ILRI vacancies: Principal Scientists “Livestock genetics and informatics”

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit three outstanding research scientists to join its newly formed global livestock genetics program.

Reporting to the leader of LiveGene, the global livestock genetics program, the individuals appointed will each have an outstanding international profile in their relevant fields. They will have a strong record of significant publications, a demonstrated ability to generate research income and a demonstrated ability to work in complex and dispersed networks of international collaborators. Experience of research in the developing world is desirable but not essential and evidence of research that has been translated into impact is important. The positions require strong leadership skills as well as innovative and creative science. Appointments will be at senior or principal scientist level depending on skills and experience. Flexible institutional arrangements such as joint appointments may be considered for these positions.

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, 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 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.

The LiveGene program of ILRI is an exciting new approach to livestock genetic improvement in developing countries. It integrates research on targeting, on molecular and reproductive technologies, and on genetic evaluation, breeding and delivery systems to bring improved productivity, on significant scale, to the world’s poor livestock keepers. Past attempts to deliver livestock genetic improvement in the developing world have often suffered from attempts to implement inappropriate developed-world approaches. We seek individuals familiar with existing systems but able to develop innovative approaches adapted to the complex realities of developing-world settings.

ILRI has state-of-the-art human capital and material support available through laboratory tools such as high-throughput genotyping and next-generation sequencing, informatics systems, and a livestock genomics platform; the first-class laboratory facilities at ILRI’s campus in Nairobi, Kenya, are shared with a wide range of African and international scientists as part of the BecA-ILRI Biosciences Hub (http://hub.africabiosciences.org/). ILRI also has excellent access to social, environmental and agri-economic information on livestock systems. The LiveGene program will work closely with networks of regional and global partnerships. The program is structured to allow high levels of support, integration and complementarity across its resources while recognizing that different livestock systems present very different challenges. Further information on ILRI is available at www.ilri.org.

1.    Senior (Bio) informatician

Data management and integration is central to the work of the global livestock genetics program. There is a significant component of conventional bioinformatics, but the remit of this post extends to other aspects of computational analysis of biological problems. This includes integration and management of many data types including spatial, phenotyping, modeling, sequence data and sample meta-data. We seek a talented individual to take overall responsibility for the management and integration of data and where appropriate to develop novel methods for data exchange and visualization. A solid background in bioinformatics is essential, but a significantly broader perspective is also required.

Post location: ILRI Nairobi campus.

Main Responsibilities:

• Liaise with senior project and program managers to coordinate and manage informatics requirements and opportunities;
• Contribute to existing research projects and build independent research activities in informatics related to livestock genetics research;
• Be responsible for ensuring maintenance of the LiveGene program’s collaborative networks and human and hardware capability to perform cutting-edge data analysis and visualization;
• Be an inspiring and effective leader of a diverse and enthusiastic group;
• Develop and implement a vision of informatics research and support at ILRI;
• Ensure integration of informatics into the research and research planning process at ILRI;
• Proactively establish and build strong relations with a range of local, regional and international partner institutes based on mutual trust and support;
• Be responsible for the quality of scientific research and project management within the global livestock genetics program (bio) informatics team.

Minimum Qualifications:

Doctoral degree (PhD) in bioinformatics or in biological sciences research driven by computational analyses, with at least 5 years post PhD experience.

Essential Skills:

• Familiarity with bioinformatics, particularly the use and analysis of high-throughput sequencing data generated by a range of platforms;
• Familiarity with approaches to achieve data integration, interoperability and visualization;
• Experience in a supervisory role;
• Familiarity with Linux & Unix platforms and computational pipelines;
• Experience with high-performance clusters;
• Experience in scripting and programming;
• Experience with relational databases;
• Excellent record of scientific publications and fundraising;
• Demonstrated excellence as a manager of a team of professionals in a research organization;
• Proven success in initiating and managing multi-stakeholder and international research projects;
• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Experience in managing capacity building activities.

2.    Quantitative Geneticist: Dairy Cattle

Improved dairy productivity is a major opportunity to enhance the incomes of small- and medium-scale livestock keepers, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Genetic factors have been identified as a critical limiting factor to achieving this. The challenges to achieving this potential involve difficulty in identifying the match between desirable characteristics and farming systems, as well as limitations in recording, delivery and breeding systems. We seek a talented scientist to provide the core quantitative genetics underlying a major new thrust at ILRI aimed at sustainably addressing these shortcomings at scale.  This scientist will work with several complex and innovative programs and will maintain productive links with the targeting and genomics activities within ILRI’s global livestock genetics program to ensure impacts over both the medium and longer terms.

Post location: ILRI Nairobi campus, but significant regional travel is likely to be required.

3.    Quantitative Geneticist: Poultry

Almost every poor farm household in the tropics has some chickens in low-input–low-output scavenging systems. Significant opportunities for improved poultry productivity exist. Achieving this will require carefully considered changes to poultry production systems and genetics, with the likely benefits including increased availability of high-quality protein for the poor, particularly women and children.

We seek a talented scientist with knowledge of poultry systems to provide the core quantitative genetics underlying a major new thrust at ILRI on improving productivity in smallholder poultry production under a range of husbandry systems for significant numbers of poor farmers, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Post location: ILRI campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with significant regional travel likely to be required.

Key Responsibilities for Geneticists: Dairy Cattle and Poultry

• Developing and testing innovative approaches to livestock genetic improvement that can deliver substantial improvements to poor farmers in low-input environments;
• Developing, maintaining and supporting genetic and genomic evaluation systems for collaborating national and regional breeding programs;
• Developing a portfolio of research grants;
• Communicating the results of research through many communication channels, including publications, conferences, contributing to policy and technical briefs and making presentations to key stakeholders and interest groups;
• Developing and strengthening collaborations with key research partners;
• Supporting capacity strengthening in national and regional breeding programs;
• Maintaining close links with the tropical dairy/poultry industries;
• Maintaining close links with the more upstream activities within ILRI’s global livestock genetics program, so as to use new knowledge in the characterization, breeding and/or delivery of improved dairy and/or poultry genetics.

Minimum Qualifications

PhD in quantitative genetics/animal breeding with at least 10 years post-PhD experience.

Essential Skills:

• Strong expertise in advanced quantitative genetics, including the capture and use of complex, phenotypic, socio-economic and molecular data;
• Broad understanding of the design and optimization of breeding programs, especially in support of commercial systems;
• Strong understanding of the range of genetic interventions for improved livelihoods and increased food security;
• Ability to think beyond conventional practice to develop innovative solutions appropriate to specific livestock systems;
• Excellent record of scientific publications and mobilizing resources;
• Demonstrated excellence as a manager of a team of professionals;
• Proven success in initiating and managing multi-stakeholder and international research projects;
• Excellent written and spoken English; knowledge of French would be an advantage;
• Experience in capacity building.

Benefits: ILRI offers a competitive salary with attractive benefits package, which includes 15% pension in addition to medical insurance, life insurance and allowances for child education, housing, relocation and home leave and an annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + public holidays.

Duration: 3 years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and continued funding.

Applications

Applicants for any of the above positions should send a cover letter identifying the position for which they are applying, and explaining their interest, what they can bring to the job and indicating earliest availability. They should also send curriculum vitae and the names, addresses and contacts (including telephone and email) of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience.

All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com. Screening of applications will start on 20 April 2014 and continue until the positions are filled.