts of BecA-ILRI.
Requirements
- Ph.D. degree in virology, genetics, plant pathology, plant molecular biology or related fields but with strong interest and expertise in molecular plant-microbe interactions;
- Strong experience in plant molecular biology;
- Publications record;
- Ability to perform in a multicultural research environment and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Experience in the following areas will be considered an asset:
- Research involving next generation sequencing;
- Expertise in plant transformation;
- Interest in international agricultural research and development;
- Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team;
- Proficiency in spoken and written English.
Position level: Post-doctoral Scientist level.
Post location: The position is based at ILRI’s Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya with time spent in Sir Professor David Baulcombe and Dr John Carr’s laboratories at the University of Cambridge, and potentially in Uganda.
Terms of appointment: ILRI offers a competitive international benefit package. *Benefits are tax free subject to compliance with tax regulations of country of citizenship. Benefits include: – Life insurance – International medical cover for staff and dependents – Education allowance for dependent children – Housing allowance – Baggage allowance – Annual home leave travel allowance – Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + 11 public holidays.
Applications procedure: email applications to ilri-PMB-beca@cgiar.org by 30 January 2013. The position reference number ‘PD/PMB/BECA/12/12’ must be clearly indicated in the email subject line.
To find out more about ILRI and the BecA-ILRI Hub, visit our websites athttp://www.ilri.org and http://hub.africabiosciences.org
ILRI is an equal opportunity employer. Suitably qualified women and citizens of developing countries with experience of working internationally are particularly encouraged to apply.
ILRI Post-doctoral research fellow (plant molecular biologist)
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