RESEARCH ASSOCIATE TO BE BASED IN NAIROBI, KENYA

Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is committed to excellence in education,research and service. The University strives for quality, international standards and relevance in all of its programmes and selects its faculty, staff and students on the basis of merit, irrespective of gender, race, religion or domicile. AKU is a major component of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN),which consists of institutions that collaborate for development in response to social, economic and cultural challenges in specific regions of the developing world.

The University’s Faculty of Health Sciences was planned with the support of Harvard University,McGill University and McMaster University. It presently includes a Medical College and a School of Nursing,which are located together with their principal teaching site, Aga Khan University Hospital, in Karachi, Pakistan.In addition, in Karachi,the University has an Institute for Educational Development and a substantial Faculty of Arts and Sciences which is being developed on a new 1,100-acrecampus.

Asan international institution, the University has established academic programmes beyond Pakistan,through an Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London and programmes in Advanced Nursing Studies and Postgraduate Medical Education in countries in East Africa. AKU is currently planning a major expansion of its existing work in East Africa, in the fields of medical, nursing and teacher education.

In July 2005, AKU integrated into its academic and service activities, a teaching hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Established in 1958 and currently a 254-bed facility, the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi had been operating under the aegis of Aga Khan Health Service, Kenya. Renamed Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH, N), the new institution is AKU’s principal Health Science teaching facility in East Africa. AKUH, N is focusing on high quality of care, research and postgraduate medical education in all major clinical specialties including medicine, surgery, radiology, pathology, anaesthesia, obstetrics-gynaecology and paediatrics.

AKUH,N is also continuing to play a vital role as a major teaching site for the Advanced Nursing Studies programme of AKU, which has provided continuing professional education for practicing nurses in Kenya,Tanzania and Uganda since2001. With this new development, AKU aims to strengthen existing partnerships with the ministries of health and other universities in the region offering health sciences education, with a view to share experiences,strengthen public sector delivery systems and collaborate on teaching and research.

AKUH, N is pleased to announce that its new Heart and Cancer Centre (HCC) is soon to be operational.The Centre will provide high quality care to patients afflicted with heart and cancer diseases in a high-tech and comfortable environment. In addition, it will offer comprehensive Obstetrical Services on a dedicated floor. Facilities within the HCC include new operating theatres, modern critical care units and state of the art radiology and diagnostic services. A comprehensive continuum of cardiac services from diagnostic to catheterization to open-heart surgery and a comprehensive continuum of cancer services from surgery to radiation treatment will be available. The new obstetric service will include contemporary amenities such as a water birthing unit. All programs within the HCC will have regional reach and beyond and will be underpinned by the Aga Khan University’s health sciences’ teaching and research mandate and will provide clinical excellence and high quality.

Aga Khan University invites applications for the position of RESEARCH ASSOCIATE TO BE BASED IN NAIROBI, KENYA.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Programme Specialist, Natural and Systems Sciences, the Research Associate will plan, coordinate and contribute towards all activities in a research project to assess weather and climate information needs of small scale farming and fishing communities in the Lake Victoria Basin. Contribute to the design and testing of field survey tools andprotocols; Administer survey tools to assess weather and climate informationneeds of small scale farming and fishing communities; Plan, coordinate and conduct individual and focused groupinterviews for farmers and fishers; Plan and coordinate field visits for project review teams; Contribute to report writing and data analysis

Requirements

The successful candidate should have a Masters Degree in Natural or Social Sciences with at least 3years of relevant experience. S/he should demonstrate knowledge & experience in use of software for statistical analysis of multivariate social and/or ecological data. S/he should be computer literate. The successful candidate should have experience in working with small – scale farming and fishing communities with knowledge and understanding of the challenges of climate change in agriculture and fisheries as added advantage.

To Apply

Applications together with detailed Curriculum Vitae, names of two referees, telephone contact, e-mail address and copies of certificates and testimonials should be sent to, the Manager, Recruitment, Aga Khan University, Nairobi. P. O. Box 30270-00100, NAIROBI or by email to fas.recruitment@aku.edu Applications by email are preferred. Onlyshort listed candidates will be contacted. Applications should be submitted latest by April 19, 2011.